Building Sustainability: The Role of Technology Leader in ESG Performance in the Construction Industry

ABSTRACT Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices are pivotal to the sustainability and long‐term competitiveness of construction firms, and the drivers of ESG performance have attracted growing attention from construction industry practitioners. Although digital technologies play a central role in advancing ESG practices, little is known about how technology leaders, the senior technology managers in top management teams (TMT), influence ESG performance. This study draws on upper‐echelons theory, resource‐based view, and role theory to explore how technology leader presence (TLP) affects ESG performance in construction firms. Using a sample of Chinese listed construction companies from 2010 to 2022 and applying ordered logit, ordinary least squares and propensity score matching, we find that TLP is positively correlated with ESG performance in construction enterprises, moderated by strategic (i.e., digital transformation and voluntary corporate social responsibility [CSR] disclosure) and upper‐echelon (i.e., TMT age) factors. We also find that TLP improves ESG performance through green innovation. Our findings contribute to the literature on ESG and technology leadership and offer actionable implications for construction practitioners seeking to strengthen ESG outcomes via technology leadership. Given the sample's focus on Chinese construction firms, future research should extend this inquiry across industries and national contexts.