Only 17% of sustainability leaders in Asia-Pacific’s finance sector are in C-suite: report

FINANCIAL institutions (FIs) in the Asia-Pacific are lagging their global counterparts in appointing sustainability leaders in their highest levels of management, according to a report by consultancy company Russell Reynolds Associates (RRA) released on Friday (Jun 3).

Based on its data, only 17 per cent of sustainability leaders in FIs in the Asia-Pacific are in a C-suite position, much lower than the global average, where 50 per cent of FIs’ sustainability leaders have a seat at the helm.

“This has implications for a sustainability leader’s scope and depth of influence across the organisation if they lack the direct connection and seniority to interface with business unit leaders and other C-suite members,” stated the report, which analysed the backgrounds of senior sustainability leaders from 84 major FIs headquartered in this region.