Chrissa Pagitsas

Biography

Chrissa Pagitsas is a dynamic leader who unlocks innovation and growth potential by bridging sustainability and business. She draws on her deep expertise building a $51 billion Green Bond business at Fannie Mae and insights from book, Chief Sustainability Officers at Work, with in-depth conversations with Chief Sustainability Officers at Coca-Cola, Amazon, and BlackRock, and other Fortune 500 companies. As a Senior Advisor to McKinsey & Co and global clients, Chrissa guides executives on shaping their business strategy for a complex future.

Through engaging presentations and insightful perspectives, she empowers audiences to innovate and capture opportunities offered by sustainability despite a volatile global business environment, stiff competition, and evolving customer desires and workforce needs. On the global stage at COP28 in Dubai, Chrissa addressed how and why companies should invest in green skills in their workforce to the value-add of green tech. She showed how sustainability is a multiplier for growth and impact at closed-door sessions with private equity companies.

Hailed as “illuminating” and “inspiring,” Chrissa’s book Chief Sustainability Officers At Work is a bestseller on Amazon. It pulls back the curtain on how leaders at Fortune 500 companies tackle the challenge of integrating long-term sustainability goals while hitting quarterly financial targets.

Chrissa was recognized as a “Green Bond Champion” by the Climate Bonds Initiative and awarded the Leadership award by the US Green Building Council for her market-transforming innovations as an executive at Fannie Mae. She launched the first green $19M commercial mortgage-backed security in the US and brokered a public-private partnership with the US EPA to develop a new ENERGY STAR® rating and certification for the real estate industry.

Chrissa has developed sustainability strategies for large real estate investors, advised USAID and energy clients on renewable energy solutions, and delivered software solutions for the energy industry in the U.S. and Europe.

Ms. Pagitsas holds an MBA from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia and a BA from Johns Hopkins University.

Videos

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Speech TopicsExpand each topic to learn more

Leading Through a Sustainability Lens

How does a Fortune 500 company with billions in revenue maximize the benefits of an ESG strategy? Chrissa Pagitsas pulls back the curtain on how to use the power of sustainability to lead and grow as a business, and deliver innovative solutions through ESG.

Her audience walks in her shoes to build a $50 billion green bond business and the shoes of the Chief Sustainability Officers and Heads of ESG at global companies like Amazon, BlackRock, Procter & Gamble, and Owens Corning.

Creating a “Surround Sound” for Change: How to navigate change strategies with employees, customers, and investors

INSPIRING SPEAKER DRIVING BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION
An engaging and informative sustainability and ESG keynote speaker, moderator and panelist, Chrissa Pagitsas draws on her frontline experience driving transformative business strategies as an executive and a strategic advisor to Fortune 500 companies, philanthropies, and non-profits.

Chrissa shares candid real-life experiences of blazing a trail with no roadmap, creating innovative new products, and changing culture at large-scale companies.

Speaking topics include:
Leading Through a Sustainability Lens
Creating a “Surround Sound” for Change
Sustainability and Innovation as a Intrapreneur
Female Leadership and Diversity
BOOK CHRISSA
SPEAKING CLIENTS
Some of the organizations to which Chrissa has spoken:

SPEAKING TOPICS
Leading Through a Sustainability Lens
How does a Fortune 500 company with billions in revenue maximize the benefits of an ESG strategy? Chrissa Pagitsas pulls back the curtain on how to use the power of sustainability to lead and grow as a business, and deliver innovative solutions through ESG.

Her audience walks in her shoes to build a $50 billion green bond business and the shoes of the Chief Sustainability Officers and Heads of ESG at global companies like Amazon, BlackRock, Procter & Gamble, and Owens Corning.

Creating a “Surround Sound” for Change: How to navigate change strategies with employees, customers, and investors
Launching a new initiative? Exciting a new customer base? Whether new to their seat or highly experienced, every leader will launch a new initiative that meets resistance. Using real and tangible examples from companies such as Fannie Mae, Procter & Gamble, and Trane, Chrissa Pagitsas shows how the real magic for changes comes from creating a “surround sound” of key stakeholders to bring about the change. From employees to investors and even critical external partners and customers, she will inspire the audience to surround these stakeholders and achieve the targeted change.

Sustainability and Innovation as a Intrapreneur

What does it take to develop a new product line within an established company? How do we integrate sustainability throughout our business products? It’s not the technology. It’s the mindset. Learn from the successful product launches of Procter & Gamble, Owens Corning, Amazon, and other leading companies who took leaps of faith grounded in business realities to capture new markets.

