Exploring the Competences Needed in Sustainability Profession

In 2022, Novia University of Applied Sciences introduced a R&D project that addressed the preparedness of Finnish accounting firms and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) for then imminent implementation of the European Union's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS).

Now, in late 2025 we can acknowledge these initiatives have had a turbulent journey as the new EU Parliament revised the CSRD coverage and content drastically and reached finally a revised directive. From now on this directive, which mandates comprehensive sustainability disclosures will be applied for very large firms only. It remains to be seen how the initially thought powerful "trickle-down" pressure on sustainability reporting will affect sustainability service providers and SMEs in supply chains. However, fact is that sustainability as a global requirement for business does not go away. Our planetary boundaries remain too much crossed.

Novia´s project produced two different studies on the main topic. Now published second study is focusing the crucial question any business education institute is currently asking: Are we teaching the right skills to foster truly effective sustainability leaders?

Ignas Meskauskas’ Master's thesis, An Exploratory Study of Competencies and Conscientiousness Trait in Sustainability Roles, offers crucial insights into what current sustainability practitioners value in their day-to-day work.

Unpacking the DNA of a Sustainability Professional

This exploratory study delved into the required skills and personality traits of professionals in sustainability roles, using a competency framework derived from the curricula of leading Dutch universities, such as Wageningen, Leiden, and the University of Amsterdam.

The study used a mixed-method approach, and the objective was to determine which professional competencies are prioritized and what role personality traits, especially conscientiousness play in perceived proficiency.

The research yielded three central results. First, in managing sustainability, soft skills rule the world. Sustainability professionals overwhelmingly rated soft competencies (interpersonal, ethical, collaborative) as significantly more important than hard, technical competencies (analytical, methodological). This finding, which indicated a large effect size, reinforces the idea that sustainability management is inherently relational and collaborative. The most valued skills weren't about crunching numbers; they were about human interaction: Communication with stakeholders (scientific & non-scientific) was rated highest, followed closely by teamwork and collaboration across disciplines, and active listening and feedback reception.

These results align perfectly with established frameworks (Wiek et al., 2011) which emphasize that complex socio-ecological challenges demand strong interpersonal and adaptive capacities to navigate diverse actors and competing interests, often more than just technical expertise.

Secondly, it is notable to see in the results that the top-ranking hard skills were those that support communication and strategy. For instance, practitioners highly valued multi-level stakeholder engagement strategy development and data visualization and scientific communication. Conversely, highly specialized technical tasks, like quantitative/statistical analysis, received the lowest importance rating. The message here is clear: technical skills are valued when they serve the core relational and strategic mission of the sustainability professional. You need the analytical rigor, but you need the relational intelligence to apply it successfully.

Contrary to expectations of the researcher, the personality trait of conscientiousness (organization, self-discipline, responsibility) did not significantly predict perceived proficiency in either soft or hard competencies. Furthermore, it did not significantly differentiate sustainability professionals from those outside the field, though the sustainability group did score descriptively higher on this trait. This finding suggests that simply being organized or disciplined might not be enough to explain competence. Instead, perceived competence may rely more heavily on factors such as educational experience, job-specific training, or other personality traits like Openness to Experience or Agreeableness, which have strong links to pro-environmental behavior and collaborative action (Milfont & Sibley, 2012).

A Recipe for Business Educators

The findings from both the CSRD readiness project and the competence study converge on a singular message for educators of sustainable business leaders: We need competence-based learning rooted in real-world application.

To address the ESG reporting capabilities and prepare sustainable business professionals with the most valued competencies, a future curriculum should center on soft competencies at the center of learning outcomes. This involves adopting interdisciplinary, competence-based pedagogy inspired by many current sustainability programs. Furthermore, any curriculum on sustainable business should integrate more extensive stakeholder collaboration to foster communication and engagement competencies.

It is also essential to teach technical competencies in applied, decision-oriented contexts rather than as abstract specializations. Finally, educators should embed ethical reasoning and reflective practice throughout the curriculum and use project-based formats that promote self-management and responsibility, thereby supporting the necessary conscientious professional behaviors. By focusing on these practical and relational skills, we can ensure that business graduates not only understand compliance frameworks like the CSRD but can also confidently lead the complex transition to a sustainable future.

For further reading:

Milfont, T. L., & Sibley, C. G. (2012). The big five personality traits and environmental engagement: Associations at the individual and societal level. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 32(2), 187–195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2011.12.006

Wiek, A., Withycombe, L., & Redman, C. L. (2011). Key competencies in sustainability: a reference framework for academic program development. Sustainability Science, 6(2), 203–218. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-011-0132-6

Authors:

Ignas Meskauskas

Ignas Meskauskas has a professional background in finance, with extensive experience in accounting, credit analysis, and financial planning across international organisations. He has completed his MBA in Digital Business and Management at Novia University of Applied Sciences.

Outi Ihanainen-Rokio

Outi is a senior lecturer in Master’s Degree Program in Digital Business and Management at Novia UAS.