23 November 2020 – The University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) has announced Clare Shine will succeed Dame Polly Courtice as its new Director, effective April 2021.
Clare is presently Vice-President and Chief Program Officer at Salzburg Global Seminar, an international non-profit, which challenges current and future leaders to shape a ‘creative, just and sustainable world’.
CISL Founder Director Dame Polly Courtice will step down after more than 30 years leading the organisation. Under her leadership, CISL has become an internationally recognised centre of excellence in sustainability leadership, working primarily with business, government and the finance sector to provide education, industry convening, research and thought leadership for thousands of individuals and hundreds of companies each year. More than 100 staff operate out of offices in Cambridge, Cape Town and Brussels, and the Institute’s work with companies and international delivery partners has expanded its impact and reach globally to build a network of over 16,000 individuals.
Clare Shine said:
“As the new Director, I’m eager to work with CISL’s outstanding team to build on its distinguished 30-year legacy of collaboration with influential companies, policy makers, and networks across the world. CISL will play a pivotal role in this decade of action to inspire transformative leadership and innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals.”
Dame Polly said:
“Clare will make an outstanding Director of CISL. She combines strategic knowledge and expertise in sustainable development with success in policy change, business growth, and organisational innovation. In her previous role she has built high-level coalitions involving governments, business, research universities and philanthropies. I am delighted that she will bring these strengths to bear on the Institute, and take its success to new heights.”
Professor Stephen Toope, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge said:
“I look forward to working with Clare Shine as she picks up the baton from Dame Polly, helping CISL to harness the University’s resources and contribute towards a sustainable future for everyone.”
In 2008 Polly was made a Lieutenant of the Victorian Order (LVO). In 2015 she was awarded the Stanford Bright Award for her efforts in guiding thousands of business leaders to more sustainable business practices, and in 2016 she was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for services to Sustainability Leadership.
The Prince of Wales is the Royal Patron of the Institute and has supported many of its flagship initiatives, including The Prince of Wales’s Business & Sustainability Programme and The Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders Group. In 2018, CISL launched The Prince of Wales Global Sustainability Fellowship Programme, which is funded by a group of leading companies to foster new transdisciplinary thinking on sustainability.