REA Group, a digital advertising company that operates real estate and property websites, has hired BHP veteran Elisa Nerone as chief people and sustainability officer.
Here are five things to know about Nerone's experience and expertise, and REA Group's sustainability strategy.
1. Business Scope and Scale: REA Group, founded in 1995, is based in Melbourne, Australia. The company's online brands also serve property markets in India, Asia and the United States. Annual revenue was $1.18 billion in 2023, up 1% from 2022. EBITDA slipped 6% to $635 million. The figures are in Australia dollars.
2. Sustainability Goals, Milestones: REA Group, backed by roughly 3,000 employees, is striving to achieve net zero emissions across Scope 1, 2 and 3 by 2050 -- though REA’s total emissions rose 21.3% in fiscal 2023 compared to 2022, the company disclosed.
REA’s Scope 1 and 2 emissions are trending down and have decreased to 61.7% below the company's 2020 base year. Scope 3 emissions grew because of increased business travel in the first full year after the pandemic; the reassessment of the company's emissions boundary to include ICT Hardware for the first time; and improvements in Scope 3 data quality.
3. Compliance Mandate: On the compliance front, REA is preparing for the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) climate-related financial disclosures in Australia in 2024-2025. The effort will involve an "in-depth analysis of prioritised climate-related risks and opportunities to address and quantify business impacts," the company said.
4.Elisa Nerone's Role: Nerone is responsible for REA Group’s people strategy, leading teams across business partnering, talent acquisition, remuneration, organization development, HR operations, community partnerships and sustainability, the company said. She joins REA with more than 20 years’ experience in people and culture across manufacturing, mining, financial services and technology, the company added.
5. Executive Perspectives: In a prepared statement, Nerone said: “I am inspired by REA’s purpose-led strategy and I am delighted to join the team in such an exciting week with our Group-wide Kick Off event today. Embracing innovation and diverse perspectives is essential to maximising growth opportunities and enhancing the capabilities of a team and I look forward to helping drive REA’s high performing culture."
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.
