In this CEO-to-CEO conversation, E4E Relief’s Matt Pierce connected with founder and CEO of CSR Talent Group, Tom Knowlton, to discuss the evolution of talent recruitment in the corporate social responsibility space. Since founding CSR Talent Group in 2020, Knowlton has built a network of over 400 specialized experts serving company leaders who navigate the increasingly complex landscape of CSR, ESG and sustainability. Their exchange explores everything from the biggest skill gaps in CSR today to how fractional expertise is reshaping the way companies approach social impact—and why small, privately-held companies might be the most inspiring – and unnoticed – models.
Matt Pierce: You founded CSR Talent Group back in 2020 and you’re coming up on the organization’s five-year anniversary. What do you think has been driving the unprecedented demand that prompted you to carve out that offering?
Tom Knowlton: There are a couple of things. Generally, companies are starting to hire experts for very specialized deliverables in the CSR, ESG and sustainability industry. That's occurring because there's a lot more demand for data, results and impact—and that's been growing over the years. ESG is mostly about risk assessment and helping companies and investors understand where their risks are, especially when it comes to environmental issues or any sort of community, social or stakeholder pressures.
A lot of companies we work with—and I'm not talking about the really big companies—have teams of two or three people. They have broad knowledge and expertise, but they're asked to do everything.
I saw impact demand rising, the need for data from investors increasing and the number of regulations growing, especially in places like Europe and California (which have strict regulations). A lot of teams are small and just don't have that background experience. So, we've built something that allows leaders to find the experts they need—people with 15 to 20 years of experience. We have over 400 people in our network, so if you need to find a needle in a haystack, we can find it for you.
Matt Pierce: Are you finding yourselves providing ad hoc emergency servicing inside the CSR space for things like disaster response and crisis capabilities? Or are companies starting to understand that while they may never be able to predict exactly where something will happen, they should take this in-house and build disaster preparedness into their ethos?
Tom Knowlton: It's more the latter. If a disaster hits and they don't have anybody, they have to move so quickly. And we can move quickly, but we can't move, literally, in a day, which is what many of them need. What they're asking for are senior-level strategists as part of their overall plan. Disaster relief has to tie into what they already know about their ESG or CSR sustainability strategy. We're helping companies find senior-level people who understand their industry, may have experience with building disaster relief strategies for companies like theirs, understand internally what their capabilities are to respond and know what their employees and stakeholders expect.
The problem so many company leaders face when they haven't planned is that they’re inevitably left with a reaction that sounds like, "What's everybody else doing?" That can be helpful, but if they haven’t really thought through what their stakeholders expect, they're probably going to put money, resources and people into initiatives that may not be as effective as they could’ve been if they had planned ahead. That can really hit them down the line when people believe company leaders are not paying attention or don’t care—when, in fact, they do care; they just didn't plan enough.
Matt Pierce: Many large organizations have CSR teams in-house—they're the experts, they've been at this for a while. But when you look across the client base you serve, whether large corporations or newer middle-market businesses, what do you see as the biggest skill gap in the current CSR landscape?
Tom Knowlton: Business alignment skill. Traditionally, a lot of people in CSR and even ESG have not worked at a senior level in the business. They may understand the business a little bit, but many have come from foundations, nonprofits or the social and environmental impact space.
What's missing is their understanding of how to navigate what the business really cares about, what they're trying to do and their strategy. Do they have the background and experience to really be integrated with senior leaders? Are they business-minded people and are they respected within the company?
A client recently told me they trust that the person we assigned to them, who has deep corporate experience, will communicate well with the CEO and senior leaders because they have to interview them for a strategy project. That's critical if you want to build respect for the work and your team. You need to understand how to help the business and communicate that internally and externally. Leaders come to us because we've got people with that skillset.
Matt Pierce: How do you see fractional or project-based work changing the way companies achieve successful integration of CSR into their organizations with high probability of success even after your team leaves?
Tom Knowlton: What we're doing happens in all areas of the business. These days, there are fractional CEOs and fractional Chief Sustainability Officers. Business leaders understand that business moves fast and, if they want to be able to adapt, they can't hire somebody with a certain set of skills and expect them to have the talent and knowledge needed five, or even two, years from now.
