Events, Media & Communications

Peter Paul van de Wijs Joins GRI as Chief Communications Officer

May 14, 2018 11:00 AM ET
Campaign: Empowering Sustainable Decisions

GRI is happy to announce the appointment of Peter Paul van de Wijs as Chief Communications Officer as of June 2018. With over 20 years of professional experience in communications and sustainability, he brings a unique perspective to help reinforce GRI’s position as the leading sustainability reporting organization.  ​

Peter Paul van de Wijs has outstanding international experience from both the private sector and the non-profit world, making his background ideal to drive GRI’s global communications. In addition to leading his own business, he has held executive positions at the LEGO Foundation and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), which was one of the first business coalitions based on sustainability. GRI has worked together with WBCSD for many years. One of the big, recent accomplishments in this collaboration has been the creation of the SDG Compass: a tool for measuring private sector contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

As head of GRI’s Marketing and Communications team, Mr. van de Wijs will be responsible for developing and implementing GRI’s global internal and external communications strategy. He will also be a member of the GRI Executive Team, reporting directly to GRI Chief Executive Tim Mohin.

“Peter Paul’s extensive experience in communications and sustainability is ideal to help GRI achieve our mission. He will bring valuable perspective, excellent skills and a robust network to help us take our mission forward,” commented Tim Mohin. 

“Over the past 20 years I have seen GRI take the lead in enabling an informed dialogue around material ESG issues and develop the global standards for sustainability reporting”, Peter Paul van de Wijs added. “I am excited about the opportunity to join GRI at a time when reporting is being recognized as a key enabler for creating a more sustainable global economy. Effective communications by GRI and by the reporting organizations producing sustainability reports will further strengthen the underlying decision making.”

Earlier in his career, Mr. van de Wijs has held various international positions in communications, sustainable development, government affairs and issues management at The Dow Chemical Company, including leadership of Dow’s Global Water Strategy Team. He holds a degree in Communications from the College for Economic and Business Administration Studies in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. Mr. van de Wijs is a Dutch national, and resides in Zürich, Switzerland. On assuming his position as Chief Communications Officer, he will be relocating to Amsterdam, the Netherlands.