Inge Huijbrechts , Global Senior Vice President Sustainability , Security and Corporate Communications , Radisson Hotel Group , looks to a bright future
RADISSON HOTEL GROUP
Inge Huijbrechts , Global Senior Vice President Sustainability , Security and Corporate Communications , Radisson Hotel Group , looks to a bright future
Sometimes defining moments in a life and career are easy to pinpoint , while other executives have a less obvious path . For Inge Huijbrechts – Global Senior Vice President Sustainability , Security and Corporate Communications for Radisson Hotel Group – one moment stands out that encapsulates a passion for travel with concern for the planet . That ‘ moment ’ was a four-year sailing trip around the world , beginning in Belgium and ending with Inge first joining Toyota Motor Europe to lead sustainability and then Radisson Hotel Group .
“ The trip went from Belgium to Australia , it took four years and it had been a life dream of mine ,” recalls Inge , who embarked on the journey with her ex-husband .
“ It seemed like the right moment , in our lives and our careers , to do it and actually it was . Once you get your mindset to a project like that , it ' s doable to give up everything , to sell your house , give up great careers and go . It ' s not a holiday , it ' s a different way of life . A journey like that is an exploration to yourself , to the nature around you , to the state of the world in very remote and pristine places .”
Although Inge got to see some of those incredibly remote places , they were far from untouched by the now recognised scourge of plastic waste – something which clearly had a lasting impact on her and her later career choices .
“ Nature is stunningly beautiful ,” she says , “ but you see the impact of plastic pollution firsthand , even when you cross the ocean .
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