Permasteelisa Group Hires ISG Veteran as Head of Sustainability: 5 Things to Know

International building façade company Permasteelisa Group has hired ISG veteran Anna Foden as its first ever head of sustainability. Here are five things to know about Foden's professional experience, and Permasteelisa Group's business and sustainability strategy.

1. Business Focus, Scope and Scape: Permasteelisa Group, founded around 1973, is based in Vittorio Veneto, Italy. The company develops and installs building facades. The business, backed by 2,900 employees, generated annual turnover of €790 million (US$855 million) and adjusted EBITDA of €27 million (US$29 million) for the fiscal year ended in March 2024. New orders grew 18% during that fiscal year, the company said.

2. Sustainability Strategy and Goals: Permasteelisa Group strives to leverage sustainable materials and processes to make buildings more livable while saving energy, the company asserts. We don't know if the company has set carbon reduction or net-zero goals.

3. Executive Experience: Head of Sustainability Anna Foden has more than 20 years’ experience in the sector across construction and consultancy, spanning the United States, United Kingcom, Europe, and the Middle East, according to Permasteelisa Group.

Foden most recently was head of sustainability at ISG, where her focus involved developing, implementing, and managing a sustainability strategies and targets for net zero carbon, the circular economy, social value, and environmental compliance, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Earlier, she held key posts at Max Fordham, USGBC and Clark Construction Corp.

4. Head of Sustainability - Role and Responsibilities: As head of sustainability at Permasteelisa Group, Foden reports to Group Innovation Director Kim Palmen-Koop. The company did not mention specific next steps such as producing an annual sustainability report or setting/revising net-zero goals.

5. Executive Perspectives: In a prepared statement, Permasteelisa Group Chief Technical Innovation Officer Jalal Fitoury, said: “We are delighted that Anna has agreed to take up this new role. She is an experienced senior sustainability professional with a background in construction and an excellent level of familiarity for the built environment ecosystem. We are excited to have her on the team and look forward to working with her on what is a crucial next step for Permasteelisa Group.”

Added Foden: “Having worked in the built environment my entire career, I understand the key sustainability drivers and nuances across the value chain. I’m looking forward to getting started in this challenging new role. I had the pleasure of working with Permasteelisa North America early in my construction career. I now look forward to working with the Group as we head towards a net-zero future. I’m impressed with the existing innovation, and crucially, the drive at Permasteelisa Group, to showcase the value the company brings around sustainability from design, manufacture, through to construction and aftercare in everything from whole-life carbon reductions, circularity, responsible sourcing, and beyond."

Chief Sustainability Officers: Why Technology Partners Should Care

By 2027, 25% of Global 2000 companies will have assigned a chief sustainability officer (CSO) responsible for meeting their organization’s ESG goals and making ESG-related IT purchasing decisions, according to IDC.

The bottom line: Technology partners need to extend their sales, marketing, engagement and support strategies to successfully fulfill those CSO customer needs, Sustainable Tech Partner believes.