Jeffrey Whitford serves as the head of sustainability and social business innovation at the Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a $10 billion global supplier of tools, chemicals, and equipment that employs more than 26,000 employees. He is responsible for developing and implementing strategic programs in green chemistry, product recycling, environmental sustainability, and social responsibility. When Sigma-Aldrich was acquired by Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, in 2015, he was named head of corporate responsibility for the Life Science business. Prior to that, he was head of global citizenship, held several marketing roles, and completed a rotation in procurement. In 2020, Fast Company named Whitford among the most creative people in business, and the 2020 PRNEWS CSR and Nonprofit Awards selected him as its Professional of the Year. He was also named a 2022 CSR/ESG Professional of the Year by Ragan & PR Daily and honored as Assent Compliance’s Top 100 Corporate Social Responsibility Influence Leaders in 2019. His work, in collaboration with his team, has also led to several other accolades for the company’s groundbreaking work in sustainability and CSR. Whitford earned his bachelor’s in journalism and strategic communications from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and his master’s in business administration at Washington University in St. Louis. He is a board member of MyGreenLab and has previously served on the board of the International Institute in St. Louis and the St. Louis chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
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