TRAILBLAZER
Melanie Nakagawa
Chief Sustainability Officer at Microsoft
At the end of 2022 , Melanie Nakagawa was appointed as the Chief Sustainability Officer for Microsoft . Despite it being one of the industry ’ s most influential sustainability roles , for Nakagawa , this simply marks the next step in a career filled with major global positions – including a long span working with the US government .
Nakagawa took up the Chief Sustainability Officer post in January . And , as you can expect from a giant of Microsoft ’ s scale , taking the sustainability lead at this level means that Nakagawa is now a critical player in the green initiatives of the entire industry .
But few are as well-equipped to take up this mantle as Nakagawa : she boasts over two decades of experience in the environmental
Microsoft is committed to becoming carbon negative , water positive , and zero waste , while also contributing to the planet ’ s biodiversity by
2023 and sustainability field , most recently working in the role of Special Assistant to the President , and Senior Director for Climate and Energy on the National Security Council at the White House .
In fact , Nakagawa has held a number of key roles in the US government . During her time at the White House , she led numerous international and domestic climate initiatives , while addressing the big energy issues of the time – including the international energy response to the war in Ukraine .
Her previous governmental roles include working at the Department of State as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Transformation and on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee .
Nakagawa is also a former Director of Climate Strategy at Princeville Capital , a role that she held for almost four years .
20 March 2023