Mike is Director of Sustainable Business at the retailer Marks & Spencer. He was part of the small team that in 2007 developed and delivered the company’s ground breaking Plan A, a 100 point, 5 year plan to address a wide range of environmental and social issues. Reporting to the CEO, Mike is responsible for delivering M&S’ aspiration to be the world’s most sustainable retailer. His job is to work with the M&S leadership team to integrate sustainability into the heart of the business across its global retail channels and supply chains. This includes developing the business case; coaching/mentoring colleagues; changing business processes; customer and stakeholder engagement; and business model innovation.
In May 2011 Mike was named the Guardian’s inaugural Sustainable Business Innovator of the Year. He is Co- Chair of the Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) Sustainability Steering Group, Chair of the World Environment Center, a Visiting Fellow at the Smith Centre for Enterprise and the Environment at Oxford University, a Senior Associate at the Cambridge Programme for Sustainable Leadership and sits on BiTC’s Environment Leadership Team. Prior to joining Marks & Spencer in 2000, he worked as an environment manager in the engineering sector and as an environmental consultant. He is a chemistry graduate from Sheffield University. You can follow Mike @planamikebarry.