Does CEOs’ green experience affect environmental corporate social responsibility? Evidence from China

This study explores the impact of chief executive officers' (CEOs) green experience on environmental corporate social responsibility (ECSR) by analyzing the 5373 firm-year observations from China. The result shows that hiring green CEOs increases environmental protection investment (EPI), environmental compliance, and ESG ratings, significantly for firms in non-polluting sectors. Channel analysis shows that CEOs with green-related experience improve their environmental consciousness, which stimulates corporate environmental behavior. The positive effects of green CEOs are more pronounced in firms with high-quality digital transformation and better internal and external governance mechanisms. Our results survive a battery of robustness tests, such as endogeneity concerns, alternative measures, and heterogeneity analysis. Overall, this study provides a theoretical contribution to the study of managerial characteristics and environmental governance based on work experience and educational background in emerging countries.