Episode 13: Operationalizing Sustainability in the Financial Sector

Hosts:

• Matt Orsagh, Chief Content Officer at ED4S
• Maria Maisuradze, Founder and CEO of ED4S
• Nawar Alsaadi, CEO of Kanata Advisors, Senior Advisor to ED4S

Episode Focus:
A discussion on ED4S’s new paper, “Operationalizing Sustainability: Eight Key Roles in Finance,” which offers practical guidance for embedding sustainability in financial roles.

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Key Takeaways:

1. Purpose of the Paper:

   • This paper addresses how financial professionals can operationalize sustainability in their day-to-day roles. As organizations mature in ESG, there is a need to integrate sustainability practices within various job functions.

2. Roles Covered:

   • The eight key roles analyzed include: Commercial Lending Representative, Communication Specialist, Financial Advisor, Investment Analyst, Portfolio Manager, Procurement Specialist, Risk Manager, and Software Developer.

3. Challenges and Insights:

   • Integrating ESG into distinct financial roles is challenging due to the varied nature of each job and the need for organization-wide cultural support. Cross-departmental collaboration is essential for ESG success, requiring buy-in from leadership.

4. Structure of Each Role Profile:

   • Each role section includes an overview, essential skills, relevant ESG resources, practical case studies, and a suggested workflow, tailored to help professionals integrate ESG seamlessly.

5. Future of ESG in Finance:

   • As ESG regulations and standards evolve, ESG integration will likely become a routine part of financial roles, reducing the need for specialized guides. Increased systems-level thinking and technology integration are expected to play critical roles in this evolution.

Conclusion:
This episode highlights the importance of ESG knowledge across financial roles and the need for practical, role-specific guidance. The paper aims to equip financial professionals with actionable steps to embed sustainability in their daily responsibilities.

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To learn more about ED4S' leadership in ESG training and sustainable solutions, visit our website: https://www.ed4s.org

 

 

For any inquiries, suggestions, or feedback on the "Sustainability in Motion" podcast, feel free to contact us at: [email protected]

 

 

About ED4S:

At ED4S, we specialize in sustainability-focused workforce training, combining technology and instructional design to deliver custom ESG training solutions tailored for corporations. Our goal is to empower organizations with the skills and knowledge needed to meet sustainability goals, adhere to ESG regulation, and succeed in a competitive business environment.

 

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Transcript:

Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Sustainability in Motion podcast, brought to you by ED4S. We focus on the rapidly evolving world of sustainability to help the business community better understand and address environmental challenges. I’m Matt Orsagh, Chief Content Officer at ED4S.

Maria Maisuradze:
Hi, everyone! I’m Maria Maisuradze, Founder and CEO at ED4S.

Nawar Alsaadi:
Hello, I’m Nawar Alsaadi, Founder and CEO of Kanata Advisors and Senior Advisor to ED4S.

Matt:
Today, we’re doing something a little different—we’ll be our own guests! We’re diving into our recent paper, Operational Sustainability: Eight Role Sheets in Finance. This paper explores what sustainability looks like in practice and how different roles within financial institutions can integrate ESG into their workflows.

So let’s jump right in and discuss why we wrote this paper, why we believe it’s essential for financial institutions to integrate ESG into traditional roles, and, most importantly, how to do that. Maria, would you like to get us started?

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The Journey to ESG Role Integration

Maria:
Sure! This paper is part of the journey we’ve been on since founding ED4S in 2020. Initially, the market was less mature, and most of our focus was on onboarding organizations to the basics of sustainability. We helped financial institutions build a common understanding of what ESG is—and isn’t—while exploring risks, opportunities, and investor demand.

Fast forward to today, and we’ve seen substantial progress. Many organizations now have a baseline understanding of sustainability. However, the question has evolved: How do individuals within various roles operationalize ESG in their day-to-day work?

That’s where we saw an opportunity to empower individuals. Not everyone has the bandwidth to take on extra responsibilities, but we wanted to show how sustainability can seamlessly integrate into existing workflows. Our goal was to create actionable, accessible tools—concise role sheets rather than lengthy reports—to help financial professionals lead and grow in their careers while embedding sustainability practices.

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Why This Paper is Unique

Matt:
That’s such a great point, Maria. I wish something like this existed 10 or 15 years ago when I first started in ESG. People often ask, “How do I apply ESG as an analyst, a portfolio manager, or even a software developer?” While there’s plenty of general guidance on ESG integration, this paper takes a unique approach by linking ESG directly to the daily workflows of specific financial roles.

