The Evolving Role of the Sustainability Officer: Managing risk, engagement, and accountability

The Evolving Role of the Sustainability Officer: Managing risk, engagement, and accountability

09:00 MYT | 31 March 2026

Overview

What happens when sustainability moves from the margins of corporate reporting to the center of business strategy? Are sustainability teams still storytellers, or are they now risk managers navigating regulatory shifts, supply chain disruption, and rising scrutiny of corporate impacts on people and the environment? What is their role in a world of geopolitical tensions, and shrinking sustainability budgets?[1]

As sustainability expectations intensify, the role of the sustainability function is being redefined inside the boardroom.

The role of sustainability teams has always been defined by change and necessity. Born as a reaction to environmental and human rights disasters such as the Bhopal disaster and the Exxon Valdez oil leak, the role was seen as a way to safeguard operational environmental health and safety.[2] In the early 2000s, the function was largely focused on communicating the company’s “positive story” to stakeholders, and managing reputational risks.[3] Over time, the reactive and reputation management role, became compliance-oriented tied to sustainability reporting and disclosure. Today, it is increasingly centered on managing human rights and environmental risks, guiding corporate strategy, and helping companies navigate complex sustainability transitions – i.e. signaling a company’s competitiveness.

As legislation on corporate impacts on communities and the environment expands, sustainability teams are finding their skillsets broadening beyond reporting functions. They are now engaging directly with policymakers on emerging regulations, interpreting evolving human rights standards, and translating climate, biodiversity, and human rights indicators into operational risk management. Knowledge of environmental metrics alone is no longer sufficient; sustainability leaders must balance regulatory compliance, supply chain governance, and stakeholder engagement.

But in the boardroom, power imbalances exist, as sustainability teams seek to align company operations and processes in increasingly politicized boardrooms. Key questions remain: What is the return on investment on sustainability KPIs? What is the cost of reporting and addressing adverse human rights and environmental impacts? And what is the reputational risk of disclosing corporate footprints?

Considered a “vanishing job”, this roundtable examines how the role of the Chief Sustainability Officer is evolving in response to rising regulatory expectations, stakeholder scrutiny, and complex sustainability risks.

LEARN:

Examine how the sustainability function is evolving as companies undergo corporate restructuring, regulatory expectations expand, and rights-reporting shifts from disclosure to strategic risk management

ENGAGE:

Hear from industry leaders on the operational realities of embedding human and environmental rights into corporate strategy—navigating boardroom dynamics, budget pressures, and evolving responsibilities to demonstrate “competitiveness”

APPLY:

Exchange insights with corporate practitioners and decision-makers on what is needed to sustain impact: the skills, governance structures, and cross-functional collaboration

References

[1] https://www.eco-business.com/news/what-chief-sustainability-officers-fear-in-2026/

[2] https://www.vantedgesearch.com/resources/blogs-articles/the-rise-of-the-chief-sustainability-officer-green-leadership-takes-center-stage/#:~:text=these%20pivotal%20appointments.-,How%20the%20Chief%20Sustainability%20Officer%20(CSO)%20Position%20Emerged,for%20board%2Dlevel%20sustainability%20expertise.

[3] https://hbr.org/2023/07/the-evolving-role-of-chief-sustainability-officers

SESSION SPEAKERS

SHARATH MARTIN

Member Board of Trustees, WWF - Malaysia and Deputy Chair, Sustainability Network , British Chamber of Commerce

Sharath Martin is a Senior Policy Consultant for ACCA in the APAC region where he focusses on elevating Asia’s voice on policy making and influence, while working with colleagues from all around the world.
He also serves on the boards of trustees of Shift Project Ltd, which leverages UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in support of systems change; and WWF-Malaysia, which works to sustain the natural world for the benefit of people and wildlife.
He is a Fellow of ACCA (Association of Certified Chartered Accountants) and an alumnus of the University of Oxford's Saïd Business School. Sharath’s central grounding in terms of identity is that of a father of two who teach him about the ways and expectations of Gen Z and Alpha.

