Sector · Energy & Sustainability
Energy and sustainability executive search.
Retained search for renewable energy developers, low-carbon infrastructure, corporate sustainability leadership and ESG investors.
Industry insight
Understanding the landscape.
The Chief Sustainability Officer has moved from advisory to accountable
The CSO role has shifted materially in the last three years. Where a Head of Sustainability once advised the executive team, the modern CSO holds accountability — for CSRD reporting, TCFD compliance, transition planning, and (in listed environments) investor-facing sustainability narrative. Candidates with genuine operational accountability, not just advisory experience, are the ones boards now want.
Renewables development is the highest-volume hiring area
UK renewables — onshore and offshore wind, solar, battery storage, and increasingly green hydrogen — is the highest-volume area of senior energy sector hiring. Development Directors, Country Heads and Project Directors are in constant demand. The candidate pool is small relative to demand and heavily internationally-competed.
ESG in financial services is a distinct sub-market
ESG leadership within regulated financial services is a distinct specialism. It combines sustainability expertise with SFDR / SDR fluency, and requires candidates who can hold both an investment-committee-facing and a regulator-facing role.
Transition risk is now board-level
Boards of energy companies (both traditional and low-carbon) are increasingly required to hold transition risk at director level. This has created demand for NEDs and Chairs with specific energy transition experience — a distinct pool from generalist NEDs.
Roles we recruit
Senior appointments across the sector.
We recruit across seniority levels, from senior specialists to board-level appointments.
- Chief Sustainability Officer
- Head of ESG
- Head of Renewables
- Head of Development (Renewables)
- Head of Wind (Onshore or Offshore)
- Head of Solar
- Head of Battery Storage / Energy Storage
- Head of Green Hydrogen
- Head of Transition Finance
- Head of Sustainable Investment (Asset Managers)
Why work with us
Retained, senior-partner-led, sector-fluent.
- Sector fluency: We distinguish sustainability advisory from sustainability accountability, and calibrate briefs against the specific scope required.
- Renewables development depth: Our recent mandates concentrate in UK and Continental European renewables development leadership.
- Regulated ESG specialism: ESG within regulated financial services requires distinct SFDR / SDR fluency; this is a specialism we handle explicitly.
- Retained and senior-partner-led: Every mandate is owned end-to-end by a named partner.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Do you handle CSO searches specifically for listed companies?
Yes. Listed-company CSO search is a specialism — the role includes investor-facing sustainability narrative, TCFD reporting into the Annual Report, and coordination with the CFO on climate-related financial disclosures.
Can you support Head of Renewables searches internationally?
Yes. Renewables leadership frequently draws on international candidate pools, particularly from Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Australia. We coordinate visa and relocation as part of the mandate.
Do you recruit for ESG leadership within asset managers?
Yes. ESG leadership within asset managers is a distinct sub-market requiring SFDR / SDR fluency, LP-facing ESG narrative and investment-committee-level participation.
How do you handle transition finance leadership?
Head of Transition Finance and related roles within banks, insurers and asset managers are handled under this practice in coordination with our Finance sector practice. The profile requires energy sector experience plus regulated financial services expertise — a narrow pool.
How long does an energy search take?
Twelve to eighteen weeks brief to accepted offer is typical. International candidates or roles requiring specific regulatory-jurisdiction experience can add three to four weeks.
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