Maya de Souza leads Defra’s (the UK Government Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs) Circular Economy Policy and International Engagement Team. Her responsibilities include developing policy and a programme on waste prevention, taking forward the development of policy measures to support designing out of waste through standards and consumer information, analysing the relationship between the policy framework and a transition to a circular economy, as well as engaging internationally in this field.
She has broad environmental policy experience from working on the natural environment – leading on soil protection policy and farming standards – as well as flood risk and green public procurement. In addition, Maya worked with businesses in Hong Kong for several years initiating and taking forward collaborative business projects and influencing public policy.
Maya is pleased to join Business in the Community’s (BITC) Circular Economy Taskforce considering the connection between better management of resources, safeguarding natural environment and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and the vital role that business can play in achieving change.