Sharath Martin is a Senior Policy Consultant for ACCA in the APAC region where he focusses on elevating Asia’s voice on policy making and influence, while working with colleagues from all around the world.
He also serves on the boards of trustees of Shift Project Ltd, which leverages UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in support of systems change; and WWF-Malaysia, which works to sustain the natural world for the benefit of people and wildlife.
He is a Fellow of ACCA (Association of Certified Chartered Accountants) and an alumnus of the University of Oxford's Saïd Business School. Sharath’s central grounding in terms of identity is that of a father of two who teach him about the ways and expectations of Gen Z and Alpha.

AROE AJOENI

Communications Director, Klima Action Malaysia (KAMY)

Aroe Ajoeni is the co-founder and communications director at Klima Action Malaysia (KAMY), a feminist climate justice organisation established in 2019. KAMY works at the intersection of climate policy, gender, and human rights, advocating for inclusive and rights- based climate governance in Malaysia.

Much of Aroe’s work focuses on what corporate accountability looks like in the context of Malaysia’s energy transition, specifically, how business decisions around energy infrastructure affect the rights of workers, women, Indigenous peoples, and other marginalised communities, and what obligations companies carry as a result. Her work draws on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), ILO Just Transition Guidelines, and Malaysia’s National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights (NAPBHR).

At KAMY, Aroe has led policy advocacy on Malaysia’s Climate Change Bill and the Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) Act, working closely with government ministries and civil society to embed gender-responsive and rights-centred approaches into national climate frameworks. Her work consistently connects high-level policy commitments to accountability mechanisms that function on the ground.

Aroe works closely with communities, including women, Indigenous peoples, and local groups to ensure their experiences and concerns shape climate and corporate accountability processes.

klimaactionmalaysia.org

SUFFIAN MOHD MUHILI

Southeast Asia Sustainability Lead, Mondelez International

Mohd Suffian Bin Mohd Muhili is the Southeast Asia Sustainability Lead at Mondelez International where he leads the organization’s sustainability vision to create a future of snacking where people and planet thrive in this region. Under his leadership, Mondelez Southeast Asia is well on its way to contribute towards the company’s Vision 2030 to deliver 35% reduction in end-to-end GHG emission and advancing circular economy for packaging where >98% of packaging is designed to be recyclable while reducing absolute virgin plastic volume by 10%.

Suffian has nearly two decades of FMCG leadership experience across Mondelez International and Procter & Gamble in a wide range of fields including sustainability, public affairs, supply chain and manufacturing operations. While at Procter & Gamble, he spearheaded high-impact initiatives leading to the creation of P&G Center for Sustainable Small-Owners and P&G-WWF MY Tiger Conservation Partnership. He has appeared as speaker and moderator in various industry and sector-level conferences and has co-authored several research publications related to sustainable palm oil issues. He currently sits in the Steering Committee of the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil Impact Alliance and was formerly the industry advisor to Johor Business School.
________________________________

Georgina Lloyd Rivera

Regional Coordinator (Asia and the Pacific) – Environmental Law and Governance, UNEP

Dr. Georgina Lloyd Rivera is the Regional Coordinator (Asia and the Pacific) of Environmental Law and Governance for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Georgina supports the development and implementation of environmental law at global, regional and national levels to help respond to existing or emerging environmental issues and internationally agreed environmental commitments and goals. Her work covers the areas of environmental rights, environmental crime, technical assistance in environmental law and capacity building. Georgina has been involved in capacity building for environmental law across Asia and the Pacific and has provided advisory services to government and non-government stakeholders on environmental law and policy issues.  She has over 15 years experience in Asia and the Pacific working on environmental law and governance for academic institutions, NGOs and the UN.

Georgina holds a PhD in Law, Master in Environmental Law and Bachelor in Environmental Science (Hons 1) from the University of Sydney.