RILA Names Head of Sustainability Program

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) has hired Adam Siegel as its VP of sustainability and retail operations. In his new role, which begins at the end of this month, Siegel will lead the Arlington, Va.-based trade group’s sustainability program, running both RILA’s Retail Sustainability Initiative (RSI) and the Environmental Sustainability and Compliance Conference (ESCC), while also heading up a several other operational activities for the organization.

An engineer, Siegel has consulted for such companies as Staples, IBM and Seventh Generation, in addition to companies in the transportation and energy sectors. His experience encompasses the Environmental Defense Fund’s Corporate Partnerships Program, in which he worked with private equity firm KKR and its portfolio companies.

While attending MIT, Siegel founded and led Sustainability@MIT, a campus-wide student, faculty and alumni group boasting over 900 members. He additionally co-led the organization of the first annual “MIT Sustainability Summit,” which featured 30 speakers and attracted 300 attendees. In addition to the MBA he earned from MIT Sloan School of Management, Siegel holds an degrees in aerospace and mechanical engineering.

“With his diverse background and unique experiences, Adam will leverage RILA’s success in sustainability to date and drive a new phase of growth for sustainability at RILA and for our retail members,” said Casey Chroust, the association’s EVP of retail operations.

In his capacity as VP of sustainability and retail operations, Siegel will attend the 2010 ESCC next month in San Diego. The event, now in its third year, brings together top executives involved in implementing environmental programs and integrating green practices into the operations of retailers and suppliers.