Islands Energy Group has appointed Alex Herschel, a chartered environmental specialist with more than 25 years advising organisations in the energy and public sectors, as its Chief Sustainability Officer.
Islands Energy Group (IEG) is the parent company of Guernsey Energy and Island Energy.
Alex joined the group as Managing Director of Guernsey Gas in early 2022, overseeing the recent rebrand to Guernsey Energy and leading IEG’s drive to be a more sustainable business. She will now take on the new group-level role, leading the business’ sustainability initiatives and Net Zero strategy across Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man.
IEG’s CEO Jo Cox said: “As a group we have made a firm commitment to work towards Net Zero and we have consistently heard from our employees, our customers and our governments that this is a top priority for everyone. It is clear that in order to gain pace and deliver on our aspirations, we must invest further, dedicating a team to our strategy and utilising the right expertise to move things forward.
“Alex is passionate about this subject; with 20 years’ experience advising businesses and governments on environmental sustainability and her drive to transform what we are known for in each island, she is the perfect fit for this role.”
IEG is shortly to publish its Net Zero Strategy, setting out how it will contribute to the energy transition.
Alex said: “Setting out our strategic aims is an important step. Along with our long-term goals to introduce new products and technologies, our strategy will show how we can explore exciting sources of energy such as green hydrogen. I am also looking forward to working in the short term to increase our reporting of our carbon emissions and working to reduce the Group’s operational carbon footprint.”
The move to create a group-level sustainability post has been backed by Ancala, IEG’s shareholder.
“We have worked closely with Ancala’s Environmental Social Governance (ESG) team on this appointment,” said Jo Cox. “We’re proud to be leading the way within Ancala’s portfolio of businesses and demonstrating the progress that can be made towards a sustainable future.”
Alex has been instrumental in the development of several sustainability strategies, including the 2020 Strategy for Nature for Guernsey – the island’s plan for ensuring local nature is healthy, protected and respected. Alex was also a strategic and technical environmental advisor during the development of the Government Work Plan and the green economy and blue economy support plans.
On top of her professional role, Alex is a founding member and vice chair of the Guernsey Green Forum and committee member of the Guernsey Chamber of Commerce Sustainable Business Initiative.
