Framework

The eight tasks of a chief sustainability officer

The question it answers

When a CEO sets up or reviews the chief sustainability officer role, which of the eight tasks should the CSO own, where is effort going, and which gaps come first?

Origin
Farri, Cervini and Rosani, 2023
Diagram type
Process by phase
Level of analysis
Firm
Topics
Strategy & leadershipChange management
Chess knight on a glass compass, icon for strategy and leadership

Diagram

The eight tasks of a chief sustainability officer

  1. Comply and report
  2. Ensure regulatory compliance
  3. Monitor and report ESG
  4. Deliver
  5. Run the portfolio of sustainability projects
  6. Relationships and capability
  7. Manage stakeholder relationships
  8. Build organisational capability
  9. Transform
  10. Foster cultural change
  11. Scout and experiment
  12. Embed sustainability in processes and decisions

When to use it, and when not to

Use it when

Score effort on each of the eight tasks from 1 to 7 (low 1–2, medium 3–5, high 6–7) to find gaps, then phase the gap-closing instead of fixing everything at once.

Sources

References

Listed A–Z by author surname, Harvard style. A source with a DOI links to https://doi.org/…; one without links to its page or says plainly that it has no DOI.

  1. Farri, E., Cervini, P. and Rosani, G. (2023) The 8 responsibilities of chief sustainability officers. Harvard Business Review, 2 March 2023.No DOIhbr.orgSource page