Intrepid Travel champions responsible business at UN Global Compact Sustainability Event

Intrepid Travel championed the agenda for responsible business at the United Nations Global Compact’s UNiting Business Live Australia conference this week.

During her visit to Australia, UN Global Compact assistant secretary-general, Sanda Ojiambo, met with Intrepid CEO James Thornton, where they discussed the future of sustainable practices in the travel industry.

Thornton and Ojiambo discussed the UN Global Compact Forward Faster initiative, which is aimed at accelerating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

Only approximately 15 per cent of the SDGs are on track to be achieved by 2030. Under Forward Faster, Intrepid has adopted two goals: Living Wage and Climate Change.

Within one year, Intrepid has achieved its goal of ensuring all team members earn a living wage. It continues to progress with its climate change commitments under its Science Based Targets and its decarbonisation plan.

“We are committed to responsible business and believe in working together with our partners and the broader corporate community towards a more equitable and sustainable future for all,” Thornton said.

The prestigious conference attracted influential leaders from both corporate and government sectors, including Team Global Express CEO Christine Holgate, Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek, and author Paul Polman.

Intrepid Travel CEO, James Thornton.

As a proud sponsor of the UNiting Business Live Australia leadership dinner, Intrepid actively participated in the two-day event held in Sydney. Since becoming a participant the UN Global Compact in 2008, the company has reaffirmed its dedication to social and environmental responsibility, highlighting recent accomplishments such as the implementation of a living wage across its global workforce.

Additionally, Intrepid chief customer officer, Leigh Barnes, facilitated a consultation on the UN Global Compact’s CMO Blueprint for Sustainable Growth, aimed at establishing a sustainable framework for global marketing leaders.

This initiative is led by UN Global Compact chief outreach & engagement officer, Sue Allchurch, and follows Barnes’ involvement in discussions in New York City in September 2024.

Intrepid general manager of purpose, Sara King, also took part in a panel on responsible communication, joining experts like the executive director of coordination & strategy at the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC), Nicholas Heys.

This panel addressed challenges for the travel industry, especially as the ACCC reviews claims of greenwashing by major industry players.

Feature image: UN Global Compact Assistant Secretary-General Sanda Ojiambo with Intrepid CEO James Thornton.

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