Chrissa Pagitsas

Chrissa Pagitsas is a strategic advisor to senior executives on the intersection of environmental, social, governance (ESG) and global business. She is a trusted board member to non-profit and for-profit companies. Ms. Pagitsas is a sought-after public speaker on catalyzing business transformation through ESG, sustainability and green financing. Ms. Pagitsas is the author of the book Chief Sustainability Officers at Work (Apress, 2022) which explores the leadership strategies of Chief Sustainability Officers at Fortune 500 companies including Coca-Cola, Cognizant, DBS, Duke Energy, IKEA, Owens Corning, Procter & Gamble. Ms. Pagitsas is responsible for market-transforming innovations including the first Green Commercial MBS in the US, a standardized energy audit for the commercial real estate market and the US EPA ENERGY STAR® 1 to 100 Score and Certification for Existing Multifamily. As the first Vice President of ESG at Fannie Mae, Ms. Pagitsas launched the company’s Enterprise ESG Strategy and set ambitious goals to address environmental and social issues within the housing industry. Ms. Pagitsas also launched the Fannie Mae Green Financing Business which issued over $51 billion in Green Bonds under her leadership and became the largest issuer of Green Bonds globally. Ms. Pagitsas has developed sustainability strategies for large real estate investors, advised USAID and energy clients on renewable energy solutions and delivered financial management software solutions for utility companies in the U.S. and Europe. Ms. Pagitsas holds an MBA from the Darden School of Business, University of Virginia and a BA from Johns Hopkins University.