CEO and C-Suite ESG Priorities for 2025
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C-Suite Outlook

CEO and C-Suite ESG Priorities for 2025

15 January 2025 / Report

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The environmental, social & governance (ESG) landscape will grow more complex in 2025, with businesses facing increasing pressure related to climate risks, regulatory changes, and shifting societal expectations. Based on The Conference Board® C-Suite Outlook 2025: Seizing the Future, a comprehensive survey of global business leaders, this report highlights the key ESG priorities of CEOs and C-Suite executives, with a primary focus on US CEOs and additional insights from European and global perspectives—providing a strategic road map for the year ahead.

Key Insights

  • US CEOs rank climate risk and sustainability as the top two external ESG factors likely to impact their business in 2025.
  • ESG regulatory complexity is increasing, but US CEOs anticipate less significant business impact from regulations and disclosures compared to their international counterparts.
  • Anti-ESG sentiment ranks fourth among external ESG challenges for US CEOs in 2025 but is absent from the top five for CEOs globally or in Europe, reflecting heightened political polarization and scrutiny in the US.
  • US CEOs prioritize climate resilience and water management as their top environmental concerns for 2025, reflecting perceived risks from extreme weather and water scarcity.
  • Economic opportunity and education lead US and global CEO social priorities, while diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) backlash has shifted some focus away from gender and racial equality.

The environmental, social & governance (ESG) landscape will grow more complex in 2025, with businesses facing increasing pressure related to climate risks, regulatory changes, and shifting societal expectations. Based on The Conference Board® C-Suite Outlook 2025: Seizing the Future, a comprehensive survey of global business leaders, this report highlights the key ESG priorities of CEOs and C-Suite executives, with a primary focus on US CEOs and additional insights from European and global perspectives—providing a strategic road map for the year ahead.

Key Insights

  • US CEOs rank climate risk and sustainability as the top two external ESG factors likely to impact their business in 2025.
  • ESG regulatory complexity is increasing, but US CEOs anticipate less significant business impact from regulations and disclosures compared to their international counterparts.
  • Anti-ESG sentiment ranks fourth among external ESG challenges for US CEOs in 2025 but is absent from the top five for CEOs globally or in Europe, reflecting heightened political polarization and scrutiny in the US.
  • US CEOs prioritize climate resilience and water management as their top environmental concerns for 2025, reflecting perceived risks from extreme weather and water scarcity.
  • Economic opportunity and education lead US and global CEO social priorities, while diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) backlash has shifted some focus away from gender and racial equality.
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Author

Andrew Jones, PhD

Andrew Jones, PhD Andrew Jones, PhD

Senior Researcher, ESG Center
The Conference Board

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