Financial Services
Professional Services
Active

Heather Lang

Chief Sustainability Officer, Workforce Advisor & Coach

About Me

With two decades of experience spearheading the ESG and sustainable finance industry, Heather has helped position prominent global institutional investors, financial institutions and corporations to advance ESG integration and drive sustainable outcomes. Heather held leadership roles on Sustainalytics’ ESG ratings, client relations and sustainable finance teams over her 18-year tenure at the company. She has spent the past three years providing expert ESG consulting to corporations, institutional investors, banks and service providers and is a frequent presenter on ESG and sustainable finance. She also contributed to technical standard setting research for the ISSB, including extensive consultation with investors worldwide on ESG strategies and approaches related to human capital and biodiversity. Working at the forefront of an innovative and fast-growing industry, Heather has a strong track-record in building and managing high-performance teams and individuals and an authentic and empowering leadership approach. Her passion for workplace culture aligns with deep thematic expertise in leading workforce practices and an understanding of the ROI for workforce engagement, wellness and inclusivity. Building on this experience, Heather is training to become an internationally certified workplace coach for employees and teams, with a view to aligning employee engagement with sustainability goals for long term impact.

Jurisdiction

Canada

Experience

Seniority LevelExecutive
Years of Experience20+ years
Current StatusActive
Principal Advisor/Consultant, ESG, Sustainable Finance & ImpactIndependent Consultant
2022 - Present

Expert consultant on ESG strategy, implementation and framework development. Key projects included the following: - International Sustainability Standards Board: Conducted research and stakeholder engagement towards standard setting projects on nature- and workforce-related risks and opportunities. Developed expertise in global ESG regulatory developments. - Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC): designed a customized green finance framework/taxonomy for sustainable lending to SMEs. - ESG Global Advisors: ● Consultant to Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC): designed a customized green finance framework/taxonomy for sustainable lending to SMEs. - ESG Global Advisors: provided strategic ESG advisory to corporate and investor clients on ESG and climate governance, targets- and metrics-setting and ESG reporting.

Senior VP, Sustainable Finance/Corporate Solutions Sustainalytics
2017 - 2022

Built and led an exceptionally high performing global client-facing business unit and became an expert in sustainable debt finance, transition finance and sustainability-linked instruments. - Grew a team of over 120 sustainability professionals across the Americas, Europe and APAC. - Helped leading global corporations and financial institutions link capital-raising activity with sustainability targets and impacts via sustainability bonds/loans. - Provided ESG insights to companies via corporate ESG trainings and benchmarking services. - Represented Sustainalytics externally as a frequent panelist at conferences/webinars and media contact on a range of sustainable finance topics, building reputation and credibility.

Director, Advisory Services/Institutional RelationsSustainalytics
2013 - 2017

- Transferred to Sustainalytics’ Amsterdam office to provide team leadership and gain experience in European markets as account executive to Nordic and UK investor clients. (2015-2017) - Head of sales and institutional relations for Canada. (2013-2015)

Director, Manager, Senior Analyst ESG Research Suatainlytics
2004 - 2013

Lead North American ESG research analyst team and ESG rating product, supporting thought leadership and business development

Education

Degree of Anthropology/International DevelopmentMcGill University. Montreal, Canada
1991 - 1995
Masters of Anthropology/International DevelopmentCarleton University. Ottawa, Canada.
1996 - 1998
Degree of EducationOntario Institute for Studies in Education. University of Toronto.
2002 - 2003

Certification

Total Certifications1

The Art & Science of Coaching

Erickson International

Skills

Core skills0
Languages1

Languages

English