The really good company leaders know the base issues that aren't going to evolve rapidly and where they need a full-time team to keep HR, accounting, marketing and communications going. But there are elements to everything that are going to rapidly change because of AI, technology and what's happening in society. You've got to have flexibility to bring in an expert for three months, six months, part-time, half-time or full-time.
The worlds of CSR and ESG are getting more complex, specialized and global, with more demand for impact data and results. They have to be nimble, or else they're going to get burdened with staff that don't have the skills, talent and knowledge they need.
Matt Pierce: With changing landscapes—policy shifts, global administration changes—what would you recommend for organization leaders to prioritize now to stay ahead of the curve or remain nimble?
Tom Knowlton: Having experts is critical. There's the regulatory landscape, which is constantly changing. Having somebody who understands that is one thing. Having somebody who understands supply chain and the evolving regulations by country and by industry and who has the network is another thing.
I've talked to people who have lost their jobs at some of the big firms, but their understanding and reach extends only to a certain country with certain regulations. Organization leaders need that local knowledge, but they may not be able to afford to hire 100 local people in 100 of their operating countries. So, they need the big picture person who can move quickly, find those local connections and build the network depending on the changing landscape.
Matt Pierce: How can we embrace AI in the CSR landscape for the betterment of our purpose?
Tom Knowlton: I'm excited about the use of AI to help improve society. There's so much information and data out there about issues we're trying to solve—health is one of them. It's fascinating to see how AI helps doctors and health experts advance.
One of my pet peeves is that there are a lot of people doing really good things, but they don't know what others are doing. They don't know how to find the best-practice approach. They don't have all the information they need to address the water issue, the climate crisis, the health issue... whatever it is. As a result, there's a lot of duplication in the philanthropy and social impact world.
The smart people in CSR roles understand that and find the nonprofit leaders who are really effective. There's a lot of good knowledge and incredible programs out there, but, too often, contemporaries are thinking, "Why isn't everybody doing this?" And that’s because they don't know what else is happening in their spheres. This is where AI can be helpful in helping us get access to that information quickly.
Matt Pierce: What's been one of the most unexpected or surprising moments in your 20-plus years in this space that made you laugh or completely changed your perspective?
Tom Knowlton: There are a couple of things that make me sort of laugh and cry at the same time. The terminology—are we talking about CSR or ESG or sustainability or corporate citizenship or corporate giving or philanthropy? I've been doing this more than 20 years, and we're talking about some of the same things we were talking about 30 years ago and we haven't moved as fast as we should.
The big companies in our space get all the attention and they've evolved pretty well. They're sophisticated. The retailers – the ones with public-facing personas – have big teams. But there are millions of companies out there that nobody pays any attention to or they just don't get the press.
When I started, I worked for Inc. Magazine, a small business magazine. They were profiling Ben & Jerry's, Patagonia and The Body Shop. It was fascinating that there were these company leaders who had social causes and focused on something beyond money and profit. I love reading about people who've been doing this for a long time and can say whatever they want to say. That's always fun—to find those people that have a backbone and really believe in something.
Matt Pierce: Are there any leaders today who you think do a really good job of trying to overcome the 30 years of the same problem and are getting closer to overcoming these hurdles?
Tom Knowlton: There are definitely companies that have evolved and done really interesting work—Chase with their community investment work in Detroit, IBM with their ability to mobilize consultants and technology. The Minneapolis/Minnesota group—the companies that grew up on CSR because of their culture: Target, Best Buy, Medtronic. When you meet senior leaders who have access to the CEO and senior leadership and are doing what they can, it makes sense what they're doing.
There are so many great, small companies; the Ben & Jerry's of the world, with leaders who care about their employees and their local community. They just don't get recognition.
There should be more attention paid to companies with people who are creating products and services that are really changing the way we look at them because they're good for society and they're good products.
Matt Pierce: Other than running CSR Talent Group, what career would you secretly love to have right now?
Tom Knowlton: I love the ocean, so anything to do with the ocean. I was thinking a ship captain, although I don't necessarily want to be at sea for six months at a time. A marine biologist would be great. I also love photography. Early on I thought I wanted to be a photographer and would still love to do more of it. It's so digital now, but to see a really good black and white photograph from the old days is incredibly inspiring.