Friday, July 16, 2021
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| Karen van Bergen |
Omnicom has named Karen van Bergen, former Porter Novelli CEO and head of OMC’s PR group, chief environmental sustainability officer, a new post.
Reporting to chief John Wren, van Bergen will oversee climate change initiatives and help set goals and processes to reduce its carbon footprint.
“By 2023, we will have exceeded our current sustainability goals and are committed to developing and implementing an even more ambitious climate action plan,” Wren said in a statement. “Karen van Bergen is just the right leader for this effort given her long tenure with Omnicom and excellent previous experience with environmental initiatives at multinational corporations.”
Prior to joining Omnicom, van Bergen spearheaded environmental policy at Outboard Marine Corp. in Europe and created the first “green” unit at McDonald’s Europe.
She also led a business/NGO coalition that launched the first moratorium on rainforest deforestation in Brazil and headed the environmental subcommittee at the American Chamber of Commerce in Europe.
Van Bergen will keep her job as dean of Omnicom University.