The CSO manages Government & Regulatory Relationships around Sustainability

The CSO plays a critical role in shaping the organization's public policy engagement strategy by monitoring regulatory trends, assessing policy impacts, and developing proactive positions on sustainability-related legislation. They lead comprehensive government stakeholder mapping and jurisdictional regulatory analysis to identify key decision-makers and emerging requirements. The CSO manages all regulatory affairs, from tracking legislative changes to coordinating compliance reporting and attestations, while developing roadmaps to address new sustainability regulations. They represent the company in government consultations, industry coalitions, and public-private partnerships, ensuring the organization's sustainability interests are effectively advocated within ethical boundaries.

To mitigate risks and capitalize on opportunities, the CSO conducts policy forecasting and geopolitical analysis of sustainability issues while establishing robust political risk management processes. They develop frameworks for ethical policy influence and oversee governance of political contributions to maintain transparency. The CSO builds and maintains strategic relationships with regulators and manages all lobbying activity disclosures in accordance with compliance requirements. By aligning regulatory engagement with corporate sustainability goals, they position the organization as a trusted partner in policy development while safeguarding against compliance risks and ensuring business continuity in evolving legislative landscapes.

Speeki can help provide the following services and solutions:

• Monitor and summarize global sustainability regulatory trends (e.g., weekly/monthly policy briefs)
• Conduct a regulatory impact assessment on how new/pending laws affect operations
• Map key government stakeholders (agencies, legislators, influencers) and prioritize engagement
• Draft proactive policy positions (white papers, comment letters) on sustainability legislation
• Develop a compliance roadmap for upcoming regulations (e.g., CSRD, SEC climate rules)
• Prepare submissions for government consultations on sustainability policies
• Facilitate workshops to align internal teams on policy priorities and advocacy strategies
• Design a lobbying disclosure process to ensure compliance with transparency laws
• Create a policy forecasting report on geopolitical sustainability risks/opportunities
• Benchmark industry coalitions and recommend partnerships for collective advocacy
• Draft a framework for ethical policy influence (e.g., gift/contribution governance)
• Train leadership on effective regulator engagement (meeting prep, messaging, follow-up)
• Set up a regulatory tracking dashboard for real-time updates on critical legislation
• Conduct a political risk assessment tied to sustainability goals (e.g., carbon tax exposure)
• Develop a public-private partnership (PPP) strategy for sustainability initiatives
• Prepare compliance attestations and reports required by new regulations
• Organize policy roundtables with regulators/NGOs to showcase thought leadership
• Audit and streamline lobbying activities to align with corporate sustainability values