Sustainable Leadership & Legacy, Patrick Riley | Sustainable Ambassador 010

In this episode, we speak with Patrick Riley, the former General Manager of Interface China, to discuss the influence of Ray Anderson, the culture of sustainability in China, and leadership.

We hope that you will enjoy this episode, and if you do, please remember to like, comment, and share!

To learn how to foster similar leaders in your own company, check out our Building a Sustainability Ambassador Network Report.

 


About Patrick

Until the spring of 2017, Patrick Riley is Senior Vice President, responsible for the Greater China Region including Hong Kong, Taiwan and Mongolia for Interface Asia Pacific, a division of US based Interface Inc., the global market leader in modular floor coverings, and acknowledged visionaries in the application of sustainable business and manufacturing processes.

Patrick assumed this role and relocated with his wife to Shanghai in July of 2008, with the goal of planning and executing the development of a new manufacturing base for the company, in China. This major capital investment project is intended as the catalyst for InterfaceFLOR to become the dominant modular carpet brand in North Asia, utilising the very latest design technology and environmental leadership of Interface.

Beginning his career in sales at the age of 18, with periods in the tobacco and oil industries, Patrick joined the Heuga Company, four years prior to its acquisition by Interface in 1988. In 1989 he was promoted to UK Sales Director. In 1992, Patrick moved on to another US-based carpet manufacturer, creating a European sales, marketing and distribution operation from a standing start.

In 2001, Patrick returned to Interface, as Managing Director of their UK broadloom carpet operation, Firth Carpets. Following a corporate decision to exit that sector, he was promoted to the European Executive Group of the company, and spent periods leading the UK sales organisation and New Business Development, followed by 3 years as head of the European Residential business unit.

After a modest academic start in life, his own desire to continue learning led him to complete a degree in Marketing early in his career, whilst working. Having benefited from such opportunities himself, Patrick is now actively committed to the training and development of others.

A passionate advocate of the Interface vision and a member of both the Institute of Directors and Chartered Institute of Marketing, Patrick is an active sportsman and regularly enjoys scuba diving, golf and rugby, albeit that game as a spectator now. Aged 58, he is married with three grown up children and three grandchildren.


About Sustainability Ambassador Series

Sustainability Ambassadors is a video series that we hope will not only engage and inspire you, but catalyze you and your organization into action: to identify those with the potential to rise and think outside the box, and build a collaborate community of such people that can help your organization forge new paths of longevity and evolve into something powerful.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with series, and follow us on social media to receive the latest updates on articles, videos, and more.

For more insights on Sustainability Ambassadors, and to learn how to foster champions who can take your organization beyond business as usual, check out our Building a Sustainability Ambassador Network Report.


Series Schedule:

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Discover more from Collective Responsibility

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading