Chrissa Pagitsas helps executives and boards connect ESG and sustainability with business strategy, leadership, finance and measurable action.
5.00 of 5
Top rated!5 of 5
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
Chrissa Pagitsas is a keynote speaker, author and strategic advisor to senior executives and boards on the intersection of environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles and global business. As the first Vice President of ESG at Fannie Mae, she launched the enterprise’s ESG Strategy and previously led its Green Financing Business, which issued more than $51 billion in Green Bonds through 2018. Chrissa is the author of Chief Sustainability Officers at Work, exploring sustainability leadership at Fortune 500 companies including BlackRock, Coca-Cola, Duke Energy and Procter & Gamble. Her keynotes bring together strategy, sustainability, leadership and finance to help organizations understand how ESG can connect with core business priorities.
Chrissa Pagitsas is a keynote speaker, author and strategic advisor to senior executives and boards working at the intersection of environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles and global business.
Her career brings together sustainability, finance, innovation and business strategy. Through leadership roles, advisory work and market-transforming initiatives, Chrissa has developed firsthand experience of what it takes to move sustainability from an idea or isolated initiative into the core of business strategy.
As the first Vice President of ESG at Fannie Mae, Chrissa launched the enterprise’s ESG Strategy, integrating ESG principles into its core strategy. This experience gives her a practical perspective on the opportunities and complexities organizations encounter when approaching sustainability at an enterprise level.
Today, she brings those insights to executives, boards and audiences seeking a deeper understanding of ESG, sustainability leadership and the relationship between environmental priorities and business.
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5 of 5
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
5 of 5
Chrissa’s insights are practical, action-oriented and balanced – three attributes that are all-too-rare in the ESG and sustainable finance space.
Aniket Shah Global Head ESG and Sustainable Finance Strategy, Jefferies
5 of 5
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
Keynote by Chrissa Pagitsas:
In this keynote, Chrissa reveals the disruptive forces shaping global business, from geopolitical tensions and economic volatility to wildly divergent consumer attitudes, AI transformation, and increased regulatory risk.
Drawing on her own experience building a $51 billion bond business during a similarly challenging environment, Chrissa introduces a proven framework that will inspire leaders to innovate and drive meaningful results.
Highlighting executives across diverse industries who have successfully navigated these complexities, she reinforces how these principles can empower businesses to meet the moment and find new growth. Leaders will leave with a clear roadmap for navigating uncertainty and turning disruption into opportunity.
Keynote by Chrissa Pagitsas:
This dynamic keynote ignites a growth mind
set for senior executives to aspiring leaders to develop a clear vision and manage the risks surrounding it. Drawing on insightful data and captivating case studies—including her own corporate executive experience—Chrissa equips audiences with a playbook for evaluating, managing, and capitalizing on risk with clarity and confidence.
Designed for leaders at all levels, this keynote inspires attendees to unlock their potential and empower their teams, offering new tools for turning bold decisions into drivers of growth.
Keynote by Chrissa Pagitsas:
Thriving in a world of constant change and disruption starts with building a culture of resilience and adaptation. Drawing on her own experience and insights from exemplary leaders, Chrissa Pagitsas equips executives and their teams with the tools to turn inward and deploy strategies to navigate uncertainty and drive long-term success.
Chrissa also explores how resilience extends beyond internal operations, emphasizing the role of product innovation, partnerships and pilot programs in accelerating the development and adoption of value-creating solutions.
Designed for leaders across industries and functions, this keynote leaves businesses with a powerful playbook to embrace change, inspire new ways of thinking across teams, and create a sustainable culture built to last.
Keynote by Chrissa Pagitsas:
In an era of political turbulence, rapidly evolving regulations and stakeholder pressures, and shifting corporate commitments, leaders face evermore challenges and complexities—and opportunities—with sustainability. In this keynote, Chrissa demonstrates how corporate sustainability must and should connect to tangible business value to achieve meaningful impact.
Drawing on her experience as Fannie Mae’s head of ESG and in building its $51 billion green finance business, Chrissa offers actionable strategies for “commercializing sustainability.”
Deeply experienced sustainability leaders to those just learning about it will leave this keynote inspired and armed with a blueprint for how to integrate sustainability with strategy, strengthen partnerships, accelerate progress, and drive measurable results.
Watch Chrissa Pagitsas in action
