ESG on the Clock: What does an ESG team look like? Pt. 2

Key Takeaways

ESG on the Clock is designed for those starting their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) journey.

In ESG on the Clock episode two part two, Russell Dover, Senior Solutions Engineer at Workiva, talks about the head of sustainability position and the importance of building around organizational ESG goals. Russell expands on the significance of an ESG committee and how having an ESG or sustainability leader in place can help drive projects while advocating for the committee.

S1 Episode 2 Pt. 2: What does an ESG team look like? | Transcript

Russell Dover:

In part one of this episode looking at what an ESG team should look like, we talked about the importance of building our cross-functional team. Involvement across departments will help tell a compelling narrative around each of the core pillars of E, S, and G.

And ESG done right ultimately touches an enormous range of teams throughout the entire enterprise. Those teams are going to want a seat at the table to engage them for the best work. Do you need a head of sustainability or leader of ESG?

Many companies have created this role both to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability and have accountability around the results of their ESG initiatives. It's particularly helpful if you plan to have a couple of people dedicated to structuring and compiling and reviewing that ESG data as it comes in. You don't necessarily need to bring on a new person to lead ESG or have the exclusive role of head of sustainability. The right leader can come from an existing team and ultimately drive to successful outcome, as long as they're given the right training incentives available to do so.

In short, covering both parts of this episode: Know what your organizational goals and motivations are around ESG, establish an ESG committee to centrally govern and manage the initiative in alignment with those prime motivations, and identify a leader within the committee to drive forward the project and who can advocate on behalf of the committee.

Now that your ESG team is established, we're going to cover starting an ESG strategy in the next episode. Stay with us.