ABSTRACT This study provides a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the evolving research landscape at the intersection of leadership, green innovation, digital transformation, and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices. Using a dataset of 2879 articles from the Web of Science spanning 2005–2025, the study applies Bibliometrix and Biblioshiny to examine the intellectual, conceptual, and thematic structure of the field. The findings reveal a rapidly growing yet fragmented research domain, with a significant increase in publications after 2020. Green innovation emerges as the central theme, closely linked with firm performance, sustainability, and ESG outcomes, while digital transformation acts as a key enabler of these relationships. The analysis identifies leadership as an important yet still emerging dimension within this research space, particularly through its role in enabling digital transformation, fostering green innovation, and strengthening ESG‐oriented strategies, although it has not yet achieved central prominence in the literature. This peripheral position is interpreted as an important theoretical insight, suggesting that leadership remains an underdeveloped strategic mechanism that may help explain how firms translate digital resources into green innovation capabilities and sustainability‐oriented outcomes. The thematic and conceptual structures indicate a shift from macro‐level environmental concerns toward firm‐level strategic and innovation‐driven perspectives. This study contributes to the literature by integrating fragmented research streams and highlighting the growing importance of leadership in aligning digital transformation with sustainability objectives. The novelty of the study lies in identifying leadership as an underdeveloped strategic mechanism within this emerging research space, rather than treating it as an already dominant theme. The findings also provide insights into future research, emphasizing the need to explore leadership styles, governance mechanisms, and the role of artificial intelligence in advancing ESG performance and sustainable business transformation.
Megren Abdullah Altassan (Sat,) studied this question.