C-Suite Sustainability Leadership: CIO and CTO Insights

CIO and CTO Insights on Sustainability and ESG

Exploring the critical role of c-suite sustainability leadership at The Studio, industry leaders discussed strategies and challenges amidst the accelerating pace of technological innovation and environmental responsibility.

Amidst the glamour for Generative AI, sustainability is at risk of falling off the boardroom’s agenda. ESG has become a complex and sometimes politicised business strategy, while sustainability’s impact has been shrouded by issues over carbon emissions visibility, supply chain transparency and the question of sustainability leadership responsibility from the C-Suite down.

In this session, technology executives gather to confront the "sustainability vacuum," questioning whether the green agenda is lagging behind the exploration for new technologies, exploring the complexities of environmental responsibility, and how technological innovation can intersect with ecological stewardship. 

Sustainability leadership: meet the panellists

With Doug Drinkwater moderating, the roundtable panellists included:

• Jon Townsend, CIO, National Trust
• Mauli Tikkiwal, Board member and IT Director, Johnson Controls
• Eoin O’Connell, CIO, Nurture Group
• Emily Watson-Breeze, Sustainability GTM Lead, BT Group

Watch the full roundtable for 'The Sustainability Vacuum: Is the Green Agenda Falling Behind?' below:

Key takeaways: 

• Addressing the current challenges and efforts of his organisation, Jon Townsend explained that sustainability is at the top of the agenda. However, meeting ESG targets will demand more effort, likened to the “80-20 rule”, where 80 percent of the effort is needed for the remaining 20 percent of progress. On top of this, Jon highlighted the environmental and resource challenges posed by new technologies, especially LLMs, commenting that “they are power hungry beasts.”

• Mauli Tikkiwal argued that IT departments should contribute to organisational sustainability initiatives. She explained that implementing KPIs, something she has done within her own organisation, are key measures that can encourage more sustainable practices. One practical example she suggested was implementing an ESG impact assessment. “Documenting it as part of the scoping or requirements document before the project gets approved is the mandatory step.”

• The green agenda is a constant focus for Nurture Group according to Eoin O’Connell, who recognises the value of “leaving something behind for future generations”. On the other hand, Eoin noted that some efforts towards sustainability can be “superficial”, with organisations aiming to “tick boxes” rather than genuinely embracing c-suite leadership in sustainability.

• There has been a “huge increase” in the number of customers striving to accelerate their net-zero journey according to Emily-Watson Breeze. They are proactively seeking help with areas including decarbonizing, showing more interest in broadening their sustainability efforts overall. Despite there being less media coverage on ESG, “From the conversations that I've been having, I definitely think it's something that's still got a lot of momentum, a lot of traction.”

• “I think the partnerships that we have with our suppliers and vendors are critically important.” Emily pointed out to the panel that the common practice of outsourcing to shift emissions off is problematic. “The emissions aren’t magically disappearing just because they're not on your reporting sheet.” She emphasised an alternative solution—taking on a communal approach.

• Jon’s advice to the audience was: “Make it everybody's business and then we'll start to see a change.” Echoing a similar sentiment,  Eoin argued that the resources organisations have at hand are being diverted away from sustainability and the green agenda. If it goes on like this, he commented that “Just controversially, let's face it, the world is screwed.” Through further education and awareness, he believes that leaders can become c-suite sustainability advocates.

Watch the full roundtable discussion for “The Sustainability Vacuum: Is the Green Agenda Falling Behind?”