How to be a Chief Sustainability Officer: Insights from our sustainability panel

Faculty hosted a panel event in partnership with CSRD Chat that explored how to embed sustainability at the core of your business strategy and harness AI to maximise impact.

We were joined by a host of sustainability professionals:

• Alex Annaev, founder of CSRD Chat and a seasoned Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) and sustainability professional. 

• Jennifer Geary, co-author of “How to be a Chief Sustainability Officer” and a COO with over 25 years of experience in Finance, Technology, Risk, and Legal across various industries.

• Anastasia Brenikov, Group Director of ESG at Houseful, overseeing the sustainability strategy for 12 major brands, including Zoopla, Hometrack, uSwitch, and Confused.com. 

• Maria Lombardo, a global financial sustainability expert, previously the head of Global ESG Advisory team for Sustainable Finance at Standard Chartered Bank, supporting the bank’s clients in their sustainability and transition strategies, offering advisory in disclosure, ESG ratings and strategic planning. 

• Matt Reizenstein, co-founder and COO of Flock Energy. Matt has over eight years of energy experience in policy, regulation, and energy transition innovation and strategy from his time at Shell. 

From exploring how the Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) role is evolving, to uncovering the potential of AI and data in driving future sustainability initiatives, we have summarised the key discussion points below.

The challenges of CSO roles

Jennifer Geary opened the panel by sharing insights from her latest book, highlighting the key challenges CSOs are facing. While the role has become an essential part of the leadership team, understanding how to effectively execute its responsibilities often remains unclear. Jennifer emphasised the importance of establishing strong foundations built upon three core pillars: culture, strategy, and execution. These pillars, she explained, are vital for navigating the complexities of such an ill-defined role.

CSOs also face other challenges, especially considering that over 50% of these positions are held by women, introducing a unique set of difficulties. With political changes, a sharp spike of ESG pushback in the US, and a surge in regulatory demands from the EU, the role of a CSO is increasingly daunting. Additionally, research indicates that working in sustainability can lead to burnout. Will things change for CSOs? Alex asked the panel to find out.

How do you see the CSO role changing over time?

Jennifer acknowledged the tough challenges ahead, particularly from the shifting dynamics of the US government. Yet, her outlook was strikingly optimistic. “Watch the US in 2025, they are going to take off all the safety wheels and things will fly,” she said. The co-author rooted her response in some compelling data, painting a picture of the urgency and momentum behind sustainability. Investors, managing more than $37 trillion in assets, have urged governments to take bold action to tackle the global climate crisis. Meanwhile, 97% of CEOs see sustainability not just as a buzzword but as a cornerstone of their future success. Many have integrated sustainability goals into their strategic plans – and they’re not looking back. 

Ana steered the conversation towards a pivotal theme in shaping ESG initiatives: the delicate balance between risk and value creation. She pointed out a common organisational mindset whenever new compliance measures emerge – many are so focused on protecting business value that they overlook the sustainability opportunities such measures could unlock. 

"Right now," Ana said, "when organisations face a sustainability challenge, the knee-jerk reaction is immediate remediation. It's always, 'We must be able to manage it.' But the truth is, we can’t just manage these issues as they arise. We need to play an active role in preventing them from happening in the first place." She suggested that attitudes will evolve. Organisations will begin to see risk and value-add not as competing forces but as complementary drivers of long-term success.

Maria highlighted how the role of leadership in sustainability is already evolving, becoming more specialised and less centralised. It’s no longer just the CEO shouldering the entire responsibility. Instead, businesses are embedding sustainability across various functions, each requiring unique expertise and specialisation. This shift reflects a growing recognition that no single person – or role – can do it all. 

