Expert insights – Lara Young
Delivering financial returns, while reducing environmental impacts
Expert insights – Lara Young
Delivering financial returns, while reducing environmental impacts
GROUP HEAD OF ESG
Lara Young joined Cromwell in January 2023 as Group Head of ESG after working in the construction and engineering industry for over 10 years. As Group Head of ESG, she works on further developing the Cromwell’s existing Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) framework and aligning the ESG strategy with the business’s overall strategic objectives.
Prior to joining Cromwell, Lara was the driving force behind establishing and implementing Costain’s Climate Change Action Plan, which set out a detailed 15-year plan to transition to a net-zero organisation by 2035.
She was shortlisted as 2023 Net zero and Energy leader of the year at the edie sustainability awards and was named 2022 Young Person of the Year by the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) and Energy and Carbon Leader of the Year at the 2021 edie Awards. Lara has been the Chair of the Institution of Civil Engineer’s (ICE) Carbon Champion Review Panel since May 2021.
What is ESG and why is it important for investors?
ESG is a set of practices that aims to enhance positive impact and minimise the negative impact on the environment and society. It also ensures that an organisation is fulfilling its sustainability commitments and has the necessary mechanisms to track its progress.
Our ESG strategy at Cromwell ensures we retain market access, meet investor and tenant ESG demands, and comply with evolving ESG legislation.
Learn more here
Driving value creation through ESG practices
What are scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions?
Cromwell has committed to a net zero target across our entire portfolio for scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions by 2045, which includes tenant emissions and embodied carbon.
The video explains the three emissions scopes. Although scope three emissions are not directly under Cromwell’s control, we must address our scope three footprint if we want to achieve net zero emissions and make the most substantial positive change possible. This is because, as a real estate business, scope three emissions represent a significant proportion of our impact.