GERMANY. Gebr Heinemann has named Dr. Jennifer Cords as Director of a newly-created business unit, Corporate Affairs, Business Compliance & Corporate Responsibility, from 1 September.
As reported, Cords left a similar role at Imperial Tobacco, where she had worked for seven years, earlier in 2018. As Head of Corporate Affairs and Compliance Global Duty Free & Export, and a member of the Imperial Tobacco management team, Cords had managed corporate affairs for the company in over 80 markets.
“Jennifer Cords has a profound track record as a political action leader in various countries in which Gebr. Heinemann operates. We are convinced that she will invest her experience in a profitable way for Gebr. Heinemann,” said Gebr. Heinemann Executive Director Purchasing, Logistics and Fulfillment Kay Spanger.
The company noted that Cords would “sharpen the political profile” of Gebr. Heinemann as an organisation, aided by her comprehensive experience in campaigning, communication as well as public and corporate affairs in the duty free business.
“I am looking forward to serving the only family-owned company among the global players in the travel retail industry. Even though the position has been newly-created, I won’t have to start from scratch establishing the business unit. I would like to explicitly thank Torsten Ehlers, Head of Business Compliance, who has successfully established the Business Compliance Department for Gebr. Heinemann as well as Head of Corporate Communications Lara Vitzthum and her team for building up a systematic Corporate Responsibility management for the company,” said Cords.
Corporate Responsibility has been placed at the heart of Gebr. Heinemann’s corporate strategy, the company added. “The company’s objective is to be the first choice in travel retail and the first choice in sustainable business. Gebr. Heinemann is already actively involved in a number of projects as part of its commitment to protecting the environment and shouldering its responsibilities to its business partners, customers, suppliers and employees and to society generally,” it said in a statement.
“We want to be part of a sustainable value chain in which we work closely with our suppliers and partners, collaboratively setting and performing to high environmental and social standards and championing best practice in the market. Systematic CR management is critical to our success. And that’s why the restructuring of our CR management in the new business unit Corporate Affairs is simply a logical next step,” added Spanger.
*Jennifer Cords was profiled in a recent edition of The Moodie Davitt Report’s Ten Easy Pieces column, in which we get up close and personal with leading travel retail personalities via ten snapshot questions.
