Caitlin Duggan

Caitlin Duggan didn't set out to work in sustainability but when the opportunity arose to build Custom Fleet's sustainability strategy from the ground up, it felt like the natural convergence of everything she'd been working toward. Now, as Sustainability Specialist, she's leading the company's ambitious roadmap to 2030: forging partnerships, mobilising teams, and making the case that sustainability isn't just the right thing to do - it's smart business.

With a background in marketing and customer experience, Caitlin brings commercial instinct and genuine passion to her role and it shows in how she approaches everything. In this WinA feature, Caitlin reflects on her career journey, the pivotal moments that shaped her, and why she believes when women can see a path, they're far more likely to imagine themselves walking it.

Caitlin, you are a Sustainability Specialist at Custom Fleet — how would you explain your job to us?

When I started in this role, sustainability was still a relatively new function here. It had been identified as something we needed to approach more intentionally and more holistically, because it’s so central to our long-term strategy. My first big task was to build our sustainability strategy. That meant figuring out what our customers expect from us, how we stay competitive with our peers, and how we honour the community and environment that essentially give us our licence to operate.

Since then, a lot of my work has been about connection – building relationships inside and outside the business with people who are just as passionate about this space as we are. We’ve formed some great partnerships with organisations that share our goals, and we’ve mobilised teams across the company to help deliver on them. Day to day, it’s a mix of collaboration, problem-solving, and nudging us all a little closer to the sustainability targets we’ve set.

What was your first job — and what did it teach you that still sticks with you today?

My very first job was at McDonald’s when I was a teenager. Anyone who’s worked in fast food or hospitality knows it’s not glamorous, but it is incredibly structured. Everything is measured – speed, accuracy, customer satisfaction – and your progress is tracked.

I didn’t realise it at the time, but that environment taught me something that’s still core to how I work today: I love a clear success measure. I like knowing what “good” looks like, how we’re tracking, and where we can improve. That early experience wired me to think in terms of goals, metrics, and progress – which, funnily enough, is exactly what sustainability work requires.

Your career path is a really interesting one — you started in marketing, moved into a customer experience/product role, then made a moved into sustainability. Walk us through that journey.

Sustainability has always been something I’ve been genuinely passionate about, so when it became a clear driver of our business strategy at Custom Fleet, I was already excited. Being considered as the person to lead that work felt like the perfect intersection of purpose and opportunity.

What’s interesting is that my background in marketing has been surprisingly valuable in this space. It taught me how to understand customers deeply, how to position ideas in a way that resonates, and how to make sure what we’re doing aligns with both expectations and commercial reality. All of that has shaped how we built our sustainability strategy – not just the substance of it, but the way we tell the story.

Because storytelling matters. It shapes reputation, it builds trust, and it encourages our broader network to lift its game too. 

What are some of the assumptions people make about you and your work — do people understand what you do? 

One of the biggest assumptions is that sustainability is just about the environment – like my job is all recycling bins and carbon footprints. And yes, the environment is a huge part of it, but the real work sits in the broader ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) space.

Another assumption is that sustainability is a “nice to have,” or something you do because it’s the right thing morally, but not necessarily commercially. And honestly, that couldn’t be further from the truth. The commercial upside is massive. When you prioritise sustainability, you’re actually unlocking innovation, improving efficiency, and building a business that’s genuinely future-ready. It’s not a cost centre – it’s a growth engine.

Custom Fleet has just launched a sustainability strategy and action plan to 2030. What does driving that kind of change from inside a business actually look like day to day?

People often assume that because the sustainability team wrote the strategy, we’re the ones who “do” all the sustainability work. In reality, our job is to set the direction, but we need a whole ecosystem of people across the business to bring it to life. And that can be challenging, because everyone already has a full plate and competing priorities.

A few things have really helped us build momentum. First, having executive buy-in from day one. When your leaders are genuinely behind the strategy, it sends a clear signal that this isn’t a side project – it’s core to the business.

Second, we were very intentional about making sure our sustainability goals didn’t conflict with the commercial direction of the company. If anything, they strengthen it. That alignment makes it much easier for teams to see the value and get on board.

We also made our commitments public. Once you put something out into the world, you can’t take it back – and that level of transparency keeps everyone accountable.

Day to day, a lot of the work is about connection. Understanding how our sustainability goals fit into each function’s priorities, keeping consistent operating rhythms and communication channels, celebrating milestones, and recognising that progress doesn’t have to be linear or fast to be meaningful.

And we definitely don’t do it alone. We’ve leaned on external partners to help us accelerate our impact.

Has there been a pivotal moment in your career — something positive or a challenge that shaped the way you work or think?

Having kids was definitely a turning point for me. It shook up my priorities in a way I didn’t expect. Coming back to work, I had a pretty strong dose of imposter syndrome at first, but once that settled, something shifted. I became more efficient because I had less time to play with, and more motivated to find purpose in what I do. It pushed me to be clearer about the kind of work that energises me and the kind of leader I want to be. I feel like I know myself better now, and I want the way I show up at work to authentically reflect that.

It certainly helped working for an organisation that could meet me where I was at – supporting me, without pressure, to return to work in a way that fit in with my new life. 

What is one thing the automotive industry could do right now to make itself more appealing to women?

I think there are organisations in the industry doing genuinely great work – more than we’ve seen in the past – and it’s important to keep telling those stories. Share them in channels like this, but also on your social platforms. Show the world why your company is a great place for women to build a career.

At Custom Fleet, one of the most encouraging things for me has been seeing so many inspiring women in senior roles. Watching them advocate for others, hearing their success stories, and seeing the impact they’ve had on our organisation has been huge. Visibility matters. When women can see a path, they’re far more likely to imagine themselves walking it.

What is the best piece of advice you have ever received — and who gave it to you?

“You don’t need to boil the ocean.”

Someone said that to me early in my sustainability career, and it stuck. The challenges we’re trying to solve can feel overwhelming – they’re big, systemic, and often slow to shift. It’s easy to feel like you’re not doing enough.

But the truth is, none of us can solve everything at once. What we can do is start small, focus on measurable goals, keep sustainability on the agenda, tie it to commercial outcomes, and nudge our networks to do better. That’s how real change happens – one step, one decision, one conversation at a time.