United States Business Council for Sustainable Development Announces New Executive Director Claude Griffin

Claude Griffin, Executive Director

The US Business Council for Sustainable Development (US BCSD) is pleased to introduce its new executive director, Claude Griffin. He succeeds Andrew Mangan, who founded the council in 1992 and developed it into a globally recognized leader in sustainable development solutions, collaboration and innovation. 

“I have the highest confidence in Claude’s leadership skills, integrity and commitment to the US BCSD mission,” said Mr. Mangan. “I will remain on board as the council’s founder to support him and the team as it moves forward into new ground, particularly on the social side of sustainability through its equity program.”

US BCSD platforms and projects are action-based and results-oriented, bringing together the collective insights of the council’s members to define challenges, develop and test solutions, evaluate results and establish solutions that create meaningful change. This work includes leveraging academic, government and non-profit resources and expertise to support market development and to proactively address hurdles in a streamlined and collaborative manner. Current platforms focus on decarbonization, equity, water/ecosystem synergies, and material reuse in support of a circular economy.

“Claude has served skillfully as a program director at the US BCSD for the past two years, following retirement from Shell in Houston,” said Scott Tew, US BCSD’s chairman and VP for sustainability and ESG for Trane Technologies . “We look forward to great things from Claude as executive director.”

Among his goals as the new executive director, Claude plans to expand upon the US BCSD’s strong social equity foundation. 

“We need to acknowledge that climate impacts are disproportionately experienced by underserved communities,” said Mr. Griffin. “We must work to ensure a just energy transition for communities that are dependent on fossil fuels. Active engagement on diversity, equity, and inclusion is required.”

Claude has more than 40 years of program and project experience in commercial and government sectors, focused on energy, environmental restoration, conservation, and social investment. Before retiring from Shell, he served as External Relations Advisor for Social Investment Environmental Programs in the US. Claude holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from North Carolina A&T State University.