GRI Expert Series: Do companies need a Chief Sustainability Officer?

GRI Expert Series: Do companies need a Chief Sustainability Officer?

Welcome the newest member of the C-Suite – the Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO)! Since the first known CSO appointment of Linda Fisher for DuPont in 2004, the position has continued to evolve, covering a wide set of mandate and duties with no defined parameters of job responsibilities akin to that of a Chief Financial Officer or a Chief Risk Officer.

Almost two decades hence, there continues an increasing demand for CSOs especially in these times where businesses are confronted with the current dual economic and health crises, while at the same time building business resilience for long-term and future risks, such as cyber-attacks, catastrophic climate events and social injustice.

Sustainability is now incorporated into two-thirds of companies’ core missions and signatories of the UN’s Principles for Responsible Investment represent over half of the world’s institutional assets.

Cognisant of the crucial role of CSOs in accelerating business action on sustainability, the Prince of Wales’s Sustainable Markets Initiative launched in 2020 the Sustainable 30 Group (S30) comprised of CSOs from some of the world’s most influential companies to “collaborate on initiatives and actions to help protect and drive sustainable stakeholder value”.

He further called on major businesses to appoint CSOs, saying that the private sector plays an important part in in tackling the climate crisis.

This webinar puts the spotlight on the CSOs. The increasing demand for CSOs and their inclusion in the C-Suite demonstrate the positive evolution in corporate sustainability and need for businesses to pay attention to the breadth and complexity of sustainability issues. With our distinguished line up of guest speakers, this webinar shall address the following questions:

  • Who is a Chief Sustainability Officer?
  • What makes a CSO? What are the core competencies, skills sets and leadership attributes of a CSO?
  • Where does the CSO fit in corporate governance and strategy?
  • What makes a CSO a success?
  • What is the future for the CSO? Is the CSO here to stay?

Speakers in the first session of our Expert Series are:

  • Herry Cho, Managing Director, Head of Sustainability and Sustainable Finance of SGX
  • Yvonne Zhang, Sustainability Leader, Deloitte Southeast Asia
  • Esther An, Chief Sustainability Officer, City Developments Limited
  • Darian McBain, PhD, Global Director, Corporate Affairs and Sustainability of Thai Union
  • Prof. Simon Lord, Director of Simon Lord Consultancy and former Group Director of Sustainability and Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) of Sime Darby Plantation
  • Ignacio Sison, Chief Corporate Officer, Del Monte Asia Pacific

Registration

  • The registration fee for this webinar is EUR 30/SGD 50*
  • By registering for this webinar series you agree to the Terms & Conditions (privacy policy, cancellation, VAT rules, recording, liability disclaimer, etc.).
  • You can register for the full GRI Expert Series at a discounted rate (get 7 webinars, for the price of 5!) on https://griexpertseries.eventbrite.com.

* GRI is a foundation registered in the Netherlands and the organiser of this webinar. Fees are charged in EUR. No VAT will be charged on registration fees for participants based outside the EU. For participants based in the EU, Dutch VAT (21%) will be added to your registration. Request for a refund of Dutch VAT for enterprises can be checked with the tax authorities of the EU country in which you are established.

We look forward to connecting with you online!

Sponsor/exhibitor contact

Allinnettes Adigue
[javascript protected email address]

Publish your content with EB Premium

It's not about how many you reach. It's about who. Get your news, events, jobs and thought leadership seen by those who matter to you.

Featured Events

Publish your event

Featured Jobs

Publish your job
leaf background pattern

Transforming Innovation for Sustainability Join the Ecosystem →