DuPont Sustainable Solutions expands board to guide growth agenda

09 December 2021 Consultancy.uk 2 min. read
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Global consulting firm DuPont Sustainable Solutions has expanded its board of directors from six to eight members, as the firm aims to diversify its offerings and expand globally. 

With a heritage that goes back over 50 years, DuPont Sustainable Solutions is one of the globe’s leading consultancies specialised in operations, health & safety and sustainability. Since 2019 the firm operates independently, and following two years of growth since its split from chemical giant DuPont, DuPont Sustainable Solutions currently has over 1,100 employees based in 20+ offices worldwide.

Leading the company is now an eight-strong board of directors, led by chief executive Davide Vassallo (who has been with the group since 2010 and led the buyout) and chairman Guy Semmens (a managing partner at Gyrus Capital, the private equity backer of DuPont Sustainable Solutions). 

George Serafeim, John Richard, Srinivasan Ramabhadran - DSS

Effective this month, three new members have joined the board: George Serafeim (based in the US), John Richard (US) and Srinivasan Ramabhadran (Singapore) – with each of the trio bringing added capabilities and a growth-focused remit to the leadership team.

George Serafeim is a well-known leader in environmental, social and governance, and the Charles Williams Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. “George’s participation on the board will provide us important strategic direction as we develop and deliver integrated transformation solutions to clients seeking to successfully make investment decisions for the long term, taking ESG factors into account,” explained Semmens. 

John Richard has been with DuPont for close to three decades. He currently is the general manager of DuPont’s $3 billion safety business, where he oversees four DuPont product lines: Kevlar, Nomex, Tyvek, and Typar. Semmens: “John’s position on our board will ensure that we continue to be forward thinking in our core client solutions relating to safety and risk management.”

Srinivasan Ramabhadran oversees the firm’s business in Asia Pacific, which has been earmarked as a key growth region for the coming years. “Srinivasan will play a critical role on our board to advise and guide the company’s strategic growth in the Asia Pacific region,” said Semmens.

The other board members are Vladimir Kral (CFO), Robert Watson and Cedric Perlet. 

Vassallo added: “The addition of George, John and Srinivasan, along with our recent acquisitions of KKS Advisors and Sofies Group, will enable DuPont Sustainable Solutions to bring our unique capabilities to more clients around the globe that are facing new and expanded risks in the areas of safety, operations and the environment.”

Earlier this year, Switzerland-headquartered DuPont Sustainable Solutions was named the world’s leading consulting firm for environment, health & safety services for the fifth year in a row by decision-makers.