As expectations around environmental responsibility, social impact, and governance continue to rise, organisations are being challenged not just to articulate bold visions, but to translate them into measurable action at scale.
At Alltech, that challenge is being addressed through a newly embedded approach to ESG, one designed to be practical, data-driven, and deeply integrated across global and local operations. We sat down with Tara McCarthy, Global Vice President for ESG, to discuss how success in ESG is defined, how influence is built across complex organisations, and why sustainability in food and agriculture remains one of the most purposeful and impactful areas to drive long-term change.
My name is Tara McCarthy, and I’m the Global Vice President for ESG at Alltech, based in Ireland. I joined the organisation three and a half years ago, bringing with me over thirty years of experience in the agri-food sector, most of it with an export-oriented perspective.
At Alltech, my role is entirely new, designed to create new programs and embed sustainability into the core of the business. We operate everywhere, and in many of those places we are deeply local, which means our ESG work must balance global consistency with local relevance. My responsibility is to align our sustainability vision with tangible action, across research, procurement, regional teams, and customer partnerships, so that ESG is not an isolated department, but a capability woven into the fabric of the organisation.
How do you define success in ESG? What metrics or outcomes matter most?
For me, ESG success is not about box-ticking or producing reports for compliance; it’s about delivering demonstrable and verifiable change that is felt across the value chain. From the outset, we set ourselves four connected priorities. We have a vision of Working Together for a “Planet of Plenty” so how do we get there?
We have four “we must do’s” to deliver. First, we needed proof, clear baselines for emissions reduction, life-cycle assessments for our products, robust policies, and solid data to show we are “walking the walk.” Second, we committed to thought leadership, using insights from our own surveys and market analysis to guide industry discussions and overcome barriers to progress. Third, we focused on building the confidence of our entire business. ESG only works when it’s embedded everywhere, so we developed training, resources, and practical guides to demystify the technical language and enable colleagues to act decisively.
We have proof, thought leadership, empowered and confident teams, next is turning to the market. We created a partnership framework to unite farmers, processors, retailers, and input suppliers around shared goals. By understanding how each link in the chain affects the others, we can align efforts and unlock greater impact than any one participant could achieve alone. This is not a transaction, this is ecosystem where every one can see each lever we can pull towards the common goal, and we can all win and create a Planet of Plenty.
The real measure of success lies in the outcomes: reduced greenhouse gas intensity, improved water and soil health, verified supply-chain integrity, measurable benefits for farmers and workers, and transparent reporting that stands up to external scrutiny. Numbers are important, but enduring progress comes from solutions that can scale, persist, and earn the trust of the communities and markets we serve.
ESG often requires influencing without direct authority. What is your strategy for driving change across different business units?
As I touched on one of our core principles is to ensure accountability lives in the places where the work happens. Success comes when responsibility is diffuse, and each team understands the part they play. Once ownership sits with the people closest to the action, change begins to happen naturally, not because it’s dictated from above, but because individuals understand the why, they know what’s expected of them, and are recognised for the progress they deliver.
To enable that ownership we use evidence and practical supports. We ran an insights survey in late 2023 to understand what sustainability means across the broader agri-food industry; those findings shaped programmes that address market direction and real barriers. We deliberately keep the central ESG team small so the function is embedded, not siloed, and we invest in making ESG accessible: weekly entries in an ESG lexicon, targeted webinars, regionally rolled-out training, and an “always-on” learning library. This combination of clear data, relevant resources, and learning helps demystify technical language and lets people move from uncertainty to action.
Finally, influence is reinforced by culture and recognition. That mix of accountability, evidence, capability building, and public acknowledgement creates the momentum and legitimacy that allow ESG to spread across business units without the need for formal, directive authority.
How can ESG initiatives support diversity, equity and inclusion across an organization? Can you give some examples of what has been implemented at Alltech?
ESG and DEI are tightly connected for us: ESG provides the structure, data and discipline that amplify the cultural and talent priorities already valued at Alltech. The company’s “working together for a planet of plenty” vision is a shared organisational motivation; ESG’s role is to translate that motivation into measurable policies, frameworks and annual reporting so progress is visible and sustained. By partnering closely with our people and talent teams, ESG adds the rigour, targets, metrics and governance, that turns good intentions about inclusion into concrete actions and expectations.
One of my favourite examples is one of our long-standing programmes, the Alltech mini-MBA. That programme has been a deliberate pipeline for future leaders, and because nomination requires time and demonstrated potential, increasing diversity at senior levels starts with five-year investments in candidates early on.
The results speak for themselves: while historical cohorts leaned heavily male, the class of 2025 is nearly gender balanced, reflecting a purposeful approach to preparing and promoting women into leadership. Other concrete measures include policy inputs, a partnership with our talent leads, a published sustainability report that creates an annual accountability loop, and targeted training and frameworks that make equity considerations part of every ESG conversation.
In short, ESG unlocks DEI by making expectations explicit, measuring progress, and ensuring investment in talent development, so inclusion becomes an integral outcome of how we manage environmental, social and governance priorities rather than a separate programme.
What motivates you personally about advancing sustainability in the food and agriculture sector?
I’ve spent my entire career in the agri-food sector, and I’m deeply passionate about it because it touches everything we do, from daily nourishment to life’s most memorable occasions. That sense of purpose drew me in early and never let go. Food and agriculture are fundamental to human life and working to improve how we produce and distribute it feels like meaningful, consequential work.
What drives me now is the intersection of that purpose with sustainability. Data and verifiable proof points aren’t bureaucratic extras; they’re essential tools that allow the sector to defend its progress, learn from it, and be accountable. Ultimately, advancing sustainability is an investment in the resilience and longevity of the industry, it helps ensure agriculture can thrive and continue to feed people well into the future.
