Brendan May, Managing Director, Planet 2050

Brendan May runs Planet 2050, Weber Shandwick’s corporate responsibility and sustainability practice. He has advised some of the world's largest companies and brands including The Coca Cola Company, American Airlines, Cargill Inc, Fujitsu Siemens Computers, Alliance Boots, Target and A1GP, the world cup of motorsport. Brendan is also a Senior Advisor to the Rainforest Alliance, for whom he has helped broker and promote major new alliances with McDonalds, Kraft Foods, Innocent Drinks, Chiquita and Unilever. He is a regular writer and commentator on corporate responsibility issues.

As Chief Executive of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) from 1999-2004, Brendan pioneered one of the world’s most successful green-business partnerships. The MSC’s increasingly influential labelling scheme for sustainable seafood has shown how profit and shareholder value can be aligned with consumer choice and environmental responsibility. Under his leadership, the MSC attracted the support of several key multinationals across the retail and food processing sectors, as well as endorsements from governments, NGOs and key opinion formers around the world. In 2002 the MSC won the UK Charity Award for Best Practice in recognition of its drive for openness, transparency and the highest standards of internal management. In five years, Brendan built the organisation from a small team of six into a global force with offices in London, Seattle and Sydney.

Brendan has worked closely with HRH The Prince of Wales in raising awareness of seafood sustainability issues. Previously he has been a journalist (BBC) and a media advisor for senior British politicians. In 2002 he was selected by the World Economic Forum as a Global Leader for Tomorrow.