“You don’t have to have sustainability in your title to be a sustainability professional.”

This episode delivers one of the most practical, nuanced, and insightful explorations to date of how the sustainability movement has evolved—and what organisations consistently get wrong when building their teams.

The Turning Point: When Ethics Met Enterprise

Ellen didn’t always plan to work in sustainability. As a student, she had her sights set on becoming a stockbroker—until a trip to post-Berlin Wall Poland changed everything. Witnessing educated families struggle with food rationing and clothing scarcity, she realised the power business could have in driving positive social impact.

“I wanted to help. I said, I want to do good with business.”

That insight led to her first informal case of “cause marketing”: importing hand-knit sweaters from Polish women and reselling them at a markup, with profits returned to the community. It wasn’t just smart—it was ethical entrepreneurship in action.

From Cameroon to Corporate Boardrooms

Ellen joined the Peace Corps in Cameroon, working with coffee co-operatives and woodcarvers, deepening her understanding of trade, fairness, and international development. This foundation became the launchpad for a sustainability consultancy career, with roles at Levi Strauss, HP, the World Bank, and more.

But a piece of advice changed her trajectory again: “You need to niche.” Recognising her talent for connecting people, Ellen launched Weinreb Group to specialise in one thing: placing changemakers in sustainability roles.

“We put changemakers to work.”

What’s Really Happening in the CSO Job Market?

Her firm’s flagship research—the Chief Sustainability Officer Report—tracks the evolution of CSOs in U.S. publicly traded companies. The 2025 edition found:

• 📊 CSO numbers have grown from 30 in 2011 to 220+ in 2025.

• ⚖️ Only 50% had sustainability in their prior job title—many came from legal, supply chain, or corporate affairs.

• 🧠 Top attribute for success? Being a “corporate chameleon.”

“You need at least one person to own it. Someone who can interpret the external world and influence internally.”

Common Mistakes Companies Make

Ellen was candid about where companies go wrong:

• Underestimating the role: “They think they can just hire a junior person. Then they realise, this is way bigger than anticipated.”

• Prioritising compliance over impact: “It’s easy to lose sight of strategy in the fog of regulation.”

• Not aligning with business strategy: “Sustainability has to make business sense. It’s not just philanthropy anymore.”

The Future of Sustainability Leadership

What skills will tomorrow’s CSOs need?

• Financial fluency: understanding the language of CFOs and audit teams

• Strategic systems thinking: balancing macro trends with granular data

• Internal diplomacy: navigating complex stakeholder ecosystems

• Adaptability: “Being a chameleon” across departments and agendas

“The CSO needs to speak the language of whoever they’re talking to—legal, finance, supply chain. It’s about embedding, not siloing.”

✨ Magic Wand Moment

If Ellen could change one thing in the commercial world?

“I’d give consumers full information. So they could make truly informed choices.”

It’s a deceptively simple goal—but one that underpins the entire ESG movement.