The Elevated Role of Chief Sustainability Officer
(Credit: Weinreb Group)
“The CSO (Chief Sustainability Officer) role is undergoing profound shifts, including expanding beyond the ‘E’ of ESG and the climate crisis to include social justice and equity, recognizing the intersectionality of enormously complex challenges,” says Ellen Weinreb of the Weinreb Group, an established leader in sustainability recruitment.
The Weinreb Group has been tracking CSO appointments since 2004. In their 2021 report, The Chief Sustainability Officer 10 Years Later: The Rise of ESG in The C-Suite, the Weinreb Group discusses the evolving and expanded role of the CSO. A key finding is that 2020 saw a boom in CSO appointments, with 31 companies appointing their first CSO as illustrated in the chart below. Key drivers of the growth include the pandemic, the social justice movement, and the ESG movement.