Dr Lisa McIlvenna has been appointed Managing Director of Business in the Community Northern Ireland, as previous Managing Director, Kieran Harding has become Chief Executive of Business in the Community UK.

This leadership transition is exciting for the organisation – The Responsible Business Network, which exists to inspire, challenge and support businesses to take positive action for people, the planet and the places in which they are located.

Before this role, Lisa was Deputy Managing Director and led the Membership and Communications functions and the Workplace campaign for the organisation, for more than a decade.

Lisa led the creation of BITC’s ground-breaking tool to help companies measure and benchmark their responsible business strategy, activities and impacts – CORE: The Standard for Responsible Business.

Lisa holds a PhD in Responsible Business from Queen’s University Belfast, lectures on responsible business and sustainability, and has delivered her academic research on local, national and global platforms. She specialises in helping organisations integrate responsible business and sustainability with their broader business strategy.

Lisa is a member of B Lab’s European Regional Advisory Group and the Derry and Strabane Sustainability and Climate Commission. Previously, she sat on The Chartered Association of Business Schools (CABS) taskforce advising on the role of ‘Universities Creating Public Good’. She recently took on the role of Chair for Women’s Aid, ABCLN.

Lisa says: “I am passionate about the power of business to truly make a difference for their people, in society and for the environment. I am keen to see further engagement between business, government and communities and look forward to engaging even more with our members and stakeholders. We live in exciting and challenging times, and I believe business is, and should be, a force for good.”

Visit www.bitcni.org.uk to find out more.