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Chief Sustainability Officer, Persefoni: The SustainabilityX® Magazine's Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ 2024 Awardee
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"We must keep pushing ourselves, face the things that seem impossible, and truly connect with each other. We can move in the right direction but not without fortitude, hope, and community." - Kristina Wyatt, Chief Sustainability Officer, Persefoni, United States & The SustainabilityX® Magazine Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards 2024 (#SustXGlobal50) Awardee
Kristina Wyatt is a pioneering force in sustainability and legal strategy, serving as Deputy General Counsel and Chief Sustainability Officer at Persefoni, a leading carbon management and accounting SAAS software company. With over two decades of experience navigating the intersections of law, environmental stewardship, and corporate governance, Kristina has dedicated her career to advancing sustainability through bold and transformative leadership. At Persefoni, she leads the charge in developing carbon accounting practices that help companies align with global climate goals, setting the standard for transparency and accountability in carbon management.
Kristina’s leadership journey includes a pivotal role at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), where she served as Senior Counsel for Climate and ESG to the Director of the Division of Corporation Finance. In this role, she spearheaded the development of groundbreaking proposed rules on climate change disclosures, setting a precedent for transparency in corporate reporting. These proposed rules are vital to ensuring that companies are held accountable for their environmental impact, and Kristina’s bold leadership helped advance this critical step in the global push for corporate sustainability.
Before joining the SEC, Kristina was Senior Counsel and Director of Sustainability at Latham & Watkins LLP, where she built and led the firm’s sustainability program. She co-chaired the firm’s ESG practice, driving sustainability initiatives at a corporate level and integrating environmental, social, and governance considerations into the firm’s operations. Her work at Latham & Watkins exemplifies her ability to create lasting impact by embedding sustainability into the core of corporate decision-making.
Kristina’s academic credentials are as impressive as her professional accomplishments. She holds a BA from Duke University, a JD from the University of Colorado, and an MBA in Sustainability from Yale University, showcasing her deep commitment to bridging the gap between business, law, and sustainability. Her multidisciplinary expertise enables her to navigate complex regulatory landscapes while promoting innovative sustainability strategies that benefit both businesses and the planet.
In her career, Kristina has embraced boldness as a central theme, guided by the philosophy, “The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it,” attributed to Marcus Aurelius. She believes that boldness is crucial for addressing the massive challenges of climate change and sustainability, and she has never shied away from pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. Her decision to join the SEC to help draft the climate change disclosure proposal, without hesitation, exemplifies her commitment to creating a more transparent and sustainable corporate world.
Kristina’s impact extends beyond her direct roles. She serves on several influential boards and advisory committees, including the National Association of Corporate Directors, the Paul, Weiss Rifkind ESG and Law Institute’s Sustainability Advisory Board, and the Association of Corporate Counsel’s ESG Steering Committee. Her involvement in these organizations underscores her status as a thought leader in sustainability and corporate governance.
One of the significant challenges Kristina has faced is overcoming skepticism and resistance when building sustainability programs, particularly in the traditionally conservative sectors of law and finance. Her boldness and resilience in navigating these challenges have been critical to her success in embedding sustainability into organizations that might otherwise resist change. Her career trajectory has been defined by her ability to inspire others, simplify complex sustainability issues, and lead by example, fostering optimism even in the face of significant political and economic obstacles.
Looking to the future, Kristina envisions a world where women play a leading role in sustainability, driving innovative solutions and breaking down barriers in traditionally male-dominated industries. She believes that as sustainability issues become more central to corporate strategy and regulatory frameworks, it is essential for women in sustainability to lean into economic and strategic implications. This approach will ensure that women continue to lead in shaping the future of sustainability in business.
Receiving the Global 50 Women in Sustainability Award™ is a significant personal and professional honour for Kristina. It reflects her commitment to pushing the boundaries of sustainability leadership and validates the bold actions she has taken throughout her career. The award also reinforces her dedication to fostering a more sustainable and equitable world, where corporate responsibility and environmental stewardship are paramount.
