The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) covers companies in the EU, but who are the CSRD experts you can follow on social media, especially LinkedIn, on this topic?
CSRD and influencers: how do they fit together?
In 2024 and subsequent years, CSRD will become even more relevant as companies are required to document their sustainability efforts transparently and comprehensively. Experts and influencers play a crucial role in this context.
They not only drive the implementation of sustainability strategies, but also sensitize the public and the business world to the need for sustainable action. In this article, we present the leading minds and opinion leaders in the field of CSRD and sustainability in Switzerland.
What is the added value of following CSRD experts?
CSRD experts and influencers play a crucial role in the modern communications landscape, including in the area of sustainability and CSRD. Their importance and relevance can be explained by several aspects:
- Reach and visibility: Influencers often have a large following on social media and other platforms. This enables them to effectively spread important messages and information about sustainability and reach a wide audience.
- Trust and credibility: Many people trust the opinions and recommendations of influencers, who they perceive as authentic and credible. Influencers can therefore increase awareness of and interest in sustainability issues.
- Education and awareness: CSRD experts can communicate complex topics in an understandable and appealing way. They have the ability to inform and sensitize their followers about sustainable practices, products and news on sustainability reporting.
- Incentive for change: Through their commitment and convincing communication, opinion leaders can promote behavioral change and inspire people and companies to act more sustainably.
- Networking and collaboration: Experts with reach often work with companies, NGOs and other organizations to support and drive sustainable initiatives. This creates synergies and increases the impact of joint efforts.
In summary, CSRD experts and influencers are important players in the field of sustainability and CSRD due to their reach, credibility and ability to communicate complex topics.
Leading CSRD experts
This list of CSRD experts and sustainability influencers is not based on a scientific or statistical study, but on personal preference and the relevance of posts on the LinkedIn career network.
CSRD experts in Germany
Here are some of the leading minds in CSRD in Germany:
- Georg Lanfermann As President of the DRSC (German Accounting Standards Committee) and Vice-President of the EFRAG Administrative Board, Mr. Lanfermann is directly involved in the development of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). He regularly posts about CSRD news on LinkedIn where he is followed by over 4,000 people.
- Daniel Obst The LinkedIn Top Voice Sustainability (Germany) is followed by over 10,000 people on the career platform. His posts on CSRD and other sustainability topics are widely liked and with his agency 2020 he supports companies in their implementation.
- Thilo Hitz The founder and COO of the CSRD software ‘Daato’ regularly posts about sustainability topics that affect companies, such as the CSRD; the CSDDD or the LkSG. He is followed by over 12,000 people on LinkedIn.
- Nadja Picard As a partner and Global Reporting Leader at the management consultancy PwC, she supports companies in the transformation of their reporting. She is followed by almost 6,000 people on LinkedIn.
- Alexander Spahn: Admittedly, I don’t see myself as an influencer. However, with the CSRD Compass newsletter, my 3,500 followers on LinkedIn and many readers of the blog posts on CSR-Tools, I reach numerous people who want to learn more about CSRD in easy-to-understand language. In addition to practical tips, e.g. on preparing the materiality analysis, I regularly point out relevant CSRD webinars, present ESG tools and post other updates on CSRD, the EU taxonomy and other relevant regulations as part of the EU Green Deal.
General sustainability influencers
In addition to people who explicitly position themselves as CSRD experts, there are influencers with a much greater reach for the topic of sustainability.
- Luisa Neubauer The climate activist is one of the best-known faces of the Fridays for Future movement in Germany. She is a strong advocate for climate protection and sustainability and has over 30,000 followers on LinkedIn.
- Nico Rosberg The former Formula 1 world champion has dedicated himself to sustainability after his racing career. He is the founder of the GREENTECH Festival and an investor in numerous green technologies and is followed by almost 260,000 people on the social network.
- Prof. Stefan Rahmsdorf The climate scientist is a professor at the University of Potsdam and has 9,000 followers. He is known for his research on global warming and climate change.
How these CSRD experts are shaping the future of sustainability
Leading CSRD experts and sustainability influencers play a key role in driving the sustainability agenda and effecting positive change. Through their work, these experts not only influence political framework conditions and corporate practices, but also sensitize the public to the need for sustainable action and provide concrete support to companies in implementing their challenges. They create networks, promote the exchange of best practices and support companies in facing the new challenges and requirements of CSRD. Follow these people to make sure you never miss any more CSRD news.
Do you want to become a CSRD expert yourself? There are numerous CSRD training courses and resources to help you acquire knowledge about sustainability reporting.
