Profitability is accelerated by a strong commitment to ESG.

There has been an evolution in the field of sustainability over the last decade taking it on a journey from CSR and philanthropy to a strategic and impactful function.

Sustainability professionals are essential in supporting the CEO and Board to ensure that non-technical risks are mitigated, and the impact of the organisation is positive to the societies they operate in.

There is not a one size fits all sustainability professional as this function covers a wide range of topics from the more technical social performance professionals all the way to high level environmental and biodiversity strategy. Having an understanding on the career paths and development of these professionals allows us to support you in identifying the exceptional talent that will allow you to mitigate risk and fulfil your commitment to society.

Having strong leadership in this area is no longer a nice to have but a necessity. Talent in this space is in high demand and in short supply.

CHA can advise on the best way to approach a search in this space, often looking outside your core industry. Heavy industry has the most to gain and the most to lose with the transition to a low carbon economy. Climate change is real and is having an impact on the world we live in.

Sectors that have been deemed “dirty” in the past are having to adapt to a new way of doing business and are leading on innovation to support the transition, becoming the leaders on moving towards a new way of doing business. The stakes are increasingly high in the world of investment.  ESG is no longer residing in niche funds but is being led by large traditional institutional investors. According to Morningstar, by the end of October 2019 £4.4bn had been invested into ESG funds, with 70% of inflows heading into active funds.