Broad Skills, Smaller Footprints? Generalist CEOs and Firm Biodiversity Exposure

ABSTRACT We examine whether CEO generalist skills predict firm‐level biodiversity risk exposure, an emerging strategic and financial concern. Using the biodiversity indicator developed based on textual analysis and the General Ability Index, we find that firms led by generalist CEOs are associated with significantly lower disclosed biodiversity risk exposure. Results remain robust to extensive endogeneity corrections, alternative measures and sample adjustments. Moderation tests show that the risk‐reducing association of generalist CEOs is stronger in biodiversity‐sensitive regions, under tighter environmental oversight and when monitoring or agency conditions vary.