Work

Gwen Ruta directs Environmental Defense Fund's Corporate Partnerships program. She spearheads its work with leading multinational companies to develop innovative, business-based solutions to environmental challenges and to drive change through the corporate value chain.

Ranked #1 among environmental organizations for credible and effective partnerships by the Financial Times, Gwen’s group has kicked off transformations in market sectors from catalogs to shipping to retail to food service.

Partner companies have included Wal-Mart; Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts; UPS; FedEx; DuPont; McDonalds; and Citigroup.

Interviews & features

• Green Global Partners: Big Biz & the Environmental Defense Fund
  Cool Global Biz (cross-posted at GlobalPost), 7/23/2009

• Keeping Your Eyes on the Partnership Prize
  Environmental Leader, 5/14/2009

• Op-ed: Less Glitter, More Green
  TriplePundit.com, 3/24/2009

• Podcast: KKR and EDF--saving money, cutting pollution
  EnergyCollective.com, 2/20/2009

• KKR Cutting Costs -- and Pollution
  GreenBiz.com, 2/19/2009

• K.K.R. and Green Group Tout Gains
  New York Times DealBook, 2/18/2009

• Pilot Program Saves Sealy, Primedia and US Foodservice $16.4M
  GreenBiz.com, 2/18/2009

• Unthinkable No More: Business and Environmental Champions in Profitable Partnership
  TriplePundit.com, 2/18/2009

• Op-ed: New Wal-Mart Leadership: Seemingly Small Town Change Has Big Time Impact
  GreenBiz.com, 2/2/2009

• New Wal-Mart CEO Says Sustainability Drive Will Continue at Full Speed
  GreenBiz.com, 2/2/2009

• Good for the Environment. Good for Our Business.
  FedEx - "From the Chairman," 2/1/2009

• EDF Launches Innovation Exchange For Businesses
  Environmental Leader, 1/13/2009

• Environmental Defense Fund Launches Innovation Exchange
  GreenBiz.com, 1/13/2009

• EDF Launches Online Learning Community
  Matter Network, 1/13/2009

Background

Prior to joining Environmental Defense Fund, Gwen was Vice President at Metcalf & Eddy, an international environmental engineering firm. She has also held senior management positions at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Gwen has authored numerous articles on environmental issues and is a frequent speaker at business conferences. She is on the Board of Directors of the Environmental League of Massachusetts and the Erb Institute at the University of Michigan, and was recently named one of the 100 Most Influential People in Finance by Treasury and Risk magazine.

Degrees

• M.P.A., Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government
• B.S., Chemical Engineering, University of Virginia