As sustainability becomes central to brand trust and value, the Chief Sustainability Officer is an increasingly important hire — especially in beauty and consumer. Here is how to approach it.
Define the mandate
A Chief Sustainability Officer role can lean toward operational transformation (sourcing, packaging, supply chain), brand and consumer trust, or governance and reporting. These call for different leaders, so define the priority first. In beauty and clean beauty, the role is often closely tied to brand trust and consumer choice, which shapes the profile you need.
Commercial and brand credibility, not just compliance
The strongest sustainability leaders connect responsibility to commercial and brand value, and protect the credibility of what the brand claims — rather than treating sustainability as a compliance box. In a landscape wary of greenwashing, the ability to make claims the business can genuinely stand behind is central. Hiring a compliance-minded specialist when the business needs a commercial, brand-savvy leader is a common mismatch.
The ability to lead change
Sustainability cuts across operations, brand, product, and governance, so a Chief Sustainability Officer leads largely through influence and change management rather than direct authority. The ability to bring the organisation along, embed sustainability into how the business works, and drive genuine change is often what determines success. Assessing for this change-leadership capability matters as much as technical sustainability knowledge.
How the search works
Define the specific mandate and the change the business needs, and a retained search can find a sustainability leader who combines genuine credibility with the commercial and change-leadership capability to deliver.
Hiring a sustainability leader?
We recruit Chief Sustainability Officers and senior ESG leaders across beauty and consumer.
Explore Executive Search →Frequently asked questions
What should you look for when hiring a Chief Sustainability Officer?
Someone who connects sustainability to commercial and brand value, protects the credibility of the brand's claims, and can lead change across the business — genuine credibility plus change-leadership capability, not just a compliance specialist.
Why does sustainability leadership matter in beauty and consumer?
Because sustainability is closely tied to brand trust and consumer choice — credible, well-led sustainability is a source of value and differentiation, while poorly handled or over-claimed sustainability is a reputational risk.
Related: What Does a Chief Sustainability Officer Do? · Hiring Leadership for a Clean Beauty Brand · What Makes a Great Beauty Leader
