Anthony G. Capuano

"Well, so when I was fortunate enough to be appointed CEO, what we call our senior leadership, which is on a global basis, VP and above. So depending on the day that you look at it, round numbers, that's about our top 800 in the company. We had set goals of hitting gender parity by 2025 and having at least 25% people of color by 2025 as well. When I looked at the data shortly after my appointment, I said, I think we can get to the people of color goal by 2025, but I think we ought to even be more ambitious on gender parity. And so we accelerated that goal and we've now said we're going to be at gender parity in our senior leadership by the end of this year, by 2023. The last time I looked at the numbers, we were at almost 48%."

"When I think about the four constituents that we serve, our guests, our associates, our owners, and our investors, all of them are demanding not just flowery language, but substantive goals and demonstrated progress against those goals. So, of course, we've made a commitment to get to net zero by no later than 2050."

"'On one hand, I look and I say our C suite is at gender parity, what we call our senior leadership Vice President and above globally. By the end of this year, we'll be at gender parity. More than half our board is at gender parity. So we have a wonderful story to tell. And each and every time I share those statistics, my answer is, and that's not nearly enough, because whether it's on sustainability, whether it's on diversity, equity, and inclusion, I am of firm view that the minute you are self satisfied in those areas, you go into a bit of a death spiral. It requires consistent and deliberate focus to achieve the sort of goals that our industry demands."

"The SEC has come out with its draft requirements for reporting on ESG. I think the first draft was 960 some odd pages, and business should take that on for all the reasons I described earlier. But it's got to be done in partnership, because if we don't make fundamental changes to the energy grid, we will never get close to the sort of lofty goals that all of us have set for ourselves."

“I'd like to make one other point: a little like sustainability, DEI: diversity, equity, and inclusion. It's a great buzzword. Every corporation talks about it. Every CEO talks about it. You can't wake up one morning and decide to be a diverse, inclusive enterprise. It takes years, if not decades, of constant commitment. And the minute you are self-satisfied, you go into a death spiral. I mean, you shared some statistics, which are great. I did a panel in New York, and I got a question about this, and I said, I am fiercely proud of sharing all of the progress we've made, because the numbers are best in class in the Fortune 500. We just celebrated the 20th anniversary of a board level committee focused singularly on DEI issues. Again, best of class in the Fortune 500. And after I tick off those accomplishments, I'm quick to say, and none of it's good enough. If I walk out of here and say, ‘good, mission accomplished’ (shakes head in disagreement) It requires deliberate, constant focus.”

“I think where you were going at the start of your question, though, is the most important issue, and that is: if everybody at Marriott, everybody at all my peers, everybody across sectors does everything within their control to move towards achieving their sustainability goals, we won't get close without public private partnership around the power grid. We just won't. And I've had the good fortune over the last year I've been with Commerce Secretary Romundo three or four times. I got to spend an hour with the president six months ago. And this is what the private sector has to hammer over and over and over. It is easy for government to wag its finger at private enterprise and say, you've got to do all these things. The SEC has come out with its draft requirements for reporting on ESG. I think the first draft was 960 some odd pages, and business should take that on for all the reasons I described earlier. But it's got to be done in partnership, because if we don't make fundamental changes to the energy grid, we will never get close to the sort of lofty goals that all of us have set for ourselves.”

On regulating ESG reporting: “Every year, even before all our constituents started to demand, we publish a report every year. It's called the Serve 360 report. It outlines those goals. It shows the progress we're making against those goals, talks about our initiatives, highlights some of our successes, talks about some of the incremental additional programs we intend to roll out in the near future. But the challenge is, exactly as you identified, we have a set of criteria we use to measure. I wish I could tell you they were the identical set of criteria that all of our peers use, that companies in other sectors use, and they're just not. And this is another area that will require public private partnership. My fear, based on trying to wade through the SEC guidelines, is this will be about over regulation rather than simplifying and allowing for a consistent set of apples to apples comparisons, which is what we should all ultimately endeavor to have, right? I want to know with confidence. Otherwise it's just slicing and dicing data. I'm going to put out a report saying we're doing great, and then my friend Chris at Hilton across the river is going to use a different slicing and dicing of the data to say we're doing better. That doesn't help anybody if it's comparing an apple and a cumquat. We've got to have some baseline consistency on how we measure and what metrics we're measuring. And I would say that in the US the industry broadly is very early in its infancy in trying to get to a place where we've got a set of metrics that everybody can rely on.”

“As you know, we've been on a sustainability journey for years. But we are making an announcement today that I think is a quantum leap forward in terms of our efforts. We've submitted a letter to the science-based target initiative, and we've made two commitments on behalf of the company. We've made a commitment to reduce our emissions and set targets for that across our portfolio and our supply chain. And then maybe more impactfully, we've agreed to set targets to reach a net zero emissions target by no later than 2050. And it's something we're enormously proud of. We're very passionate, and I think it really dovetails well with one of the company's core values, which is to serve our world.”

"Every day we read about how rising global temperatures are triggering extreme weather conditions around the world. From drought and wildfires to floods and cyclones, climate change is advancing, impacting economies, communities and people around the world, including the hospitality industry. At Marriott International, our sustainability journey includes our commitment to emissions reduction targets aligned with climate science across our portfolio and supply chain, as well as a long term target to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by no later than 2050. We continue to implement initiatives from working to cut food waste in half to responsible sourcing guidance for all suppliers to ensure we minimize our environmental footprint. We're also investing in the natural environment so the communities where we operate remain vibrant destinations where people want to live, work and visit. We're excited about our work, but we know we can't protect our planet alone. We need all hotels, owners, investors, suppliers and our own associates to advance on their sustainability journeys as well, no matter their starting point. We are proud to be part of the creation of a broader pathway towards Net Positive Hospitality. Led by the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, this collaboration will help ensure our industry has a much greater impact collectively than any of us can accomplish individually. Unified, we have the strength to help safeguard the environment, giving back more than we take within our local communities and on a global scale. The positive impact the hospitality industry has on our communities and environments is unmistakable. But we know we must do more. Today, we are asking others in the industry to join us on this pathway to create a better, more sustainable future for us all. We know this won't be easy, particularly given the current COVID-19 related challenges that our industry faces. The reality is the Earth can't wait, and our vibrant industry has the ability and responsibility to act with urgency to bring to life our collective vision for Net Positive Hospitality. Join us on this journey"