ADM’s new chief sustainability officer joins amid turbulent times for ag giant
Grains trader is enacting job cuts and has seen its emissions commitment removed by the Science Based Targets Initiative Read More
The troubled ag giant ADM has appointed Katherine Pickus, previously at Tyson Foods, as its new chief sustainability officer.
Pickus joins following a period of turbulence at the global grains trader. ADM’s net earnings fell to $1.8 billion in 2024, the second consecutive annual decline. The company said it would eliminate up to 700 jobs in a bid to make $750 million in savings. ADM is also the subject of an accounting irregularities probe by federal investigators.
The company faces additional challenges with its sustainability targets. Its 2023 sustainability report — the most recent available — notes that ADM submitted targets consistent with 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming to the Science Based Targets Initiative. The commitment was subsequently flagged as removed by the SBTi.
Former VP at Tyson
Pickus served as vice president for sustainability and global impact at Tyson Foods from 2021 until her move to ADM earlier last month. She was previously vice president for global sustainability at Griffith Foods.
In a farewell post on LinkedIn, outgoing CSO Alison Taylor highlighted ADM’s Strive35 program as a significant part of her tenure. The program includes a 2035 target for reducing the company’s absolute greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent, energy intensity by 15 percent, water intensity by 10 percent and achieving a 90 percent landfill diversion rate. Taylor will continue as climate leader in residence at Duke University, a part-time position she took up in September.
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