"Every business has its own approach to sustainability," Maria noted. "The key is to revisit the fundamental reasons for transformation – why the business needs to think long-term and adopt a forward-looking mindset. Complacency with what we’ve done so far won’t cut it." Maria emphasised the importance of taking a global perspective, observing the varying levels of urgency and sophistication with which different regions address sustainability. For instance, in Singapore, it's now mandatory for companies to appoint a CSO – a clear signal of how seriously the region is taking the matter.

"I only know the energy sector," Matt admitted. He emphasised that the changes needed to tackle sustainability challenges can't just sit in one department—they must permeate an entire company’s strategy. Matt pointed out a critical gap in emerging markets: "Many don’t even have a CSO, even though they desperately need one." Reflecting on the energy transition, he shared a compelling example from his field. "Take the former CEO of BP," he said. "Under his leadership, sustainability teams weren’t just confined to green initiatives”. Matt emphasised the importance of not isolating the sustainability department but interweaving it with all other departments to succeed.

How do you wear risk manager and value creator hats?

"We have to believe in our ability to innovate," Jennifer said. "We can create new, superior products and services, and there are real business opportunities in sustainability." Alternatives not only exist but thrive. "Take offshore wind farms," she continued. "We have incredible potential to harness that resource, and soon, these alternatives will compete on cost and efficiency. The opportunity is right there, waiting for us to seize it." 

Jennifer shared a personal example. "Look at Head & Shoulders. They've introduced a new product with a bottle that's more sustainable with clean ingredients, and the scent? Better than ever. Procter & Gamble is now winning back customers who colour their hair, proving that sustainability and superior quality go hand-in-hand." It was a reminder that when businesses embrace sustainability, they don't just adapt – they lead.

Ana added, “We don't have very long to do this transition, we have a good decade to reimagine many sectors, it's one of the most complex things that any of us are going to live through in terms of a huge shift in how humans exist.” Ana highlighted how in just the last four years, we’ve seen incredible innovation with entirely new revenue streams linked to sustainability. "We’ve taken bold steps to understand our market, investing in horizon scanning to anticipate sustainability pressure points. If we had to start from scratch today, where would we invest our money? That’s the kind of forward thinking we need." Ana made it clear that finding value in this transition is essential, but time is the critical factor.

What is your experience and philosophy of using data and AI for sustainability initiatives?

Each of the speakers gave their take on how AI is going to shake things up. Jennifer focused on how AI can supercharge efficiencies resulting in more sustainable solutions. “AI is going to help us optimise stock levels, ensure the right quantity is in the right place at the right time, and even help us rethink office space and deliveries. AI is going to provide us with more possibilities to be more efficient”.

Ana delved into the transformative power of data, and shared some of her experience in how leveraging data has helped to support the housing crisis of the UK. She concluded with a few words of advice – “Don’t underestimate the data and the solutions that AI can bring.”

Maria shifted the focus to ESG data. “In the UK, we’re starting to incorporate data to get to the heart of true data – not just proxy data”. Maria shared how she sees AI as a tool to help identify strategic opportunities and drive accountability, “AI brings the data back to reality.”

Matt wrapped up the answers taking the focus back to the energy sector, "the energy industry is sitting on mountains of customer data," he said. "With the help of experts like Faculty, startups are using this data to create extraordinary value. The models we’re building are already powerful, and they’re only going to get stronger. Yes, energy demands are daunting, but with AI, we’re in a position to tackle them head-on."

Conclusion

Alex and the panellists provided a well-rounded view on how we can integrate sustainability at the core of business strategy. They emphasised that involving the entire company is essential for maximising impact, highlighting that sustainability and value creation are inherently connected. The panel further stressed how AI and data are unlocking new opportunities and efficiencies in sustainability initiatives. By embracing these insights, businesses can not only navigate the challenges ahead but also drive innovation and long-term success. It's clear that a holistic approach to sustainability is vital in today's rapidly evolving landscape.

Thank you to all of our speakers on the panel. If you’d like to learn more about sustainability and AI, and how it can drive change in the future, register for our upcoming event this Wednesday 4th December.