Chief Sustainability Officer
Business
Communicate and coordinate with management, shareholders, customers, and employees to address sustainability issues. Enact or oversee a corporate sustainability strategy.
Picture the job
Where you'd usually workA meeting room or a client's office
- Mostly indoors
- Sitting for most of the day
- Dealing with customers or the public
- Regular working hours
An illustration of a typical workplace, not a photo. The work-style notes come from US O*NET data, so read them as a guide.
In Malaysia
In Malaysia the dedicated CSO title is mostly found at large listed companies, GLCs, banks and plantation groups; in smaller firms the role is often combined with investor relations, risk or corporate affairs. Bursa Malaysia's listing requirements now align sustainability statements with the ISSB standards.
- How people get into it here
- SPM → Degree in environmental science, engineering, business, finance or accounting → sustainability/ESG officer → ESG or sustainability manager → head of sustainability/CSO after 10+ years. Knowledge of IFRS S1/S2 (ISSB) and Bursa sustainability reporting is increasingly expected.
- Demand
- Under the National Sustainability Reporting Framework, large Main Market companies (market cap RM2 billion+) must report using ISSB standards from 2025, other Main Market companies from 2026, and ACE Market and large non-listed companies from 2027, which pushes firms to build senior sustainability teams. Securities Commission Malaysia – NSRF (SC Annual Report 2024)
Sources:sc.com.mylexology.com
Pay in Malaysia
We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.
Where to check:
- JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
- DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
- SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post
How far is this from you?
Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.
1
Entry straight after SPM
2
SPM + sijil / short TVET course
3
Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)
4
Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)
Typical entry
Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route
How to get here
Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.
Compare routes against your results and interestsCheck what you may qualify for
Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.
Quick answers
How do you become a Chief Sustainability Officer in Malaysia?
SPM → Degree in environmental science, engineering, business, finance or accounting → sustainability/ESG officer → ESG or sustainability manager → head of sustainability/CSO after 10+ years. Knowledge of IFRS S1/S2 (ISSB) and Bursa sustainability reporting is increasingly expected.
What should I study to become a Chief Sustainability Officer?
Related fields of study: Business and Renewable Energy. SPM subjects that help most: English, Business, Economics and History (Sejarah).
How much does a Chief Sustainability Officer earn in Malaysia?
We don't yet have a Malaysian source we can cite for Chief Sustainability Officer pay, so we show no figure.
What you'd do all day
The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.
Also known as
What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.
Subjects that matter here
The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.
What you'd need to know
The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.
- English Language86%
English
- Administration and Management83%
BusinessEconomics
- Law and Government74%
History (Sejarah)
- Communications and Media71%
EnglishBahasa Melayu
- Building and Construction70%
Civil Engineering StudiesEngineering DrawingDesign & Technology (RBT)
- Education and Training68%
Tools you'd use
Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.
What the work feels like
Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.
- Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
- Contact with other peopleConstant contact
- Dealing with customers or the publicVery high
- Leading or coordinating othersVery high
- Handling conflict situationsOften
- Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
- Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
- Noisy environmentAlmost never
AI and demand for this job
A few real, dated data points, not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.
Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)
This estimate is from 2023, already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.
What beginner adverts asked for
We read 24 internship and fresh-graduate adverts in related fields (August 2026). A small sample from one job site, not every vacancy.
20 of 24 were internships
Allowance or pay, when stated
RM1,000 – RM1,275
6 of 24 adverts printed an amount: usually between RM1,000 and RM1,275 a month. Many print none.
Minimum CGPA asked
3.00 to 3.20
Stated in 4 adverts. Others did not state one.
Languages named
Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin
An empty line means the adverts did not say, not that employers have no requirement. Check each employer's own advert before you plan around it.
Related careers
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About this information
This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.
O*NET occupation: Chief Sustainability Officers
Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org