Female Leadership and Diversity

To succeed today, businesses must call upon the diverse talents of their employees and into their extensive networks. Drawing on her own leadership experiences and those of senior executives at Fortune 500 companies, Chrissa Pagitsas guides the audience through a realization of the power of leaders to concrete steps to include diverse perspectives into business strategy and decision-making.

Testimonials

Chrissa’s experience, expertise and dedication made all the difference in shaping the event into a resounding success. Her keynote address was both insightful and inspiring. Our customers found the event not only relevant but also highly collaborative and engaging.

– Hilti North America

As our keynote speaker, Chrissa hit the exact note for our audience: revealing the big-picture vision for the future for sustainability and business while clearly laying out how to execute on practical actions today.

– Matt Ellis, CEO, Measurabl

Without a doubt, Chrissa Pagitsas was the best choice as our conference’s keynote speaker. As a dynamic speaker, Chrissa engaged our audience and created a real-time conversation on ESG leadership and business.

– Nima Farshchi, Executive Director, Smith School of Business, University of Maryland

Chrissa has made a very important contribution to the growing field of sustainability and ESG. Business leaders and investors would all benefit from reading Chief Sustainability Officers At Work and engaging with Chrissa on the important topics presented in her work.

– Aniket Shah, Global Head of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and Sustainable Finance Strategy, Jefferies

Booksby Chrissa Pagitsas

CHIEF SUSTAINABILITY OFFICERS AT WORK: How CSOs Build Successful Sustainability and ESG Strategies

Amazon

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Reviews & Ratings

     Excellent  
     Based on 56 reviews 
    
 
 
   
 
 
        
   Waldo Waldman 
 May 19, 2024
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I’ve been Speaking professionally for 21 years and work with the largest agencies in the world. I’m a Hall of Fame keynote speaker and a New York Times best selling Author. I have can honestly say in full confidence that Seth Dechtman and his team at Keynote Curator is the best agency I have been honored to work with.
I’ve witnessed Seth’s client focused relationship skills On multiple occasions. His clients love him and he’s detail oriented and has great communication skillls.
But most importantly, I’ve been on the receiving side of his servant, focused leadership style. He treats me like a valued partner and emulates everything a wingman is.
  
 
       
   David Allison 
 May 17, 2024
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Seth and the Keynote Curators team are tenacious and determined to do right by their clients and their speakers. I appreciate our relationship so much, and highly reccomend this group to anyone looking to book a speaker for an event.
  
 
       
   Meir Statman 
 May 10, 2024
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. It is wonderful to join Seth in helping people reflect on their financial and life well-being and enhance them.
  
 
       
   Trevor Wilde 
 April 24, 2024
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. This was an amazing experience. the Keynote Speaker we had was perfect for our event and will definitely be having another for our next one!
  
 
       
   Sandro Forte 
 March 22, 2024
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Brilliantly hosted, with great content. An absolute ‘must add’ to any podcast list!
  
 
       
   Jon VanDeventer 
 November 18, 2023
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I've been working with Seth at The Keynote Curators for over 3 years. I always look forward to our meetings because of both his professional expertise and his enjoyable, engaging personality. We have fun during our virtual meetings while developing innovative strategies and accomplishing goals. It's obvious from working with Seth over a number of years that he is always making event planning and booking services an easy process and providing responsiveness that sets him apart. He's an excellent partner who gets invested in your business and collaborates through every step of a process that can sometimes feel overwhelming.
  
 
       
   Jason Galaska 
 November 7, 2023
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Seth and his team were fantastic to work with in 2023 and we look forward to working with Keynote Curators to find potential speaker matches for our events in the future.  Thank you, Seth, for your professionalism!
  
 
       
   Hailey Wilson 
 October 23, 2023
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. A Treasure Trove for Anyone Involved in Speaker Selection!

As someone deeply involved in the intersection of marketing and technology at AImpact, I find the process of selecting the right keynote speaker to be a critical part of any successful event. Seth Dechtman's "The Keynote Curators" podcast is nothing short of a godsend for anyone facing the challenges and opportunities that come with this task.

Seth brings an almost poetic understanding to the power of words, acknowledging that a speech isn't just a scheduled event but a transformative experience that can change the dynamics of an entire room. His enthusiasm for the craft is contagious, making each episode a joy to listen to.
  
 
       
   Nicole 
 September 14, 2023
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Seth is super knowledgeable about the needs of meeting planners to have a successful event and partners with you to find just that right fit!
  
 
       
   Duncan Sigurdsson 
 August 28, 2023
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Working with Seth Dechtman and The Keynote Curators is always true partnership.  In the three plus years that we have been involved in various projects, I can tell you that they always deliver.  We have done some really cool stuff together.  Any meeting professional, conference planner or event producer will greatly benefit from partnering with The Keynote Curators.  High praise to Seth and his team.