Marc Gunther gave me the honor to be a guest on his blog today with an article “Ellen Weinreb: In Search of the Chief Sustainability Officer”. The article provides insights on the senior-most CSR professionals rising to the executive suite and earning the title Chief Sustainability Officer. I even attempt my own definition of CSO which I find thought provoking. Here is a section from that article:
In my definition, CSO is not simply the senior-most CSR professional for a company. Rather, the individual 1) holds the title Chief Sustainability Officer, 2) sits amongst the top leaders of the company to make key strategic decisions and 3) is listed on the company’s 10-K, the SEC filing that identifies the corporation’s accountability to shareholders. These final two points are particularly important as they suggest that Sustainability is owned at the top and integral to strategic decision-making.