Celebrating the best of the best from around the world. Sustainability Magazine champions innovative and influential CSOs—or equivalents—who elevate and drive momentum for the movement.
This definitive list of 100 men and women are leading the charge when it comes to investment and capitalising on the opportunities to strategically advance sustainability and ESG. All have a passion for the movement and are driven to make a positive change, and embed sustainability into the foundations of the organisations they work for and communities they serve.
10. Jim Andrew
Company: PepsiCo
Leading PepsiCo’s global sustainability strategy, Andrew is focused on the growth and transformation of pep+ which includes the integration of sustainability across its brands and business. He also builds the company’s capabilities and partnerships, designing the roadmaps, and executing the programs to transform PepsiCo into the next decade.
9. Bea Perez
Company: The Coca-Cola Company
Joining The Coca-Cola Company in 1994, Perez - for the last 30 years - has climbed through the ranks. As CSO, she is responsible for the company;s global sustainability strategy, supporting its new growth model. Key focus areas for Perez include water stewardship, sustainable packaging, environment and women’s economic empowerment.
8. Virginie Helias
Company: Procter & Gamble
Helias has over three decades of experience at Procter & Gamble, and since 2011 she has been honing her focus on sustainability and corporate citizenship. Her mission is to embed sustainability into the innovation, brand building, and everyday business operations, making sustainability a core business strategy and a catalyst for a more resilient organisation.
7. Paulette Frank
Company: Johnson & Johnson
Inspired by the understanding that healthy people need a healthy planet, Frank is passionate about sustainability. As CSO of Johnson & Johnson, she is responsible for developing and leading global environmental sustainability and human rights strategies to strengthen the business and propel it towards a more sustainable, resilient, and equitable future.
6. Jon Chorley
Company: Oracle
With more than 30 years of experience in the software industry, Chorley joined Oracle in 1997. In his role as CSO, Chorley drives and coordinates all initiatives both internally and externally that are related to environmental sustainability. Chorley ensures that the company operates an efficient, clean, and circular cloud infrastructure.
5. Kathryn Alsegaf
Company: Deloitte
For more than a decade, Alsegaf has been an influential leader in the sustainability field. As CSO at Deloitte, her responsibilities include overseeing and advancing Deloitte’s WorldClimate Strategy, as well as its overall environmental objectives. Alsegaf is also responsible for the company’s greenhouse gas inventory, development and tracking of carbon reduction goals.
4. Melanie Nakagawa
Company: Microsoft
Joining Microsoft at the start of 2023 as CSO, Nakagawa has worked in and around sustainability for 20 years. In her role, Nakagawa reports directly to the Corporate Vice President, partnering with teams across Microsoft to lead company-wide environmental sustainability work. She will also help the company to accelerate its momentum when it comes to sustainable efforts.
3. Wayne Balta
Company: IBM
Responsible for global environmental affairs, energy efficiency, toxicology and chemical management, and product safety and related hardware compliance functions at IBM, Balta is dedicated to growth that drives innovation and shifts in business and technology. For nearly 40 years, Balta has been an integral leader at IBM, he has served on the company’s Global Enablement Team for Kenya and East Africa and is the company’s Partnership Executive for Carnegie Mellon University (where he received a degree in civil engineering).
2. Rebecca Marmot
Company: Unilever
A pioneer in promoting and ensuring the adoption of sustainable practices at Unilever, Marmot guides the company towards a more eco-friendly future. Being a leading figure at the company, Marmot is known for her energy and drive to make a positive change in the world by fostering transformational change in Unilever’s priority areas of water, sanitation, and hygiene; climate change and ending deforestation; opportunities for women; plastics and the circular economy; impact finance; and health and wellbeing.
1. Kate Brandt
Company: Google
An inspirational leader, Brandt is passionate about both sustainability and DE&I. In her role as CSO for Google, Brandt leads the company’s sustainability efforts across its worldwide operations, products and supply chain to ensure the company is capitalising on opportunities to strategically advance sustainability. Prior to joining Google, Brandt was the first Federal CSO in the US, and a recipient of the Distinguished Public Service Award - the highest award a civilian can receive from the US Navy.
