Sustainable Growth: Navigating Brand Responsibility and Consumer Demands

Joe is a Partner with Deloitte based in Toronto and is the National Consumer Leader for Sustainability and Climate. He has over 28 years of related experience and has served several consumer sub-sectors such as: automotive manufacturing and dealerships, retail, consumer and industrial products, transportation, tourism and hospitality. Joe has also held sustainability leadership roles within industries such as retail and automotive.

Joe specializes in the climate and sustainability areas of purpose and brand, strategy, supply chain, sustainable products, management systems design and implementation, assurance, risk management, governance and corporate reporting and disclosure. Joe has dedicated his professional career in sustainability and is also part of the global Consumer team at Deloitte where he works across the Americas, Europe and the Middle East helping our largest clients create value from their sustainability and climate investments.

In her current role as a Sr Director Leigh is responsible for Sustainability, Facilities/Engineering, Sourcing and Procurement for Supply Chain, Retail and Corporate locations across Canada. Leigh is responsible for setting the sustainability agenda and identifying key focus areas for the company inclusive of numerous customer facing recycling programs, internal waste diversion, community-based recycling initiatives and energy management inclusive of Staples commitment to renewables and staples decarbonization plan

For her efforts, Leigh was named to Canada’s 2014 and 2016 Clean50, which offers recognition to Canada’s leaders in sustainability for their contributions over the prior two years. The only retailer to have received two clean 50 awards. Leigh has also been honored by Retail Council of Canada twice in the area of Sustainability.

Leigh has fiscal responsibility for the capital and expense budgets for all Facility related initiatives for all Staples locations inclusive of Supply Chain, Retail and Corporate in Canada and oversees procurement inclusive of non-trade supplies and Corporate Travel.

Leigh started with Staples in 1997 as a Management Trainee and has held several store management roles.  In 2002 Leigh assumed responsibility for centralizing facility management for the retail locations. A team of one that over 22 years as grown is size, scope and sophistication of process.    .

Leigh was elected to the Connex (formerly Professional Retail Store Maintenance Association) Board of directors in 2014 and was elected as the 2016-17 Chair of Board.  The second female in 25 years to hold the role and the first Canadian in the position. 

Leigh currently sits on the board of Directors for the Ontario Volleyball Association and Lighthouse Learning and Development centre a non-profit educational facility for those K-12 with autism, neurodivergent and intellectual disabilities in Aurora Ontario.