B Lab Global Hires from Fair Trade USA and Walmart for Key Executive Roles
NEW YORK, 16 February 2023 — B Lab Global, leading the network of organizations behind the B Corp movement, is pleased to announce the appointments of Clay Brown as Head of Standards, Certification & Product Delivery and Anand Sankaran as Head of Finance & Administration. Brown and Sankaran are seasoned business leaders stepping into first-ever roles for B Lab Global as it transitions from a founder-led organization to continue to meet the unprecedented interest in the B Corp movement.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Clay and Anand to B Lab. I’m confident both individuals are excellent fits for our Executive Team as we enter this new phase of impact,” said Eleanor Allen, Lead Executive at B Lab Global. “Our mission to shift the behavioral, cultural, and structural underpinnings of capitalism is no small feat. As B Lab expands and grows globally, I’ll look to Clay and Anand’s leadership to ensure our central organization and network continue to build creative and proven offerings that deliver on our vision to transform the economic system.”
Brown joins B Lab Global with over 18 years of experience creating and implementing social and environmental programs for established standards organizations that include Fair Trade USA, FLO-CERT, and the Fairtrade Foundation. In his most recent role as Chief Program Officer at Fair Trade USA, he led teams that developed and implemented the Fair Trade Certified program, including standards development, certification, research and support services to meet customer needs and achieve the organization's impact objectives. In his new role at B Lab Global, Brown will play a critical role in evolving, growing, and scaling existing and new programs, products, and tools, including the B Corp Certification.
“I’ve spent much of my career in the sustainable certification industry, ensuring that companies have credible standards to turn to so that workers around the world are treated with dignity and fairness,“ said Brown. “I look forward to continuing this journey at B Lab Global as it faces the exciting challenge of scaling to meet the demand for responsible business.”
Sankaran is a senior finance leader with global experience in budgeting, financial planning, and contract negotiations. He most recently served as Walmart Inc.’s Senior Director II of Finance Planning & Analysis for the retailer’s Global Sourcing department, and also served in operational roles at METRO/MAKRO and Procter & Gamble. Sankaran will be responsible for the financial strategy and business model for B Lab Global and its network to resource continued growth of the B Corp movement effectively and sustainably, and lead and manage the operational strategies and infrastructure to support B Lab Global’s growth over the next decade.
“B Lab Global has the unique opportunity and position to affect real change on how business is done,” said Sankaran. “I’m thrilled to be joining this team of accomplished mission-driven professionals, and to drive operational excellence that ensures we continue to deliver on organizational results and objectives.”
Both Brown and Sankaran will serve as members of B Lab Global’s Executive Team and report to Allen.
About B Lab Global: B Lab Global leads the network of nonprofit organizations behind the B Corp movement. With a mission to transform the global economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet, we create standards, policies, tools, and programs for business, and we certify companies — known as B Corps — who are leading the way. To date, we’ve impacted over 500,000 workers in over 6,000 B Corps across 80 countries and 150 industries, and more than 200,000 companies manage their impact with the B Impact Assessment and the SDG Action Manager. We’ve created and led efforts to pass over 50 corporate statutes globally that enable any business to embed stakeholder governance, with over 10,000 companies using our legal framework. Make business a force for good with us at www.bcorporation.net.
Media Contact: press@bcorporation.net