Meet Christina Shim, IBM’s Chief Sustainability Officer
Christina Shim became IBM’s CSO in 2024 after previously holding leadership roles at Booz Allen Hamilton, Bain & Co., PwC and Palladium International.
Under Christina’s leadership, IBM has started to embrace a new strategy wherein it acts as ‘client zero’ for its own innovations, applying advanced AI and hybrid cloud solutions to its sustainability efforts.
This approach has helped IBM towards its mission of minimising climate-related risks and creating industry solutions that can reduce environmental impacts.
Christina’s influence in the sustainability sphere isn’t just limited to her work at IBM, though.
She has also advised Princeton University — one of the US’s most prestigious educational institutions — on its sustainability.
She is a big believer in global participation when it comes to sustainability.
“Because sustainability is so horizontal, no matter what you’re studying, or what your background is, everybody actually has a way to participate in it,” she explains.
Before IBM: Christina’s professional background
Christina’s career spans several industries, including roles at Fortune 500 companies, start-ups, non-profits and government organisations.
Before IBM, Christina was the Managing Director of the Commercial Innovation Practice at Palladium, where she established and led the sustainability and ESG strategy practice across the Americas.
She also held leadership positions at Booz Allen Hamilton, where she was a Director of Strategy in the Strategic Innovation Group and led corporate and growth strategy efforts in both the US and Singapore.
Christina served as a Senior Targeting Analyst for the CIA and worked as an Associate Consultant at PwC’s Transaction Services Strategy Group.
Because sustainability is so horizontal, no matter what you’re studying, or what your background is, everybody actually has a way to participate in it
These experiences are as diverse as it gets, and they have given Christina the unique set of skills she uses to great success at IBM today.
Outside of full-time work, Christina is an active mentor and advisor in the sustainability and technology space.
She has been a business mentor for the Zane Venture Fund, an advisor to Princeton University’s Sustainability Department and a subject matter expert for Techstars' Sustainability Challenge.
She also plays a key role in global discussions on climate change, AI ethics and corporate environmental responsibility, representing IBM on the world stage at major global forums including COP and the World Energy Congress.
Her efforts have earned her recognition as one of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Next Gen on climate change.
Christina’s impact on IBM’s sustainability
With Christina at the helm, IBM is aiming to further integrate cutting-edge technology into its sustainability efforts, ensuring that AI and hybrid cloud solutions drive measurable environmental impact.
Her approach to sustainability at IBM is deeply rooted in leveraging the company’s technological innovations.
As one of the global economy’s most storied technology organisations, IBM wants to remain at the front line of innovations, seeing sustainability as the perfect application for many of its products.
While self-administering its own technology in the pursuit of sustainability, IBM hopes that it will refine and perfect its products, leading to long-term growth in B2B sales to companies also looking to decarbonise.
Sustainability is not just a feel-good word here, it is in our DNA
Christina’s leadership is key in this.
She is guiding IBM in reducing climate-related risks, conserving natural resources and developing industry-specific sustainability solutions powered by AI and hybrid cloud technologies.
But she sees the long-term upsides as secondary to the necessary voluntary actions that must be taken by companies when it comes to sustainability.
“Unfortunately, the world is not in a position to seek sustainability on the basis of economic growth,” she explains, emphasising the need for companies to prioritise things other than the bottom line.
Though she is very optimistic about IBM’s progress in the lead up to net zero deadlines.
“Sustainability is not just a feel-good word here, it is in our DNA,” she says.
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