Gulfstream Appoints Smitha Hariharan as Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer

Smitha Hariharan

Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. has appointed Smitha Hariharan as vice president and chief sustainability officer, effective immediately. In this newly created role, Hariharan will help to drive Gulfstream's sustainable transformation and stated industry goals by aligning its business strategies with sustainability principles while creating long-term value through impactful thought leadership.

Most recently, Hariharan served as the global head of sustainability for Halliburton Energy Services, where she developed Halliburton's global short and long-term sustainability strategy. While in this role, she also oversaw governance, internal and external benchmark data, as well as engagements with internal and external stakeholders.

"We are incredibly pleased to welcome Smitha to Gulfstream to oversee our sustainability strategy and ensure we continue to deliver against our goals," said Mark Burns, president, Gulfstream. "Sustainability continues to be a major focus for our company and the business aviation industry. Gulfstream is committed to supporting General Dynamics' goal of reducing Scope 1 and Scope 2 carbon dioxide emissions by 40 per cent by 2034, relative to 2019. Smitha's expertise will help us elevate our strengths while driving our strategy forward at an advanced pace. We look forward to the insights and knowledge she will bring as we continue to lead the industry in our efforts."

Gulfstream's next-generation fleet of aircraft offers fuel-efficiency gains as much as 33 per cent over predecessor models. The company has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 18 per cent since 2014 while expanding facilities by 30 per cent. In November 2023, Gulfstream completed the world's first trans-Atlantic flight on 100 per cent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in both engines.

"Gulfstream is innovating for a sustainable future," added Burns. "We are committed to doing our part in advancing the industry forward to achieve our shared sustainability goals."

Earlier this year, the company signed an agreement as part of the International Aerospace Environmental Group (IAEG) supplier assessment initiative to manage its environmental, social and governance (ESG) risk and compliance by guiding the sustainability performance improvement of its supply chain. As part of this agreement, all Gulfstream suppliers will share their sustainability strategy to determine ESG risk and identify any opportunities to improve overall sustainability performance. This voluntary program aims to accelerate sustainability performance and improvement within the aerospace industry and the extended supply chain, with the goal of driving positive change and creating a more sustainable and resilient supply chain for the future.