Lately, sustainability has change into a buzzword that has transcended area of interest circles and infiltrated mainstream conversations. In consequence, the position of the chief sustainability officer (CSO) has emerged as a extremely sought-after place for these captivated with driving constructive change.

In a PwC examine that analyzed 1,640 firms, solely 20 p.c didn’t have a CSO or related determine. Furthermore, greater than 80 p.c of CSOs reported on to the CEO or the manager board.

Many aspire to take up this place, envisioning it as the last word vacation spot on their profession path. Nonetheless, amidst the thrill and ambition, it is essential to ask: Have you learnt what you are truly signing up for in that position?

A CSO is a senior govt answerable for creating and implementing an organization’s sustainability technique. A CSO’s main aim is to make the corporate extra sustainable, and to make sure that it’s working in an environmentally accountable manner. However:

What precisely does a CSO do?

The reality is that no two CSOs are alike. The place of a CSO is commonly tailor-made to the particular person’s talents and contemplating the corporate’s construction.

For instance, a CSO with a communication background working for a corporation whose enterprise mannequin is predicated on recycling and round economic system can have a really distinguished place in areas reminiscent of company affairs, advertising and gross sales. Then again, a CSO of a monetary sector firm with technical data of the business can have some duties distinctive to this sector, reminiscent of supervising the inclusion of ESG standards within the design of monetary companies or credit score threat evaluation processes.

Having mentioned that, there are a collection of widespread duties for all CSOs. Let’s check out an important ones.

Public relations

The CSO is the general public picture of all actions and positions associated to the corporate’s sustainability. Subsequently, they typically act as an envoy for the corporate to completely different stakeholders by way of skilled occasions, buyer acquisition processes (at any time when sustainability is a related issue within the course of) and investor conferences, amongst others. CSOs attends these conferences to share their imaginative and prescient about what the corporate is and will probably be within the coming years.

Strategic considering

The CSO is the watchman of every part that occurs the place sustainability and enterprise intersect. A part of their thoughts is all the time trying to the long run. What are the traits? What will probably be essential subsequent 12 months? How can we put together? And when can we begin? The CSO ought to attend seminars, trainings and occasions to be continually up to date. Afterward, they should digest all that info and perceive what it means for the corporate right this moment and its plans for the long run. The CSO should then disseminate this data internally in order that the corporate’s administration is ready and may formulate an applicable technique.

The CSO should be one of the vital linked folks within the firm.

Finances administration

Budgeting is a typical job for many C-suite members. And whereas optimistically, most firms declare to be growing their spending on sustainability subsequent 12 months, the price range may be wasted if not used correctly. Usually, the CSO fights fiercely to make the corporate see the necessity to present the division with the suitable sources. Then they need to determine how one can use the sources most effectively. Sizing the staff, deciding on suppliers (initiatives, instruments, recommendation and a protracted et cetera), implementing new initiatives and initiatives. It doesn’t matter what the problem, a reliable CSO should understand how to decide on one of the best ways to spend the price range to generate the utmost potential worth.

Connecting and main

Creating a company sustainability tradition means altering the imaginative and prescient and the best way of doing issues in all areas of the corporate. That’s the reason the CSO should be one of the vital linked folks within the firm. They’ve to fulfill and alternate info with the CFO, CCO, compliance director, provide chain supervisor, consumption supervisor and a protracted checklist of different C-suite members and their subordinates. CSO understands their difficulties, speaks their language and reaches agreements with them to set targets and duties, integrating the corporate’s sustainability method in several areas and offering them with the mandatory data.

Managing a staff

In accordance to completely different research, sustainability groups are usually small, typically consisting of lower than 5 staff. One of the best groups are people who combine very completely different abilities and experience, in order that collectively they’ve what it takes to handle company sustainability as an entire. CSOs are answerable for main the staff and getting the staff to work in a coordinated manner, bringing out the very best in them and conserving them motivated and targeted. To this point, the duty doesn’t appear very completely different from that of different staff leaders, does it? Nonetheless, along with the standard management challenges, the place of CSO entails the added problem of managing professionals with a really disparate background (as talked about above), in addition to an atmosphere of excessive uncertainty and speedy transformation of laws, frameworks, methodologies and extra.

Reporting

Lastly, a giant a part of a CSO’s job will probably be reporting. It requires a world imaginative and prescient of the corporate’s sustainability in addition to technical experience. The CSO buildings the knowledge that will probably be related to the corporate and the best way and frequency through which will probably be collected. The CSO can be answerable for orchestrating the drafting of the Sustainability Report (within the European Union, often the Non-Monetary Report Assertion), the place the work of the entire 12 months is consolidated. To do that, they’re accountable for deciding on and supervising everybody concerned together with amassing the info and writing and designing the report.

Turning into a CSO requires a mix of training, expertise and abilities. CSOs should have robust management abilities, in addition to glorious communication and analytical abilities. As we transition to a inexperienced economic system the hope is that the CSO will change into an much more essential and instrumental position in any enterprise.