WorldGBC Searches for New CEO

WASHINGTON — The World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) is seeking a new CEO. The organization announced in November that its current CEO, Jane Henley, will step down from the role in March 2015.

Henley, a New Zealand native, was appointed in February 2010, will be stepping down from the position in March 2015. As CEO, Henley helped to collaborate between more than 100 national green building councils and was an advocate for green building. She has held several roles within the industry, including advisor to the New Zealand Ministry of Environment; member of the supervisory board for the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee in Russia; a member of Deloitte Think Tank in Paris. She is also a former director of the United Nations Sustainable Building Climate Change Initiative board.

Before heading up the WorldGBC, Henley was the founding CEO of the New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC), which she helped establish in 2005. The NZGBC now has more than 400 member companies.

“Jane has been instrumental in growing the green building council network into a global movement that now boasts GBCs in 100 countries around the globe,” said Bruce Kerswill, WorldGBC chair, in a statement. “Jane worked hard to establish the WorldGBC’s five regional networks in Asia Pacific, Africa, the Americas, Europe and MENA. She championed global events such as Green Building Week, and was a driving force behind the development of our two ground-breaking reports: The Business Case for Green Building and Health, Wellbeing and Productivity in Offices.”

Henley will continue to focus on entrepreneurial activities while also studying at MIT University in Boston. The WorldGBC will be seeking a new CEO, the organization said information will be available on its website shortly.

Since the WorldGBC’s founding in 2002, global green building activity has experienced steady growth, with the Asia Pacific region increasing from $10 billion in 2005 to $40 billion in 2008, two years before Henley’s appointment to the organization. The WorldGBC has 15 established country councils: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, UAE, Taiwan, United Kingdom, US, Colombia and Romania. More than 27,000 member companies and organizations and 32,000 volunteers participate in WorldGBC efforts.