Martin Fryer is a sustainability manager responsible for the implementation of Auckland Airport’s sustainability policy. The policy is implemented through a forum chaired by Martin, made up of ten members of staff from across the business. Martin also chairs the company’s resource efficiency group that looks at energy, water and waste minimization across the airport.
Martin’s environmental career began in local government – working as a Recycling Officer across London. He moved to the private sector when packaging waste regulations kicked in and became Environmental Manager for Geest Foods in Cambridge. Martin moved to New Zealand in 2001, initially for six months, and remains there today. He worked in various environmental management positions for Fletcher Steel and Air New Zealand, along with Landcare Research, a Crown Research Institute, developing their CarboNZero certification scheme. Martin joined Auckland Airport in September 2007 as Sustainability Advisor, in a role that has developed over the past six years to include the EMS.
Martin joined the IES after graduating from Farnborough College of Technology. He believes that professional membership is important for those working in the environmental sector:
“I saw the importance of professional membership for those working in the environmental sector and the fact that this has now developed to include the Chartered Environmentalist Status through the Society for the Environment has added even more value. I have maintained my memberships over the years as I think it adds real weight to anyone’s curriculum vitae and reflects my personal commitment to professional standards.”
Martin enjoys the varied aspects of his job, and the constant challenges presented by the development and change at the airport. He relishes the rewards of implementing best practice solutions and the recognition and reputation it gives the business, and is grateful for the support of a great team from senior managers down.
Of particular note is his involvement in making Auckland Airport the first company in New Zealand to make it into the Dow Jones Sustainability Index in the Asia Pacific region. They joined in 2012 and maintained their inclusion in the index and improved their score the following year. The Dow Jones requires the business to take a close look at its environmental, social and governance practices and requires benchmarking against international best practice:
“It takes a team of nine several weeks to prepare the comprehensive response but the process provides an opportunity to reflect on how much the business has achieved over the past few years. Maintaining our inclusion in the Index is a result the whole business can be very proud of. “
In the future, Martin looks forward to implementing systems to achieve 2020 targets well ahead of schedule as part of Auckland Airport’s latest sustainability policy, and develop a sustainable development plan which looks further into the future. Following his personal desire to look for improvements and promote best practice in sustainability he has recently undertaken training in the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia’s rating tool. He is part way through an MBA, run by Southern Cross University in Australia and supported in New Zealand by Manukau Institute of Technology, which is providing another interesting and exciting challenge.
