March 27, 2015 – Sandra Taylor, President and CEO of Sustainable Business International and member of Landesa’s board of directors, has been honored with the 2015 Exemplary Leadership Award from the University of Pittsburgh’s Johnson Institute for Responsible Leadership for her accomplishments in corporate social responsibility.
The institute, based at the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, engages in research and offers classes and programs that focus on ethics and accountable leadership primarily in the public sector. Upon receiving the award on March 20th, Taylor delivered a lecture to University of Pittsburgh students on corporate social responsibility entitled “Breakthrough Leadership in Global Responsibility.”
“Sandra is a tremendous asset to Landesa as she contributes extensive experience in leadership, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability that supports our mission to secure land rights for the world’s poorest women and men. I congratulate Sandra on this extraordinary achievement and look forward to continuing to work with her at Landesa,” said Landesa CEO Tim Hanstad.
Taylor has had a long career in corporate social responsibility working for Imperial Chemical as Vice President of Corporate Affairs, where she helped to develop the “Responsible Care” Initiative with other chemical makers that encouraged the chemical industry to focus on health, safety, and environmental issues; and as head of corporate social responsibility for Starbucks, where she launched the Coffee and Farmer Equity Practices, which established guidelines for purchasing ethically sourced coffee.
Following Starbucks, she founded Sustainable Business International (SBI), a consulting firm that assists companies at various stages of sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) practice. Taylor’s expertise provides innovative approaches to CSR strategy, including supply chain sustainability, strategic philanthropy, and partnerships for social investments.
Taylor also serves on several nonprofit boards including the Center for International Private Enterprise, the International Women’s Forum, and Landesa. Her volunteer work is devoted to the empowerment of women in Africa. In particular, Taylor is dedicated to supporting Landesa’s work in Africa to improve women’s rights to land so that they have the security and opportunity to invest in their land to improve their harvests and their lives.
Founded as the Rural Development Institute, Landesa has partnered with governments on reforms that have provided secure land rights to more than 100 million families since 1967. When women and men have secure rights to land, they can invest in their land to sustainably increase their harvests and reap the benefits – improved nutrition, health, and education– for generations.