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The winds of climate change are leading to the emergence of a new breed of senior executive: the Corporate Sustainability Officer (CSO). Climate change poses both a risk, but also a major commercial opportunity for companies, writes Dean Ireland, a consultant at Egon Zehnder International, Melbourne in the CEO Forum Group. In fact, several oil companies are actively pursuing the commercial prospect of cleaner, greener offerings and are appointing very senior commercial executives to the CSO role. So what skills are important in a Corporate Sustainability Officer? No one background suits all companies or CSO positions, although marketing experience is a definite advantage, notes Ireland. Generally, however, the CSO requires the commercial insight and sophisticated influencing skills to step across most parts of an organisation - including the manufacturing, operations, supply chain and pricing - to gain insight. CSOs also need very strong marketing and risk assessment skills, as well as the ability to communicate risk and opportunity effectively within their company and for customers, concludes Ireland.