WestRock Appoints Chief Sustainability Officer

"WestRock is committed to a world in which fiber-based packaging plays a central role in advancing the circular economy,” said Steve Voorhees, chief executive officer of WestRock. “As we work in partnership with our customers, I am confident that Brandi’s extensive experience will help us advance our work to imagine and deliver a more sustainable future. I am very pleased that she is joining us on our sustainability journey."

Colander brings to WestRock a cross-section of experience that spans the private, government and nonprofit sectors. Colander was most recently a principal at The Raben Group leading teams to advance client public policy goals. She has worked as head of external relations with Charter Communications, where she created diverse partnerships and oversaw philanthropic investments. Colander has served as a deputy assistant secretary for Land and Minerals Management at the U.S. Department of the Interior and deputy general counsel for the White House Council on Environmental Quality, advising on environmental laws and policies across federal agencies with diverse stakeholders. Before joining the Executive Office of the President, she was an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council.

“I am very pleased to be joining the WestRock team, a company that recognizes the important role it has to play in realizing a sustainable future,” said Colander. “As we continue to meet the needs of evolving consumption trends and behaviors, we are listening to the customers, consumers and other critical stakeholders who expect us to operate with future generations in mind. Aligning our environmental, social and governance priorities with the products we produce inherently drives efficiency and market value. That is the circular economy at work. I am thrilled to join WestRock as we continue our leadership in operational excellence, sustainably.”

A graduate of the University of Virginia, Colander earned her master’s degree at Yale University and her Juris Doctor at Vermont Law School. She currently serves as the chair of the Board of Directors for the District of Columbia’s Green Finance Authority, on the Yale School of the Environment Leadership Council and the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy Advisory Board.