Julie Hirigoyen named new chief executive of UK Green Building Council

Hirigoyen is currently UK Head of Sustainability for international property consultants JLL, where she has seen the company through its own sustainability journey, overseeing a significant change programme over the past seven years.

She said: “We’ve come a long way over the past decade, with sustainability now a mainstream concern for many organisations involved in the built environment. The next step requires mass uptake of sustainability solutions across the entire property lifecycle, breaking down silos and deploying systems-thinking to achieve radical change.

“I am truly excited to tackle this challenge alongside the existing UKGBC team, members and trustees. I’m also looking forward to continuing to work with JLL, a founding member of UKGBC. I feel sure the business will go from strength to strength.”

Moving forward

UKGBC chairman Andrew Gould said: “The challenge ahead is formidable – and in Julie we have found exactly the right blend of commercial industry leadership and personal commitment, coupled with persuasiveness and strategic sense to take us forward.”

Hirigoyen will replace current chief executive Paul King in April 2015.

King said: “While we’ve come a long way in that time [eight years], in many ways we are still at the beginning of delivering a built environment that will provide people everywhere with a high quality of life in ways the planet can afford.

“I’m delighted to hand on the baton to Julie, a hugely respected sustainability professional who has a brilliant track record of delivery, and I look forward to supporting her and the team as an active member.”

Lois Vallely