EY has appointed Velislava Ivanova as its first Global Chief Sustainability Strategist, establishing a new leadership role intended to embed sustainability more deeply across the firm’s services, client engagements, and transformation offerings. The appointment reflects EY’s view that sustainability is no longer a standalone advisory topic, but a core element of enterprise-wide strategy.

The new position is designed to connect sustainability expertise across EY’s business lines, ensuring that climate, energy transition, and broader ESG considerations are integrated into how the firm supports clients at scale.

From Practice Leadership to Firmwide Strategy

Ivanova joined EY in 2015 to lead its Americas Climate Change and Sustainability Services practice. Over nine years, the practice expanded significantly, growing from roughly 40 professionals to around 400. In 2024, she assumed the role of Global Strategy and Markets Leader for the practice, further broadening her remit across regions and client segments.

In late 2025, Ivanova transitioned into her current role, working closely with EY’s recently appointed Global Vice Chair for Sustainability, Colm Devine. Together, they are tasked with aligning sustainability capabilities across EY’s consulting, assurance, tax, and strategy offerings, with the aim of delivering more integrated outcomes for clients.

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Moving Beyond Reporting-Centered Engagements

Ivanova has described the role as a response to changing client needs. She noted that while sustainability reporting and carbon footprinting remain important, they are no longer sufficient on their own. Instead, organizations are seeking support that connects sustainability to core business decisions, operations, and long-term value creation.

Her mandate focuses on bringing together different service lines and skill sets within EY to ensure sustainability is embedded across client work, rather than treated as a discrete engagement or specialist add-on.

Reaching the Full C-Suite

According to Ivanova, the role is part of a broader shift in how EY approaches sustainability-led transformation. While Climate Change and Sustainability Services has traditionally worked closely with Chief Sustainability Officers, the firm is now expanding its focus to the wider C-suite.

This includes deeper engagement with Chief Financial Officers, Chief Supply Chain Officers, Chief Marketing Officers, and, increasingly, Chief Executive Officers. The aim is to position sustainability as a strategic issue that influences financial planning, supply chains, product strategy, and brand positioning, rather than remaining confined to sustainability teams.

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Integrating Skills Across the Firm

Although EY maintains dedicated sustainability practices, Ivanova has emphasized that sustainability-related work already exists across all of the firm’s business groups. Her role is intended to act as a connector, aligning these capabilities and ensuring they are deployed cohesively to support large-scale client transformation.

In announcing her appointment, Ivanova highlighted the scale of change facing both clients and professional services firms. She pointed to climate change, the energy transition, artificial intelligence, demographic shifts, and geopolitical uncertainty as forces reshaping business models and decision-making.

She stressed that success will depend on embedding sustainability, with executive backing, across business functions, products, and value chains. EY’s creation of the Global Chief Sustainability Strategist role signals an effort to institutionalize that approach, positioning sustainability as a core driver of strategy and transformation rather than a parallel advisory track.

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