Global professional services firm EY has appointed Velislava Ivanova as Global Chief Sustainability Strategist, a newly created position aimed at integrating sustainability solutions across the firm’s service lines and engagements.

ESG Today spoke with Ivanova about her experience with the firm, and the responsibilities of her new position.

Ivanova joined EY in 2015 to lead the firm’s America’s Climate Change and Sustainability Services (CCaSS) practice, which grew from around 40 professionals to approximately 400 during her 9-year tenure. In 2024, she took on the role of Global Strategy and Markets Leader for CCaSS.

Starting in her new role of Global Chief Sustainability Strategist late last year, Ivanova works with EY’s recently appointed Global Vice Chair for Sustainability, Colm Devine, to drive the integration of sustainability solutions across the firm’s solutions and services.

Ivanova said:

“This is a newly created role, recognizing the need for us to be impactful with our client work. We need to move from engagements focused on reporting or carbon footprinting, for example, to really bring the whole firm together across the different service lines and the solutions and services that we bring to our clients, and embed sustainability in all that we do.”

According to Ivanova, the new role forms part of a focus at EY on transformation for clients, supporting a full spectrum of services that goes beyond CCaSS’ focus primarily on the Chief Sustainability Officer, to reach the broader C-suite including CFOs, Chief Supply Chain Officers, CMOs, and focusing more on the CEO as well.

Ivanova noted that while CCaSS is a practice fully dedicated to sustainability services, the firm does sustainability work across its service lines and business groups, with her new mandate focused on bringing together all the different players and skills needed to enable large scale transformation for clients.

In a post announcing her appointment, Ivanova said:

“Both our clients and our firm are on a transformation journey, driven by climate change, energy transition, AI, demographic and geopolitical changes. We will succeed only if we embed sustainability, with executive endorsement, across business functions, products and value chains.”