CSO BACK STORY - Weinreb Group

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Table of ContentsForeword ................................................................................................................................................................3Executive Summary: Top 10 Findings & A CALL TO ACTION....................................................................4Introduction: 29 Chief Sustainability Officers ..................................................................................6The First CSO ......................................................................................................................................................7CSO Profile: Peter Graf, SAP........................................................................................................................................................................................................9Candidacy: What Makes a CSO?...................................................................................................................10CSO Profile: Charlene Lake, AT&T ...................................................................................................................................................................................12Corporate Governance and Strategy: Where Does the CSO Fit?..............................................13CSO Profile: Scott Wicker, UPS...............................................................................................................................................................................................15Organizational Structure: The Nuts and Bolts of the CSO’s Team .............................................16CSO Profile: Kathrin Winkler, EMC..................................................................................................................................................................................18Makings of a Successful CSO .................................................................................................................19CSO Profile: Linda Fisher, DuPont.......................................................................................................................................................................................22Best Practices: The CSO ..............................................................................................................................23Rankings vs. Title: Is Green the Right Measure? ..............................................................................25Call to Action: COmpanies...........................................................................................................................26Call to Action: Sustainability managers...............................................................................................27Methodology ...................................................................................................................................................28Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................................29AppenDix..............................................................................................................................................................30CSO Back StoryWeinreb Group
Foreword ByEllen WeinrebCEO, Weinreb GroupThe person in charge of corporatesustainability and corporate socialresponsibility has evoloved, from alargely director level position, to vicepresident to chief, over the last decade.As the sustainability function creptup the corporate ladder, so has thecaliber of the person leading it. Thuswe have the title “Chief SustainabilityOfficer,” which implies the senior-mostsustainability leader in the senior-mostpossible position.Two years ago, the New York Timescalled this emerging role a “swellingof the C-suite 1 .” But nothing out theredefines or questions the role’s scope.As an executive recruiter 2 who haswatched and worked in the sustainabilityfield now for 15 years, I have seenfirsthand the evolution of this professionfrom a discretionary cost to a strategicnecessity. However, little attention hasbeen paid to this title – no data, nodefinition, no best practices.In 2010 I wrote an editorial for GreenBiz,where I questioned the definition andthis varying use of the term “ChiefSustainability Officer 3 .” I even made aan early attempt at the definition, whichjust scratched the surface. It was thenthat the idea for CSO Back Story wasborn.I felt that companies struggle with whatto call it, where to put it, and who tolead it would appreciate some real data.Even a list of CSO’s does not exist todate. It was my intention in CSO BackStory to conduct exhaustive research togenerate 1) a CSO list, and 2) a study ofhow they arrived to their role today.To structure the research, I createdspecific criteria. I decided to focus onU.S.-based individuals who had “ChiefSustainability Officer” in their title at acompany traded publicly in the UnitedStates.My team and I found 29 4 .While the criteria for the researchrequired the title “Chief SustainabilityOfficer,” there are many sustainabilityleaders who hold other titles. Becausetitles remain diverse across industries,this report develops best practices forthose in the senior-most role regardlessof their official title.My research uncovered several startlingfacts and identified a roster of bestpractices that the profession sorelyrequires.In the next few pages, you will seethe first-ever data driven report of itskind analyzing and encapsulating theessence of a crucial and emergingexecutive role: the Chief SustainabilityOfficer. You will understand this role in itsentire complexity and scope, learn fromexamples, see firsthand the evolutionof these chiefs, and gain valuableperspectives into how organizationsdefine and implement sustainability.We owe many thanks to the people whosupported the methodology, research,content, editing and reviewing of CSOBack Story.1Companies Giving Green an Officer http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/03/business/03sustain.html?pagewanted=22The Weinreb Group http://weinrebgroup.com/3In search of the elusive CSO: http://www.GreenBiz.com/blog/2010/04/01/search-elusive-chief-sustainability-officer4We included Georgia Pacific even though it is not publicly traded. We felt compelled to include GP because of its sheer size and the fact that it had been public until 2005, when it was acquired by KochIndustries for $21 Billion.CSO Back StoryWeinreb Group
Page 1: Weinreb Group presentsCSO BACK STOR
Page 5 and 6: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:TOP 10 FINDINGS &
Page 7 and 8: THE FIRST CSOThe title, Chief Susta
Page 9 and 10: Peter Graf, SAP:Business Veteran, S
Page 11 and 12: Candidacy: what makes a cso?CSO: In
Page 13 and 14: Corporate Governance And Strategy:W
Page 15 and 16: Scott Wicker, UPS:Engineer, Company
Page 17 and 18: ORGANIZATIONAL Structure:The Nuts A
Page 19 and 20: Makings Of A Successful CSOWhat mak
Page 21 and 22: Makings Of A Successful CSOmultimil
Page 23 and 24: Best Practices: The CSOBest Practic
Page 25 and 26: RANKINGS VS. TITLE: IS GREEN THE RI
Page 27 and 28: Call To Action: Sustainability Mana
Page 29 and 30: ACKNOWLEDGMENTSWe owe many thanks t
Page 31: About Weinreb GroupWeinreb Group is

CSO BACK STORY - Weinreb Group

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