Banyan Tree Group CSO moves to EarthCheck

Steve Newman, who led sustainability efforts at Banyan Tree Group for the past eight years, has joined sustainable tourism certification and consulting group EarthCheck as Chief Sustainability Officer.

EarthCheck, previously known as EC3 Global, is a sustainability benchmarking, certification scheme and consulting firm for travel and tourism operators. Its clients include large hotel chains like Marriott International and Melia Hotels – as well as Banyan Tree.

As CSO, Newman will lead the company’s ESG consulting services and “embed sustainability needs in all aspects of the existing EarthCheck business units”.  

“A passionate sustainability leader with over two decades of experience in the public and private sectors, Dr Newman applies a science-based approach to strategic sustainable development, operation, impact measurement and reporting. It’s an approach that fits perfectly with EarthCheck’s science-based, industry-leading benchmarking, certification and consulting services,” commented the company in a statement.

He was previously Chief Sustainability Officer at luxury hospitality chain Banyan Tree Group, a partner of AccorHotels. Banyan Tree Group operates 70 resorts and hotels in 23 countries, 48 of which follow the responsible environmental and cultural practices established by the UNESCO Sustainable Travel Pledge. The pledge was launched in 2019 in collaboration with Expedia and requires members to introduce concrete measures to eliminate single-use plastic and promote local culture.

Newman joined Banyan Tree as Group Director of Conservation in 2015 and became CSO in 2022. Commenting on his move o EarthCheck, he said: “This is an opportunity for me to do more good in the world by supporting not just one business, but many businesses all around the world, to integrate sustainability within their operations in a holistic manner.”