Does CEO From STEM Expertise Drive Better Climate Transition? A Worldwide Evidence
ABSTRACT The urgent challenge of climate change compels the company to formulate a transition strategy. This research explores how corporate leadership addresses this complex issue, using upper‐echelon theory to analyze whether CEOs with STEM backgrounds are better equipped to lead a strong climate transition plan. Based on a sample of TCFD‐reporting companies from 2021 to 2023, we observe a positive link between STEM‐educated CEOs and the development of more advanced climate strategies. Robustness checks with CEM and lead analyses support these findings. This study introduces the concept of climate transition strategy and investigates governance factors that may influence its adoption.
Authors
- Mohammad Nasih (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7945-7593)
- Iman Harymawan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7621-6252)
- Lawrence Loh
- Atikah Azmi Ridha Paramayuda
- John Nowland
Institutions
- National University of Singapore (SG)
- Universitas Airlangga (ID)
- Illinois State University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management
- Published
- 2026-09-11
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.70982
- Primary Topic
- Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00