How do the CEO demographic characteristics affect CSR commitment in European firms?

Purpose The purpose of this paper was to examine the effect of CEO tenure, gender, age and education on corporate social responsibility (CSR) performances, notably their societal and environmental commitment. Design/methodology/approach The paper checks the hypotheses on the relationship between CEO demographic characteristics and CSR categories. Feasible Generalized Least Square was performed on a sample of 215 European firm-year-observations indexed on STOXX Europe 600 Index from 2014 to 2021. Findings Results provide strong evidence that CEO characteristics are significantly and positively associated with corporate social and environmental performance. The findings specify that CEOs in their early years of service and firms led by female CEOs invest more in social and environmental activities. The authors also found that older CEO age and higher educational level are positively related to CSR categories. Practical implications Drawn on upper echelons theory, this study suggests that strategic environmental and social decisions in the firm are significantly influenced by the CEO’s demographic characteristics. Originality/value This paper provides a comprehensive picture by inculcating different CEO characteristics and CSR categories (product responsibility, community and human rights, emission reduction, product innovation and resource reduction) in European companies.