ESG REC
lot goes into being a Chief Sustainability Officer. Instead of a single role with a single team, the nature of sustainability can mean leaders are pulled in different directions across a business and work with a range of teams to achieve company-wide goals.
Jonathan Hart-Smith has decades of experience in recruitment and, with Co-Founder and CEO Michael O’ Brien, created purpose-driven company ESG REC to leverage this expertise for a positive impact. The ESG REC team has a unique understanding of the sustainability sector’ s demands and a shared passion for a more sustainable world.
Jonathan looks after operations, ensures clients can share their needs, keeps track of where the market is going and advises on available talent and how best to bring them on board. He also advises those looking for work on how to find the right position, what options are available and supports them through the process.
AI’ s share of the frontier tech market could quadruple by 2033 with the market growing from billions to trillions according to UNCTAD research. From sustainability and ESG to finance and marketing, this technology is already starting to change the work professionals do each day.
Jonathan shared his expertise on the sustainability job landscape and how AI could change everything with Sustainability Magazine.
Over the past year, how have you seen hiring trends in the sustainability sector change? At Sustainability LIVE London 2024, I confidently said that ESG reporting and contracting would grow because as labour markets mature, you move from permanent hires to contracting. I was right for about four months and then everything changed. ESG reporting grew for a bit, but with the CSRD omnibus there was a quick change in demand.
The definite shift is a focus on action rather than measurement.
94 October 2025