Green guru or strategic savant: Singapore companies make tough choices in CSO hires

Only half of largest listed companies’ green generals came from previous sustainability roles, with many preferring operations and strategy experience

Wong Pei Ting

Published Mon, Apr 3, 2023 · 05:50 AM

Chief Sustainability Officers

SINGAPORE’S largest listed companies appear split on the most important requirements for a chief sustainability officer (CSO), with only half of their appointees holding green-related jobs when they were hired, according to an analysis by The Business Times.

In the absence of sustainability-related expertise, companies are hiring candidates with strong operational or strategic backgrounds – reflecting the challenges of finding ideal candidates for a multi-faceted role.

As at Mar 22, 26 of the 50 largest primary-listed companies by market capitalisation on the Singapore Exchange had the equivalent of a CSO. Two of those companies had two sustainability leads each, resulting in 28 CSOs.