What does it really take to build a career in corporate sustainability and sustainable finance in 2025?

In this episode, Maria Maisuradze, Founder of ED4S, sits down with Nawar Alsaadi, Co-Founder of Kanata Q, for a candid, no-nonsense conversation about the realities behind ESG roles—beyond the buzzwords and glossy reports.

Drawing on experiences across startups, NGOs, and institutional environments, Nawar shares how sustainability careers rarely follow a straight line—and why that's often a strength rather than a weakness. Together, Maria and Nawar unpack whether a "typical" sustainability career path even exists, where professionals are entering the field from today, and how motivations shape success. From ESG idealists driven by impact, to ESG capitalists focused on value creation, to the increasingly influential ESG agnostic. each mindset plays a role in shaping the field.

The conversation dives into the day-to-day reality of sustainability roles: building a credible business case, setting meaningful KPIs, managing reporting pressures, driving internal buy-in, and balancing ambition with organizational constraints. Maria and Nawar also explore how the ESG space is evolving in 2025; from a compliance-heavy focus toward strategic value creation and decision-making.

Finally, they offer practical advice for those looking to break into sustainability—or for professionals already in the field seeking clarity, resilience, and long-term impact as sustainability leaders within their organizations.

In this episode, Maria Maisuradze is joined by a leading voice in global sustainability and governance, Pyarali Jamal.

Pyarali has been in sustainability space for over 22 years. He is a member of ICAEW Sustainability Committee, advisor to Ivey Business School, and Smith School of Business. His career bridges finance, regulation, and ESG strategy.

We begin with Pyarali's personal journey: how he transitioned from traditional finance into sustainability long before ESG became mainstream, and what convinced him that ESG performance would shift from a CSR afterthought to a core financial and governance imperative.

We break down the current state of European mandatory ESG disclosures in 2025, including the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the ongoing Omnibus debates. He explains what these rules actually mean for companies and why they often feel misaligned with the profit-driven focus many organizations maintain. From there, we explore outcomes-based ESG data—what it is, why it matters, and how it helps boards and executive teams make more strategic decisions. He offers practical examples of how outcomes-focused metrics differ from traditional reporting and discusses the challenges companies face in gathering decision-useful data.

We also examine how lenders and investors are beginning to integrate ESG data into due diligence, investment valuations, and long-term risk assessments. While transition plans are still uneven across markets, he highlights why they are rapidly becoming essential for both large companies and SMEs.

Finally, we discuss what boards and senior management teams must do to equip their organizations to collect, manage, and apply ESG data effectively; from building internal capability to embedding sustainability insights into core operations.

A concise, insightful look at how ESG data is reshaping corporate strategy, regulation, and financial decision-making in real time.

ED4S provides employee sustainability training solutions, to learn more about suite of our educational resources, please visit https://www.ed4s.org/

In this episode, we sit down with Jason Taylor, founder of Climate Finance Advisors, who shares his remarkable journey building a profitable sustainability division within a major Canadian bank. What started as a one-person experiment quickly scaled into a full-fledged team, proving that banks aren't embracing sustainability for philanthropy, but because it's good business.

Jason walks us through the economics behind green bond issuance, the skills financial professionals need to stay relevant in this fast-evolving field, and how the generational wealth transfer is reshaping sustainable investing opportunities.

Tune in for a candid and practical conversation that reveals why sustainability is no longer a side initiative, it's the new core of financial growth.

We talk to Lorraine Wilson, founder of Blue Horizon and former CSO at Novata, and a board advisor to ED4S. We talk about the challenges facing financial advisors in providing sustainability advice and sustainable products to clients. We discuss the sustainability knowledge gaps in the advisor space and the state of sustainability training for advisors.

We talk with Rolando Morillo, Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager of Thematic Investment Strategies at Rockefeller Capital Managment. We talk about how investors can value, and invest in the Blue Economy, and how this can help drive conservation of the Ocean. We discuss the metrics used to value the health of our oceans and how improving them can drive opportunity for both investment and ocean restoration.

Disclosures:

The information presented herein are for educational purposes only. The views and opinions are the views and opinions of the senior investment professionals of Rockefeller Asset Management as of the date of the podcast and may differ from or conflict with those of other divisions within Rockefeller Capital Management. Certain information provided has been obtained from or are based on sourced believed by Rockefeller Capital Management to be reliable, but Rockefeller Capital Management makes no representation as to their accuracy or completeness. Actual events or results may differ materially from those reflected or contemplated herein. Although the information provide is carefully reviewed, Rockefeller Capital Management cannot be held responsible for any direct or incidental loss resulting from apply any of the information provide.

Forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain, as future events may differ materially from those reflected, and past performance is not a guarantee of future performance.

The information herein does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy interests in any Rockefeller Capital Management investment vehicle or product or service. Although the information provided is carefully reviewed, Rockefeller Capital Management is not responsible for any direct or incidental loss resulting from applying any of the information provided.

Rockefeller Capital Management is the marketing name for Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. and its affiliates. Investment advisory, asset management and fiduciary activities are performed by the following affiliates of Rockefeller Capital Management: Rockefeller & Co. LLC, Rockefeller Trust Company, N.A. and The Rockefeller Trust Company (Delaware), as the case may be. Rockefeller Asset Management is a division of Rockefeller & Co. LLC.

Wai-Shin Chan joins us to discuss the complexities of advancing sustainability and managing climate risk across Asia. As Sustainability Advisor to Metis ESG, Director of Research at Asia Research and Engagement, and former Global Head of ESG Research at HSBC, Wai-Shin brings deep expertise to the conversation.

We explore:

• The challenges of sustainability in a region with diverse cultures, languages, and legal systems

• Where Asian markets are leading on climate action

• Key areas where progress is still needed

Tune in for insights on ESG trends and climate risk in one of the world's most dynamic regions.

We talked with Helen Neal, Founder and CEO of HN Communications, a sustainability communications company that helps companies effectively navigate a complicated sustainability landscape. We discuss greenwashing, greenhushing and how companies can best tell their sustainability story.