S1E96: Rise of CSOs or Chief Sustainability Officers

Find out the qualities of a good chief sustainability officer. Synopsis: Every first and third Monday of the month, The Straits Times analyses the beat of the changing environment, from biodiversity conservation to climate change. Climate change and the growing biodiversity crisis are having far reaching impacts on businesses. Governments are adopting tougher regulations, too, and businesses also have to be much more transparent about their environmental footprints and how they plan to improve. For instance, the Singapore Exchange has mandated climate risk disclosures for listed companies from this year and companies are increasingly rated on their sustainability policies and practices.  Pressure is also coming from investors and consumers who are demanding businesses go green and clean up their supply chains.  That’s where chief sustainability officers, or CSOs, come in. They can help firms navigate this changing world and help save corporate reputations –  and many companies are finding that going green is good for business. To find out more about the rise of the CSO, ST's climate editor David Fogarty hosts Ms Cherine Fok. A partner at KPMG Singapore’s environmental, social and governance team, she works closely with firms making the transition. Highlights of conversation (click/tap above): 3:20 CSOs are change-makers – their key role is to bring the organisation together to drive change 5:04 Qualities of an effective CSO 7:57 Where should a CSO sit within a company? 8:45 Why the CSO role and studying sustainability is crucial for youth and the next generation of business leaders Produced by: David Fogarty ([email protected]), Ernest Luis, Hadyu Rahim, Eden Soh & Teo Tong Kai Edited by: Hadyu Rahim Follow Green Pulse Podcast here and rate us: Channel: https://str.sg/JWaf Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWaY Spotify: https://str.sg/JWag Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/J6EV  Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: [email protected] Follow David Fogarty on Twitter: https://str.sg/JLM6 Read his stories: https://str.sg/JLMu --- Discover more ST podcast channels: In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7 Health Check: https://str.sg/JWaN Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m ST Sports Talk: https://str.sg/JWRE #PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad Music Lab: https://str.sg/w9TX Discover ST Podcasts: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL --- Special edition series: The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuZ2 Invisible Asia (9 eps): https://str.sg/wuZn Stop Scams (10 eps): https://str.sg/wuZB Singapore's War On Covid (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuJa --- Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts! #greenpulseSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.