Skanska Reshapes its Sustainability Team

Skanska, a global leader in sustainable building, has restructured its sustainability team to better serve client and company goals, the company has announced.

Sweden-based Skanska is one of the world’s largest project development and construction companies, with 2023 revenue totaling $US14bn. It operates in select markets in the Nordics, Europe and USA, and employs 27,000 people.

The built environment accounts for nearly 40% of carbon emissions globally, with approximately 11% embodied in construction materials and an estimated 28% stemming from building operations. 

Skanska’s new look sustainability team will be co-led by Steve Clem, who is SVP Project Planning Services, and National VP Sustainability, Myrrh Caplan.

Since joining Skanska as a Project Manager in 2005, Caplan has helped shape its approach to sustainable building, establishing the company’s first national Green Construction program and chairing its first National Green Council. 

Skanska using procurement to boost sustainability

Clem joined Skanska as a project engineer in 1997, and is responsible for the company’s decarbonisation goals in the United States. He works with construction teams to identify sustainable procurement solutions for clients including the use of mass timber. 

He has been influencing procurement with the Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator tool Skanska co-created and launched in 2019. He has also authored multiple cost studies exploring the adoption of environmentally preferable construction strategies.

“Steve and Myrrh are central to our commitment to sustainability,” said Steve Stouthamer, EVP, Project Planning, Skanska USA Building. 

He added: “They’ll leverage Skanska’s global and domestic initiatives to protect our environment and ensure the resilience of the communities we build in. 

“By harnessing their collective expertise, we can make significant strides toward our decarbonisation goals while continuing to set the bar for sustainable industry practices.”