ABSTRACT Drawing on the Upper Echelons Theory and the Imprinting Theory, this study conjectures that generalist CEOs may have a stronger tendency to pursue environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals. We perform multiple regression analyses with observations of Shanghai and Shenzhen A‐share listed companies from 2010 to 2023 in order to explore how the generalist CEOs affect corporate ESG performance. The results show that generalist CEOs lead to improved ESG performance, promoting all three dimensions of ESG. Their diversified experience across different functional departments, enterprises, and industries has a stronger positive impact on corporate ESG performance. In addition, when coercive and normative institutional pressure is relatively high, the promoting effect of generalist CEOs on ESG performance is more pronounced. Further research indicates that generalist CEOs enhance corporate ESG performance through two paths: driving enterprises to carry out charitable donations and improving executive green perception. Our findings shed light on generalist CEOs influence over corporate ESG strategies for sustainable development.
Luo et al. (2026) studied this question.