Apple, Mars, Unilever and more: Big leadership transitions in 2025 

Not since the COVID-19 era have major U.S. corporations slashed so many employees, and sustainability teams did not emerge unscathed.

Companies cut their payrolls by more than 1.1 million positions through November, with the technology and retail sectors particularly hard hit, according to research by recruiters Challenger, Gray and Christmas.

Sustainability teams at Boeing, BlackRock, Kohler, Wells Fargo and Zendesk were among those affected by broad workforce reductions. Meanwhile, there were targeted cuts at companies including S&P Global and Southwest, based on shifts in their ESG priorities. 

There was also plenty of turnover at the top, as companies reassessed their commitments to emissions reductions.

For example, Tylenol maker Kenvue’s chief sustainability officer, Pamela Gill-Alabaster, departed in June after the company folded that role into the research and operations and product development division.

Long-time leaders move on

Kenvue is far from the only corporation to embrace a new organizational structure for its top sustainability executive or to distance itself from offering a C-suite office to that role.

When Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president for environment, policy and social initiatives, retires in late January after 13 years on the job, her responsibilities will be split between two senior-level executives: one to handle her policy work, and one to handle her environmental and social mandates. 

Unilever used the departure of Rebecca Marmot, chief sustainability officer since 2019, to drop the global CSO position. Her successor is Michael Stewart, a former communications strategist for companies including PwC, Edelman and McKinsey. His title: chief corporate affairs and communications officer. Sustainability is part of Stewart’s job, but it doesn’t factor in his title.   

CEO refresh for notable nonprofits

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) tapped former EY consulting executive, David Kennedy, to reset the nonprofit’s executive direction amid the overhaul of its Corporate Net Zero Standard. Under his leadership, SBTi is evolving its position on the role of high-integrity carbon removals in becoming net zero.

The Bezos Earth Fund, a major climate philanthropy, named a former Amazon senior vice president, Tom Taylor, as CEO after the departure of long-time environmental nonprofit executive, Andrew Steer, who previously led the World Resource Institute.

Get ready for another new notable nonprofit CEO next year: B Lab Global, the company behind the B Corporation certification, is recruiting for a new chief executive after releasing a stricter version of its standard in April.

Big promotions from within

Some companies with long-time commitments to environmental sustainability — notably Inter IKEA Group and Mars — tapped internal candidates to fill vacancies at the top in 2025. 

Lena Julle, a 30-year IKEA veteran, was named chief sustainability officer for the retailer in May after several months in an interim role. Meanwhile, Alastair Child was tapped as CSO of Mars after his predecessor, Barry Parkin, retired. Child has been with the company for close to 25 years.

Notable sector flip-flops 

Other corporations sought a fresh perspective when they chose new sustainability leaders.

Apollo Global Management walked over to the footwear sector when its first CSO, Dave Stangis, decided to retire. Its choice, Jaycee Pribulsky, left Nike to join the financial services firm in October. She was at Nike for almost nine years, her last 19 months as CSO.

General Motors poached from technology company Dell Technologies when it hired Cassandra Garber as its new CSO in April. She was at Dell for four years before officially filling the role vacated by Kristen Siemen, who retired in late 2024 after 30 years with the automaker.

Change is a constant in the sustainability profession. Send ideas for career development and news about leadership roles, promotions and departures to editor@trellis.net.