Darian McBain, a former CSO in Singapore, has launched Outsourced Chief Sustainability Officer Asia (OCSO Asia) — which will offer sustainability consulting and strategic advisory services from experienced CSOs. Translation: This is a virtual CSO (vCSO) business.
OCSO Asia's launch comes at a key time. Indeed, the sustainability market faces a talent gap, according to research from Microsoft and Boston Consulting Group and associated coverage from Reuters.
Meanwhile, environmental sustainability is now a Top 10 business priority for CEOs, according to Gartner. And by 2025, 50% of CIOs will have specific performance metrics tied to energy consumption, according to Gartner.
Related: Search our global database of Chief Sustainability Officers.
Virtual Chief Sustainability Officers: Key Services Offered
OCSO Asia seeks to address those talent gaps and strategic needs by aligning virtual CSOs with end-customers that are seeking advice on:
- Sustainable supply chain management;
- green and sustainable finance;
- climate change and transition planning;
- business human rights;
- corporate social responsibility programs;
- blue economy;
- networking and collaboration;
- sustainability strategy;
- sustainability reporting and ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance) data;
- sustainability communications, media engagement;
- sustainability spokesperson;
- materiality assessment and stakeholder engagement;
- risk and reputation management; and
- corporate and regulatory affairs.
Who Is Darian McBain?
OCSO Asia founder Darian McBain previously was chief sustainability officer for the Monetary Authority of Singapore, and the former global director of corporate affairs and sustainability for Thai Union, a global food producer. McBain has over 20 years experience in sustainability, working for corporates, government, the UN, academia and NGOs, according to OCSO Asia's launch announcement.
The virtual executive trend is a familiar one. From virtual CFOs to virtual CIOs and virtual chief information security officers (CISOs), thousands of businesses worldwide now offer on-demand executives to fill talent gaps for end-customers.
vCIO Services: Why Technology Partners Should Care
By 2027, 25% of Global 2000 companies will have assigned a chief sustainability officer (CSO) responsible for meeting their organization’s ESG goals and making ESG-related IT purchasing decisions, according to IDC. Technology partners need to extend their sales, marketing, engagement and support strategies to fulfill those CSOs needs, Sustainable Tech Partner believes.
