Top 10: Sustainability Leaders in Healthcare

While healthcare's core mission is to heal and protect people, it has a significant footprint – including medical waste and energy use – that could harm public health.

Integrating sustainability into healthcare is essential to build climate resilience and safeguard community wellness for the future.

Driving this shift requires visionary leaders who can translate ambitious green goals into lasting clinical practice.

Healthcare Digital takes a look at the top 10 sustainability leaders in the healthcare industry from Sustainability Magazine's Top 250 Sustainability Leaders 2026 list.

Explore the full list of leaders here.

10. Maureen Mazurek

Role: Chief Sustainability and EHS Officer
Company: BD
CSO since: 2021

Maureen drives BD's sustainable business strategy through platform value creation, operational excellence and value chain partnerships.

She has helped develop carbon neutrality and net zero strategy alongside circular economy programmes.

At BD, she leads enterprise-wide sustainability, EHS and product stewardship, driving cultural and operational change across its global business units while ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements.

9. Robert ter Kuile

Role: Chief Sustainability Officer
Company: McKesson
CSO since: 2022

Robert is a sustainability professional with more than 20 years of experience helping brands collaborate in shaping environmental and social standards.

He focuses on building mutual value partnerships, designing transformative strategies and shepherding cross-functional teams.

He has previously spent more than seven years at PepsiCo, most recently holding the role of Senior Director Sustainability - Global Public Policy.

Robert has also held the role of World Wide Director of Environmental Affairs at Amazon.

8. Petra Wicklandt

Role: Head of Corporate Sustainability, Quality and Trade Compliance, EVP and Chief Sustainability Officer
Company: Merck Group
CSO since: 2021

Petra has been with German life sciences giant Merck for more than 30 years now, having held positions in R&D, production, strategy and sustainability.

Her approach to her role as CSO blends sustainability, quality and compliance, with her responsibilities including things like emissions reduction, circularity and supply chain assessments.

She brings experience in drug development, government and public affairs, global health, quality, regulatory compliance and sustainability to her role at Merck, with a focus on driving positive change.

7. Hakon Mattson

Role: VP / Chief Sustainability Officer
Company: Elevance Health
CSO since: 2011

Hakon’s glittering career in sustainability began with the Peace Corps, where he spent a year helping people to develop small enterprises in developing economies.

In the two decades since then, Hakon has become a globally renowned leader, best known for his work at Elevance Health where he argues that climate change is just as much about health as it is the environment.

Through his work, he aims to drive connections at the intersection of human health, technology and sustainability to advance corporate purpose and enhance brand reputation.

6. Jenny McColloch

Role: Chief Sustainability Officer & VP Community Impact
Company: CVS Health
CSO since: 2025

Jenny leads CVS Health’s “Healthy 2030” impact strategy and manages the CVS Health Foundation along with other corporate giving programmes.

Before joining CVS Health in 2024, Jenny was the Chief Sustainability and Social Impact Officer at McDonald’s.

Jenny earned her degrees from Stanford University and her MBA from the Yale School of Management.

She is also a member of the First Movers Advisory Board for the Aspen Institute’s Business & Society Programme.

5. Korab Zuka

Role: Global Head of Social Impact and Chief Sustainability Officer
Company: Novartis
CSO since: 2024

Leading Novartis’ social impact and sustainability strategies is Korab.

He brings extensive experience across corporate affairs, sustainability, communications, health equity and philanthropy, with previous leadership roles at Bristol Myers Squibb and Gilead Sciences.

At Gilead, Korab led ESG, communications, philanthropy and patient engagement, overseeing a portfolio of more than 1,000 partners.

His career spans private and public sector healthcare organisations, with expertise in patient access, health equity and strategic partnerships.

4. Ezgi Barcenas

Role: Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer
Company: L’Oréal
CCRO since: 2024

At L’Oréal, Ezgi serves as Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer, leading efforts to embed sustainability and responsible business practices across the organisation.

Her career spans more than 15 years of sustainability and international development work across the public and private sectors.

Previously, she spent more than a decade at Anheuser-Busch InBev, progressing through global sustainability leadership roles.

Ezgi’s expertise covers climate, circularity, water stewardship, agricultural development and sustainable innovation and she regularly contributes to global sustainability discussions and advisory groups.

3. Paulette Frank

Role: Chief Sustainability Officer
Company: Johnson & Johnson
CSO since: 2021

As CSO at J&J, Paulette leads the company’s environmental, health and social impact initiatives.

Since joining J&J in 1997, she has championed environmental stewardship and sustainability.

In 2009, she established the Office of Sustainability for the J&J Consumer Family of Companies and became Chief Sustainability Officer in 2021.

J&J has set key climate targets, including reducing Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 44% by 2030 and ensuring 80% of supplier emissions are covered by science-based targets by 2028.

2. Barend van Bergen

Role: Chief Sustainability Officer
Company: Roche
CSO since: 2024

Barend is Chief Sustainability Officer at Roche, where he leads the company’s sustainability strategy.

He previously spent seven years as a partner at EY Sustainability, advising organisations on sustainability and ESG strategies.

A specialist in impact measurement and valuation, he helped develop the world’s first Integrated Profit and Loss statement.

Earlier in his career, he spent 18 years at KPMG, where he led sustainability and climate initiatives. He also served as a visiting fellow at Yale School of Management.

1. Pam Cheng

Role: EVP - Global Operations & IT and Chief Sustainability Officer
Company: AstraZeneca
CSO since: 2015

Pam has served as CSO since 2023 and is also EVP of Global Operations & IT, leveraging her engineering background since joining AstraZeneca in 2015.

She ensures vital medicinal resources reach those in need while supporting environmental goals.

Five years into its ‘Ambition Zero Carbon’ strategy, AstraZeneca aims to reduce Scope 3 emissions by 50% by 2030 and by 90% by 2045.

By early 2026, the company reduced Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 98% compared to 2015.

AstraZeneca is actively working to improve the planet's health. It has planted 200 million trees to help achieve carbon negativity by 2030.

To strengthen its sustainable supply chain, the company hosts annual supplier conferences and requires yearly climate data submissions.

“The health of the planet is inextricably linked to people’s health,” she explains.

Explore the full Top 250 Leaders here.