Head of Sustainable Brands and Customer Partnerships, RB
Sonia Thimmiah has worked in sustainability for over 20 years. She is currently the Head of Sustainable Brands and Customer Partnerships at RB, the global healthcare and consumer goods company, whose portfolio includes iconic brands such as Vanish, Finish, Dettol, Durex, Nurofen and Harpic. Her work with brands focuses on understanding the significance of sustainability issues across the value chain, and delivering positive social and environmental outcomes and purpose led growth for business. Her deep interest in the fashion sector comes from working with Vanish which is on a mission to give clothes many lives. Vanish has become BFC's official Garment care partner. Bringing together BFC’s fashion industry power with Vanish’s consumer insights and access means we can do more – conducting joint research and using key fashion calendar moments to inspire people to adopt more sustainable fashion behaviours. Recognising the complexity and scale of the social and environmental agenda, Sonia has been instrumental in shaping collaborative partnerships with different organisations including governments, NGOs, suppliers and others to drive change. Prior to RB Sonia has worked with Accenture, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Det Norske Veritas to deliver sustainability consulting to a diverse set of industries including FMCG, mining, chemicals, oil and gas, telecommunications, leisure & hospitality, construction and the public sector. Sonia has a BEng in Chemical Engineering and an MSc in Environmental Technology.