Leading Forward: Pamela Gill Alabaster
A Q&A led by Susan Bang
What happens after recognition? In this Q&A, Susan Bang talks with Pamela Gill Alabaster, a WSLA alumna, to discuss how the award became a turning point—deepening her commitment to mentorship, strengthening her leadership through community, and shaping how she’s helping prepare the next generation of sustainability leaders.
Q. How has the award influenced your career since you joined the WLA Alumnae Group?
Receiving the WSLA recognition in 2022 was a meaningful inflection point and a welcome recognition for work that often goes without formal reward or visibility. It didn’t change my commitment to the work, but it sharpened my sense of responsibility to lead more visibly and to play it forward.
Since then, I’ve focused more intentionally on developing the next generation of sustainability leaders—through teaching, research, and mentorship—alongside my corporate and advisory work.
I currently teach at Columbia University in the same program where I was part of the first cohort of students, which has come full circle for me.
In parallel, my research on The Future CSO: Evolving Demands and Essential Leadership Styles and Competencies has reinforced the need to better prepare emerging leaders for the realities of the role.
The WSLA award reinforced that experienced practitioners have an obligation not just to deliver results, but to help build the leadership capacity the field will need next.
Q. How has WSLA supported your leadership?
WSLA has supported my leadership less through formal programming and more through community.
Being surrounded by peers who are navigating similar complexity—political headwinds, organizational resistance, and rising expectations—helps create a rare space for honest dialogue.
That combination of shared experience is invaluable, particularly at senior levels where leadership can otherwise be isolating.
Q. What has being part of this unique community meant to you?
It has been both grounding and energizing. Grounding because it reminds me, I’m not alone in the tradeoffs, setbacks, and pressure that come with sustainability leadership today. Energizing because the collective ambition, intellectual rigor, and generosity of the community continually raises the bar.
WSLA is more than a moment of recognition; it creates an ongoing sense of connection among women leading sustainability work across sectors.
Q. How do you view the recent WSLA enhancements, including the expanded board?
The enhancements feel timely and necessary. Expanding the board brings greater diversity of perspective, lived experience, and leadership style, which strengthens governance and relevance.
It signals that WSLA is evolving alongside the field rather than standing still, which is exactly what sustainability leadership demands.
Q. Thoughts on the new WSLA WhatsApp community and enhanced general meetings?
Both are practical improvements that reflect how senior leaders engage today. The WhatsApp community lowers the barrier to connection and enables real-time exchange, while the strengthened general meetings deepen learning and mentorship. Together, they balance immediacy with substance, connection with content.
Q. Are there other services you would like the WSLA board to consider?
One opportunity would be more structured peer-to-peer problem-solving among senior leaders—small, curated forums focused on real leadership dilemmas rather than thought leadership alone.
Additionally, continued focus on next-generation leadership development would be powerful: helping prepare emerging sustainability leaders with stronger commercial, strategic, and influence capabilities to succeed in increasingly complex roles.
Pamela Gill Alabaster is an executive, board member, and adjunct professor in Columbia University’s SUMA program, with 30 years of experience leading global communications, reputation, and sustainability strategy for companies including J&J/Kenvue, Estée Lauder, L’Oréal USA, and Revlon.