Top 10: Sustainability Leaders in North America
Fresh from Sustainability Magazine's Top 250 Leaders in Sustainability list, we highlight the top 10 executives in North America driving sustainable strategies in companies that are making a significant global impact.
Sustainability Magazine will continue to give these stellar leaders a platform to share their ideas and drive discussion. We are immensely grateful for the work that they do.
10. Christina Shim
Chief Sustainability Officer at IBM
Industry: Technology
Technology leader IBM’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Christina, joined the company in 2021.
She has previously worked at companies including Booz Allen Hamilton, Bain & Co and PricewaterhouseCoopers and as Managing Director for global sustainability firm Palladium International.
Christina has served as an Advisor to Princeton University's Sustainability Department and as a subject matter expert for Techstars' Sustainability Challenge.
9. Alastair Child
Chief Sustainability Officer at Mars
Industry: Food & Beverage
Having spent more than 23 years at Mars, Alastair's track record includes spearheading initiatives within Mars Snacking to reduce deforestation in palm oil and pulp supply chains and introducing innovative packaging solutions such as paper-wrapped bars.
He was appointed Chief Sustainability Officer in 2025 and is also a Board Member for Mars Wrigley Foundation.
8. James Gowen
Chief Sustainability Officer at Verizon
Industry: Telecommunications
Having joined the company in 2002, James has been Chief Sustainability Officer of Verizon since 2021 alongside his role as SVP Global Supply Chain.
He first became involved in corporate sustainability in 2009 and has been a key driver of Verizon’s journey towards decarbonisation.
Investing in renewables has been a large part of James’ strategy and he oversaw Verizon's concerted push for waste reduction.
James studied at Long Island University and Manhattanville University.
7. Ann Tracy
Chief Sustainability Officer at Colgate-Palmolive
Industry: Consumer Goods
“Post the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), my four Gen Z kids still say that our planet is in trouble and they’re still counting on us to do something about it,” Ann says.
Having worked in sustainability at Colgate Palmolive since 2013 and the wider company since 1991, Ann now leads Colgate's Global Sustainability strategy as Chief Sustainability Officer.
Ann has studied at Lehigh University, The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and the University of Cambridge.
6. Kara Hurst
VP Worldwide Sustainability at Amazon
Industry: Technology & Retail
As Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer of Worldwide Sustainability at Amazon, Kara leads the company’s sustainability strategy, which includes addressing its ESG issues and the Climate Pledge team, and manages sustainability reporting for the company.
Before joining Amazon in 2014, Kara was CEO of The Sustainability Consortium and spent more than a decade at sustainability consultancy BSR.
She gained her MPP in Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley and her BA in Urban Studies from Barnard College.
5. Marika McCauley Sine
Chief Sustainability Officer at Starbucks
Industry: Food & Beverage
Marika started her role as Chief Sustainability Officer at Starbucks in 2024 having previously spent nine years in sustainability and human rights at Mars Petcare.
Prior to this, she spent a decade at The Coca-Cola Company and worked at Oxfam America and the Congressional Hunger Center.
Marika gained her BA in International Relations from William & Mary and her Masters in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School. She volunteers on the Board of Directors for the Women Business Collaborative.
4. Kathleen McLaughlin
Chief Sustainability Officer at Walmart
Industry: Retail
As retail giant Walmart’s EVP Chief Sustainability Officer, Kathleen spearheads initiatives like Project Gigaton, which has reduced more than 750 million metric tons of CO₂ emissions.
She leads Walmart's commitment to conserve 50 million acres of land and one million square miles of ocean by 2030.
Kathleen is also the President and Board Chair of the Walmart Foundation and a board member at WWF. Prior to joining Walmart in 2013, she spent more than two decades at McKinsey & Company.
3. Melanie Nakagawa
Chief Sustainability Officer at Microsoft
Industry: Technology
Melanie earned her Doctorate of Law from American University Washington College of Law and has spent the majority of her career working for the US Government.
“My sustainability career has intersected three industries at the centre of climate action: policy, finance and technology,” she says.
In 2023 Melanie joined Microsoft as Corporate Vice President, Chief Sustainability Officer where she is working towards sustainability goals including removing all the direct historical emissions of the company by 2050 and becoming water positive by 2030.
2. Kate Brandt
Chief Sustainability Officer at Google
Industry: Technology
Previously serving as the first Federal CSO in the US, having entered government positions at just 24, Kate joined Google in 2015 and was appointed Chief Sustainability Officer in 2018.
At Google, Kate leads sustainability across worldwide operations, products and supply chain, coordinating with data center, real estate and product teams to ensure the company capitalises on opportunities to strategically advance sustainability.
She gained her A.B. in International Relations from Brown University and her MPhil from University of Cambridge.
1. Jim Andrew
Chief Sustainability Officer at PepsiCo
Industry: Food & Beverage
With an impressive career spanning 38 years, Jim is an influential leader in corporate strategy, sustainability and innovation.
Having previously worked at BCG for 24 years and Royal Philips for four years, Jim joined PepsiCo in 2016 where he now serves as EVP Chief Sustainability Officer and leads pep+, a holistic transformation agenda with sustainability at its centre.
Jim holds a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from the University of Illinois and an MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business.
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