Nawar:
Exactly. I’ve never seen a paper like this before. Most resources in this space focus on broad concepts, but our paper bridges the gap between high-level ESG principles and the practical, day-to-day tasks of financial professionals.

Maria:
That’s true. While there are some resources out there—for example, on integrating climate considerations into certain roles—they often lack the practical perspective needed for financial institutions. Having worked in finance, I could see that many of these guides were written without a deep understanding of the sector’s mechanics. Our aim was to address that gap with actionable insights tailored to finance professionals.

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Roles Covered in the Paper

Matt:
Let’s talk about the eight roles we covered and the reasoning behind them. We included:

1. Commercial Lending Representatives
2. Communication Specialists
3. Financial Advisors
4. Investment Analysts
5. Portfolio Managers
6. Procurement Specialists
7. Risk Managers
8. Software Developers

We initially considered 10 roles but decided to set aside HR and accounting for now, as those areas are more complex and require additional research.

Maria:
Exactly. HR, for instance, encompasses various responsibilities—from recruitment to employee well-being to incentive structures. Similarly, accounting includes roles in reporting and reconciliation. These roles are crucial, but tackling them would have required a deeper dive, which we hope to do in the future.

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Challenges in ESG Integration

Matt:
One challenge we faced was the sheer diversity of roles. For example, analysts and portfolio managers share similarities, while communication specialists and software developers operate in completely different worlds. Synthesizing relevant insights without overwhelming readers was a key challenge.

Maria:
Another challenge was drawing boundaries. Roles like commercial lending often intersect with others, such as compliance and risk management. Tracing these lines required tough decisions, but collaboration with industry professionals helped us navigate these complexities.

Nawar:
I agree. One of the biggest challenges is ensuring this doesn’t become a box-ticking exercise. Integrating ESG into workflows requires judgment, collaboration, and motivation—factors we couldn’t fully capture in the paper. Additionally, institutions must invest in resources, such as data and tools, to enable their employees to succeed.

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Highlighting Key Roles

Matt:
Let’s share some examples from the paper. I’ll start with the Communication Specialist role, which stood out to me because it’s often overlooked in ESG discussions.

Marketing and communication teams play a critical role in shaping a firm’s ESG narrative. If they lack the necessary training, there’s a risk of greenwashing—or even greenhushing. This role sheet provides practical steps for communication specialists to align messaging with ESG principles while collaborating with compliance teams to navigate regional nuances.

Maria:
I’ll highlight the Commercial Lending Representative role. The business case here is clear: as regulations like carbon taxes increase and clients face pressure to decarbonize, lending reps can engage clients intelligently on transition opportunities. By understanding sustainability-linked loans and subsidies, they can drive efficiency, strengthen client relationships, and create new business opportunities.

Nawar:
For me, it’s the Portfolio Manager role. One key skill we emphasize is systems-level thinking—understanding the interplay between portfolio components and external systemic risks. ESG integration isn’t a one-step process; it’s distributed across the workflow. Portfolio managers must collaborate with analysts and other stakeholders to address risks and opportunities holistically.

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The Future of ESG Integration

Matt:
Looking ahead, what does the future hold for ESG integration in finance?

Maria:
I see deeper embedding of ESG across roles as regulations, standards, and sustainable products mature. Technology will play a bigger role, with software developers driving innovation in circular economy solutions and resource-sharing platforms. Financial institutions will increasingly act as connectors, creating value beyond transactions.

Nawar:
My hope is that in five to ten years, a paper like this will be redundant because ESG will be fully integrated into all roles as a matter of course. However, the shift requires cultural alignment and the right incentives, which are still evolving.

Matt:
I think systems-level thinking will become more prevalent across all roles. Financial professionals will move beyond siloed approaches to understand how their actions impact—and are impacted by—broader systems. Books like Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows and 21st Century Investing by William Burkhart and Steve Lydenberg provide excellent frameworks for this shift.

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Final Thoughts

Maria:
I’d like to thank everyone who contributed to this paper. Their insights were invaluable in shaping a practical and impactful resource.

Nawar:
Yes, a huge thank you to all the contributors—you know who you are! And for those listening, please read the paper and share your feedback. We’d love to hear how we can improve and address additional roles in the future.

Matt:
You can connect with us on LinkedIn or through ed4s.org. Thanks for joining us, and we’ll see you next time!