October 21, 2024

Amy Chan, BS 06, joins Haas as Chief Sustainability Officer

By

Kim Girard

Amy Chan comes to Haas from AppleAmy Chan, a Berkeley Haas alumna who helped drive key sustainability initiatives across Apple’s supply chain for over a decade, has joined Berkeley Haas as new Chief Sustainability Officer. 

Chan, BS 06, will lead the school’s Office of Sustainability and Climate Change, championing climate and sustainability initiatives at Haas and working to expand the school’s position as a sustainability leader.

Her job will touch business topics in areas including energy transition, sustainable and impact finance, corporate sustainability reporting and disclosure, sustainable sourcing and supply chain management/sustainable food and regenerative agriculture.

Interim Dean Jenny Chatman said Chan, who begins her new role this week, truly embodies the Berkeley Haas Defining Leadership Principle ‘Beyond Yourself.’

“She’s passionate about addressing the climate challenges that affect all of us—and all future generations,” she said. “Under her leadership, we’ll be able to draw on the incredible expertise of our faculty to find innovative, meaningful solutions that will help shape the future of business in a way that’s sustainable for the planet.”

A Bay Area native who earned her undergraduate business degree from Haas and an MBA from Harvard University, Chan said she was drawn to the job to make a difference. She called her new role a big and meaningful challenge. 

“No single individual, company, or government can solve the complex climate challenge alone,” she said. “Together, as a Haas community, we will build on the outstanding initiatives that are already underway, creating a positive ripple effect that extends beyond our campus to drive meaningful change for our shared planet.”

With her team—including Danner Doud-Martin, director of Haas Campus Sustainability, Kat Baird, director of the Office of Sustainability and Climate Change, and Ku’u Tai, program coordinator —Chan will lead the direction of the school’s new MBA/Master of Climate Solutions concurrent degree program with Rausser College and prepare the school to host the prestigious 2025 Global MBA Summit on Climate, Capital and Business, or ClimateCAP.

With more than 41 partner schools across the world, ClimateCAP will bring up to 500 MBA students and business leaders to Berkeley Haas from Feb. 28-March 1. At last year’s summit, former Haas Dean Ann Harrison participated in a virtual Dean’s Roundtable on Climate and Business

Harrison appointed Haas’ first climate leader, hiring Michele de Nevers in 2020 as executive director of Sustainability Programs. As the school’s second leader to hold the school’s top sustainability post, Chan will tap her industry experience, which includes over a decade at Apple, where her work included launching programs related to smarter chemistry, safer design, greenhouse gas reduction, energy efficiency, and labor and human rights. In her most recent role at Apple, she led sustainable product design and innovation initiatives for Apple’s hardware global supply chain operations. 

Under her leadership, Apple achieved the EPA Safer Choice Partner of the Year award in 2023 and 2024 for advancements in promoting safer and sustainable manufacturing practices. 

Before Apple, she worked at the International Finance Corporation (IFC) of the World Bank, structuring investments with a dual focus on financial and social returns. She began her career in investment banking at Credit Suisse.