The SustainabilityX® Magazine Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ 2024
The SustainabilityX® Magazine proudly presents its third edition of the Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ for 2024. This annual recognition celebrates extraordinary female leaders who embrace boldness in their pursuit of groundbreaking sustainability initiatives, reshaping industries, and driving transformative change towards a more just, inclusive, and sustainable future.
This year also marks a broader strategic mission expansion for The SustainabilityX® Magazine, with a stronger focus on aligning with the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs) in addition to the original foundation of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This evolutionary expansion reflects the magazine’s ongoing commitment to advancing women's leadership in sustainability while championing social equity, environmental stewardship, and inclusive growth.
“Empowering women to lead in sustainability is at the heart of our mission,” says Supriya Verma, founder of The SustainabilityX® Magazine and one of Corporate Knights' Canada’s Top 30 Under 30 in Sustainability Leadership and one of The Peak's Emerging Leaders. “These trailblazers are breaking barriers and redefining what sustainable leadership looks like—showing that it’s about more than policies and practices, but also about social justice, economic resilience, and a regenerative future.”
Rooted in the magazine's guiding pillars of environmental protection, economic prosperity, social inclusion, and ethical governance, The SustainabilityX® Magazine's Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ showcases women from all sectors, industries, and regions, igniting crucial conversations on the intersection of gender equality and sustainable development.
Amidst global challenges and uncertainties, this year’s awards highlight the critical role of women in steering the world towards a more resilient, equitable future. With a continued digital format, the awards amplify voices across borders, bridging the gap between global sustainability efforts and local impact.
As Verma states, “The future of sustainability hinges on bold, inclusive leadership, and these women exemplify the courage and vision needed to transform our world. The SustainabilityX® Magazine remains steadfast in our mission to celebrate and elevate those who are shaping a future where every voice counts and every effort contributes to a thriving, sustainable world.”
View the full list: The SustainabilityX® Magazine Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards 2024
Read the full press release: The SustainabilityX® Magazine Announces 3rd Annual Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ Under the Theme "Embrace Boldness"
About The SustainabilityX® Magazine
The SustainabilityX® Magazine is an award-winning, digital, female-founded, and female-led non-profit initiative bringing the environment and economy together for a sustainable future through dialogue, and now transforming the environment and economy for a sustainable future through the power of women's leadership. Founded on May 8, 2016, and inspired by the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals by Canada's Top 30 Under 30 in Sustainability Leadership awardee, Supriya Verma, the digital media initiative focuses on approaching the world's most pressing challenges with a holistic, integrated, systems-based perspective as opposed to the traditional and ineffective siloed approach with a single lens on interdisciplinary topics like climate and energy. This initiative ultimately seeks to explore how to effectively bring the environment and economy together through intellectual, insightful dialogue and thought-provoking discussion amongst individuals across sectors taking an interdisciplinary and integrated approach to untangling the intricate web of sustainability while championing women's leadership in sustainability.
The SustainabilityX® Magazine is built upon the four foundational pillars of sustainability: Environmental Stewardship, which emphasizes the importance of improving environmental health; Economic Prosperity, which promotes sustainable economic growth that transcends traditional capitalist models; Social Inclusion, which focuses on equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) for BIPOC, LGBTQ, and other marginalized or vulnerable communities; and Just Governance, which highlights responsible leadership, the equal application of the rule of law, and the creation of fair systems for all.
As we expand our mission to align with the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs), we continue to explore the diverse and interconnected factors that influence sustainability. By recognizing how these elements interact across local, national, and international levels, we aim to accelerate progress toward sustainability goals. In essence, this aligns with The SustainabilityX® Magazine's vision of integrating environmental and economic progress for a more just, inclusive, and sustainable future through thoughtful dialogue.
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The SustainabilityX® Magazine is a proud member of the Sustainable Journalism Partnership, serves as a cause-based media partner for various events such as WIRED Impact, and officially delivers remarks at international conferences such as UNESCO's annual World Press Freedom Day Conference.
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