ABSTRACT
The typical European environmental executive is male, has scientific or technical-but not environmental-qualifications, has transferred into environmental management from other areas and has been with his company for an average of eighteen years. Even more than at present they will need to be: The challenge will be to develop these roles while still maintaining broad control of corporate environmental actions and adequately providing the specialist consultancy advice that will remain important as environmental challenges become more complex. Many such specialists would also argue that the growing complexity of environmental issues-and the need to align business activities with sustainable development-will place even more of a premium on environmental qualifications and knowledge in future. Environmental executives have to set and achieve corporate-wide goals without any direct authority over the main parties who influence those goals. Environmental leadership thereby requires credibility within the organisation, so that sometimes reluctant managers are persuaded to take action.
