AstraZeneca CSO Pam Cheng: Health Equity & Sustainability

Pam Cheng, Executive Vice President, Global Operations & IT and Chief Sustainability Officer at AstraZeneca, has secured fourth place in Sustainability Magazine's Top 250 Sustainability Leaders 2026.

Her contributions at AstraZeneca encompass advancing health equity and supporting the reduction of the company's carbon footprint, whilst delivering quality care to billions of individuals.

Pam holds a Bachelor of Engineering and a Master of Engineering in Chemical Engineering, alongside a Master of Business Administration.

She commenced her career as an Engineer before progressing into global supply chain management and logistics at pharmaceutical company Merck.

In 2015, Pam assumed her current role at AstraZeneca, a position she has maintained since 2015.

She also serves as a Board Member for Smiths Group and Stevens Institute of Technology, where she obtained her engineering qualifications.

On LinkedIn, she describes herself as a "biopharmaceutical executive with a global career spanning manufacturing operations, pharmaceutical development, supply chain and logistics, commercial operations and Information Technology".

AstraZeneca's approach to sustainability

Pam spearheads AstraZeneca's sustainability initiatives, including its 'Ambition Zero Carbon' strategy, which aims for a 98% reduction in emissions by 2026.

The company emphasises the connection between business growth and addressing significant health challenges, whilst making a positive impact for people, society and the planet.

It works alongside governments, health systems, patient groups, academia and NGOs to focus shared efforts where they could have the greatest impact.

AstraZeneca places particular emphasis on the resilience of health systems and health equity, working to bridge healthcare gaps, promote healthier behaviours and enable early disease detection.

The company is helping to strengthen health systems to respond to health crises whilst managing ongoing population health needs.

Throughout its value chain, AstraZeneca's focus remains on decarbonisation, whilst accelerating the delivery of net zero, sustainable healthcare.

It is managing its impact on nature and investing in biodiversity and reforestation efforts.

Continued business growth and innovation

Alongside its sustainability journey, AstraZeneca continues to grow its delivery of healthcare outcomes across its business.

"In 2025, we saw strong commercial performance across our therapy areas and excellent pipeline delivery," says Pascal Soriot, CEO of AstraZeneca. "We announced the results of 16 positive Phase 3 studies during the year and have 16 blockbuster medicines.

“The momentum across our company is continuing in 2026 and we are looking forward to the results of more than 20 Phase 3 trial readouts this year.

“We have more than 100 Phase 3 studies ongoing, including a substantial and growing number of trials of our transformative technologies which have the potential to revolutionise outcomes for patients and drive our growth well beyond 2030.”

All sustainability, net zero and sustainable supply chain leaders should attend:

• Sustainability LIVE: The Net Zero Summit - QEII Centre, London, March 4-5
• Sustainability LIVE: The US Summit - Navy Pier, Chicago, April 21-22

Co-located with Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE, these events brings together CSOs, ESG leaders and senior decision-makers at a moment when sustainability, supply chains and commercial performance are increasingly interconnected.

Tickets can be booked online today for The Net Zero Summit and The US Summit. Group discounts available.

Driving meaningful impact through sustainability

At AstraZeneca, Pam works on reaching patients most in need through vital scientific advancements, whilst having a positive impact on the environment.

She says that she has a passion for driving talent development, inclusion and diversity, making meaningful differences and driving innovation.

In her work, she focuses on making lasting connections with a range of people with diverse perspectives and experiences.

Pam says: "We are in an exciting era of science and innovation that holds the promise of delivering medical breakthroughs and transforming healthcare for billions of people worldwide.

"At AstraZeneca, we recognise we have an important role to play in realising this potential.

"We want to close healthcare gaps to improve health equity, strengthen the resilience of health systems to meet current and future needs and support the health of our planet by reducing our environmental footprint and investing in climate and nature action."