Mattie Yeta is the Head of Sustainability in ICT and PhD Researcher. She recently won the Sustainability Leader of the Year award from Computing Magazine. Here’s what Mattie had to say about the achievement.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude and appreciation for our suppliers and partners. Digital Data and Technology Services (DDTS) continues to lead on sustainable IT in the UK and globally. We were delighted to win the “IT Industry Leader of the Year” award from “Computing Magazine” (Originally launched in 1973 as the official magazine of the British Computer Society (BCS) and industry) and the civil service award (UK Government) as “highly commended” for our many initiatives. I’m pleased to say that Defra e-sustainability alliance (DeSA) also shortlisted for the prestigious Edie Sustainability Leaders Award for Supply Chain Excellence alongside Sky, London Heathrow, KPMG and World Wildlife Fund.
It’s been a whirlwind since 14 November 2017 when I started this role and was challenged to set up our sustainability function. In this role, I oversee internal policy and strategy on sustainability issues on information and communication technology (ICT) for the organisation and forge stronger partnerships and alliances with our external stakeholders.
There’s been plenty to do, and it’s been a busy and demanding three years! But winning the Sustainability Leader of the Year award has confirmed that what I am doing is OK and that we as Defra group are heading in the right direction.
There’s been a lot to do internally too. This includes developing our internal processes and capabilities across Defra Group. We’ve achieved our ‘zero to landfill’, energy and carbon savings targets and saved approximately £1.6 million (reduced CO2 by 40 per cent between April 2019 and April 2020) with the majority of our suppliers now committing to achieve net-zero for the services they deliver to Defra by 2025. I continue to work in partnership with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF UK), United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) sharing best practices with industry (200,000 businesses) and the globe.
Please read about our performance through our Annual Public Accounts
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