Lifetime of Achievement: Katherine Neebe, CSO of Duke Energy

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Katherine Neebe
Katherine Neebe is Duke Energy’s CSO & SVP Sustainability, Policy & Philanthropy, & has a 20-year career in environmental sustainability & driving change

In an era where sustainability and corporate responsibility are increasingly crucial, the role of the Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) has become vital to a business’ success.

In light of this, it’s become an ever-evolving position — having roots in corporate social responsibility (CSR), CSOs now even help their companies get ahead of trends and help find areas for growth.

Katherine Neebe, Duke Energy’s CSO and SVP Sustainability, Policy and Philanthropy, is a stand-out leading figure in driving environmental stewardship and corporate social responsibility.

Katherine Neebe: A champion of sustainability 

No stranger to the evolving role of the CSO, Katherine has significantly impacted the company's sustainability initiatives, solidifying her reputation as a visionary leader in the energy sector.

Having worked in sustainability since the turn of the millennium, her career has seen her work across world-renowned brands like WWF and Walmart.

“The clean energy transition is something that sustainability professionals have been talking about for decades,” she says. “But it’s here now, and I’m fortunate to have a front row seat to help make it happen.”

Her current role sees Katherine lead Duke Energy’s enterprise-level stakeholder engagement efforts to develop solutions to meet customer needs for continued reliable and affordable energy while simultaneously working to achieve the company’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

As well as this, she oversees the Duke Energy Foundation, which provides US$30m in philanthropic support to help meet the needs of communities where Duke Energy customers live and work.

She continues: “One of the reasons I came to Duke Energy is because we are leading one of the largest clean energy transitions in the country. As energy demand doubles and possibly triples by 2050 across our service territory, we need to significantly grow energy generation, retire 16GW of coal and modernise the energy grid. 

“We need to do that in a way that provides reliable, affordable and accessible energy while also meeting our net-zero ambition. The engineering, environmental, and social considerations to achieve this are significant. But there’s a real upside to the story too. As we look at our 10-year US$145bn capital spending plan, we anticipate that our clean energy transition is expected to bring roughly US$250bn in positive economic outputs, from job creation to property taxes.”

Driving Duke Energy’s ambitious climate goals

Since joining Duke Energy, Katherine has been at the forefront of the company's transformation towards a more sustainable and socially responsible future. Under her leadership, Duke Energy has made significant strides in reducing its carbon footprint and increasing its reliance on renewable energy sources.

Her aforementioned notable achievement in driving Duke Energy’s ambitious goal to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 involves transitioning from coal-fired power plants to cleaner energy sources like natural gas, solar and wind. 

At the heart of this is Katherine’s passion for this transition, emphasising the importance of balancing environmental responsibility with the company’s economic goals.

“With our net-zero goals established, we also need to consider the social issues associated with the clean energy transition from the impact of coal plant retirements to where we site and build new infrastructure to guardrails for those low-income customers who may be struggling with meeting basic needs,” she explains.

“There is a net positive economic upside to our clean energy transition — our role is to manage the risks and the value creation in a way that is balanced for our customers and communities.”

The important work Katherine initiates at Duke to accelerate and enable the energy transition is not only important for the benefit of business and the planet, but comes at a time where energy and utility giants come under fire, blasted with criticisms about their approach to the ticking clock at hand.

“We believe deeply in engagement and are always happy to talk to and learn from others,” she concludes.

Read the full story HERE.

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