Sustainability will be a breakthrough for women in leadership

 

March 8, 2022

We’ve witnessed the meteoric rise of the chief sustainability officer (CSO), a role widely considered pivotal to the growth and survival of a business.

women CSO position

How has the CSO role “has evolved vastly in the last decade?” Until a few years ago, ”it was generally excluded from the boardroom and key decision-making.” Today, following the pandemic and the push for Net Zero, today, “it is seen as essential to shaping the strategy and future of businesses,” and is “increasingly operating at C-suite levels…often reporting directly to the CEO.:

What does the role provide to a company?

CSO’s play “a vital role in rethinking operations, strategy, culture and leadership, connected to all parts of the business; sustainability affects every sector and business function.” They build external relationships and steer employee and Company culture, internally.

Unlike other C-suite positions, the CSO role is new and non-traditional, and no specific set of credentials is required for success.

Why women?

  • The path to leadership can be much more varied and inclusive.

  • Jobs in this area also involve engagement with diverse stakeholders, so it follows that hiring managers would look for people with diverse experiences and backgrounds.

As CSOs become essential to the future of companies and hone the skills needed to succeed, they are being equipped to step into CEO positions, a trend I suspect we could start seeing over the coming years.

Stats:

  • In 2020, the number of CSOs across Fortune 500 companies rose to 95 growing by more than 228 percent since 2011.

  • Last year alone, 31 Fortune 500s appointed their first CSO.

  • Female representation in CSO roles in the U.S. rose to 54 percent in 2021 from 28 percent in 2011.

  • In part, we can put this down to women’s behavior as consumers and investors showing they are, on average, more concerned about climate change than men.

  • Research shows that women are the most likely change makers for climate action in economic areas from corporate leadership to product development.

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