Heidi Creighton is Vice President (VP) of Sustainability. In this role, Heidi will lead Skanska USA Commercial Development’s strategic sustainable initiatives across the US portfolio in Los Angeles, CA. Furthering the company’s ESG strategy, she will be responsible for identifying solutions that improve asset performance, energy management, community engagement and user experience to create the most sustainable and impactful projects in each market. Creighton will serve as a key member of the company’s leadership team reporting to Christopher Westley, Senior Vice President (SVP) for Strategic Services to support market leaders and their operational teams while integrating and expanding Skanska’s sustainability offerings with focus on Skanska’s ESG strategy.

“Skanska has a holistic approach to designing and building sustainable places, keeping the project’s full life cycle in mind. It is ingrained in what we do every day and elevated when an expert like Heidi Creighton is brought to the table,” said Robert Ward, President and CEO, Skanska USA Commercial Development. “I have no doubt Heidi will ignite thoughtful conversations through project work and advocacy that will further Skanska and its leadership team’s ambitions to drive the industry forward.

Creighton served as a Principal since 2011. In that role, she led the West Coast consulting group’s focus on sustainability, resiliency, health and wellbeing and social equity strategies in the academic, cultural, commercial, aviation and healthcare sectors. Creighton is also FAIA, a LEED Fellow, Fitwel Ambassador and is a member of the WELL Faculty program.

 

Show Highlights

• The importance of volunteering to align with your own values, establish a network; it draws you to great people who wanna do impactful work, and discover inspiring projects. 
• Skanska’s  sustainability umbrella with initiatives and policies to really drive sustainability across their entire portfolio.

1. Supplier code of conduct for all contractors and subcontractors.
2. How they co-develop, increase transparency, and push the envelope and test innovations. 
3. EC3 - an embodied carbon construction calculator tool. 

Advantages to connecting the main components to integrate how the developer and the construction team deliver a project.

Build understanding on climate resiliency and circularity on all green building projects.

Frame sustainability around what resonates with what customers are trying to accomplish. 

Tips to have collective conversations about data collection and transparency to improve the entire industry.

 

“Leading with empathy, being a good listener, really trying to connect people together - are critical. In our role as sustainability experts, we are constantly asking people to change. We're constantly pushing the envelope and changing their business as usual. Generally people are averse to change, so you've got to really figure it out for each organization, individual, department, whoever you're working with, and really understand what their priorities and goals are.  Then, ask yourself how can I frame sustainability around that and align it with what they're trying to accomplish.”

-Heidi Creighton

Get the episode transcript here!!

 

Show Resource and Information

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• Design for Freedom Toolkit

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