WASTE management company Averda has appointed two rising stars, Brindha Roberts and Mariam Ansari, as Group Director of Sustainability and Director of Plastics Recycling respectively.
According to a statement from the company, the global appointments reflect its “strategic focus on fostering the circular economy in the emerging world as well as its commitment to staff diversity at a senior level”.
A Durban native holding a master’s degree in chemical engineering, and a graduate of University of Stellenbosch Business School, Roberts’ career has seen her hone her skills at Mondi Packaging, Sappi and Kimberly-Clark before bringing her expertise to Averda.
She has been Averda’s Head of Sustainability in South Africa since 2017 and is now promoted to run strategic sustainability initiatives across all Averda’s nine countries of operation — South Africa, Congo, Oman, Saudi Arabia, India, UAE, Qatar, Morocco and the UK.
“Sustainable methods of waste management, within a broader circular economy, in the emerging world is Averda’s raison d’etre and I am proud to work for such a strong values-led company. It’s also uplifting to work for a company so supportive of women in leadership roles within the waste management sector, which is still very male-dominated,” Roberts said.
Ansari will lead Averda’s expansion in the plastics recycling sector, working with the solutions & innovation team, business development executives and external partners to identify and develop opportunities to grow the company’s plastics recycling portfolio.
With a master’s degree from Warwick Business School, UK, she joined the Averda Academy Programme in 2010 and has since steadily progressed through a series of increasingly senior roles across the business, including managing the company’s operations in the UAE and Qatar and, most recently, as Head of Special Projects.
“Plastic remains one of the biggest nemeses of our planet’s sustainability. I am excited to be leading Averda’s plastics recycling team with a clear vision to move away from today’s linear take-make-waste model, and fundamentally rethink the way we use and reuse plastics,” Ansari said.
“I truly believe that Averda’s unwavering commitment to create a circular economy for plastics will make a genuine and long-lasting difference in the lives and environment of the communities we serve.”
