Zara Usman — Sustainability, Policy & Technology

01 / About

Connecting strategy, evidence and implementation.

I am a sustainability and international development professional with 10+ years of experience working across sustainability, climate, technology, policy, data and organizational transformation.

My work focuses on translating complex sustainability and development challenges into practical solutions — from ESG and climate data systems and governance frameworks to technology products, monitoring frameworks and corporate sustainability programmes.

Across my career, I have worked at the intersection of strategy and implementation, collaborating with technical teams, business leaders, data specialists and sustainability practitioners to strengthen decision-making, accountability and organizational performance.

My approach combines analytical rigor with practical implementation. Whether developing a governance process, evaluating performance, translating policy or regulatory expectations, designing monitoring frameworks, or helping develop technology solutions, I focus on creating systems that turn evidence into action.

At a glance

10+ Years: Professional Experience
Sustainability + Development: Core Focus
Policy + Governance: Strategy to Implementation
Technology + Data: Digital Transformation

02 / Experience

Experience across sectors and systems.

2024 — Present
International Finance Corporation (World Bank Group)
E&S Specialist (Consultant)
AI-enabled ESG analytics · Environmental & Social Performance · Monitoring & Evaluation · Climate Risk · Data
Work across sustainability, technology and international development to strengthen ESG intelligence, environmental and social performance analysis, monitoring and evidence-based decision-making.
- Integrate internationally recognized sustainability frameworks and ESG intelligence into AI-enabled sustainability analytics and reporting solutions.
- Provide subject-matter expertise on ESG materiality, sustainability indicators, climate risk, environmental safeguards and ESG risk assessment methodologies.
- Apply Results-Based Management, Theory of Change and SMART indicators to strengthen monitoring, evaluation and impact measurement.
- Assess quantitative and qualitative evidence across multiple sources to support sustainability and development performance analysis.
- Provide policy and technical analysis on emerging sustainability, climate, and ESG requirements to inform program design, governance, and implementation.
2021 — 2026
Morningstar
Senior Project Manager — Sustainability
Climate · ESG Data · Governance · Reporting · Controls
Lead and operationalize sustainability initiatives across global operations, connecting corporate sustainability strategy with data, governance, reporting and implementation.
- Lead Scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas data collection, validation and methodological analysis.
- Design centralized ESG data collection frameworks, validation protocols and governance processes.
- Develop internal controls and audit-ready processes that strengthen sustainability data quality and assurance.
- Lead sustainability disclosures and translate complex environmental information into executive-level insights.
- Develop methodologies, SOPs and governance frameworks supporting consistent sustainability reporting.
- Identify policy and implementation gaps and develop recommendations to strengthen regulatory compliance, accountability, and program effectiveness.
2018 — 2021
Pacific Life
Sustainability Project Manager
ESG Strategy · Financial Services · Data · Reporting
- Operationalized ESG strategies within financial services.
- Developed ESG data collection systems and reporting processes.
- Monitored ESG regulatory developments and industry trends.
- Conducted peer benchmarking and produced ESG analysis for leadership.
- Translated complex sustainability topics into decision-useful information for different audiences.
2018
ISS ESG
ESG Specialist
ESG Research · Investment Analysis · Product · Institutional Investors
- Advised institutional investors on ESG risks and opportunities.
- Connected institutional investor needs with ESG product development.
- Contributed to thought leadership on ESG integration within investment analysis.
- Produced data-driven analysis of investment risks and opportunities.
2015 — 2017
RBC
Business Analyst
Business Analysis · Technology · Requirements · Performance Management
- Bridged business and technical teams in delivering technology initiatives.
- Translated business needs into functional requirements.
- Conducted User Acceptance Testing.
- Developed and monitored SLAs, OLAs and KPIs for vendor systems.

03 / Selected Work

From complex challenges to practical outcomes.

01 — ESG Data & Governance

Building reliable sustainability information systems

Explore how sustainability data, methodologies, validation controls and governance can be brought together to produce decision-useful and audit-ready information.

DATA GOVERNANCE
·ESG
·CONTROLS

02 — Climate Risk & Analysis

Turning climate information into decision-useful insights

Explore approaches to greenhouse gas accounting, climate performance, emissions methodologies and climate-related risk analysis.

CLIMATE
·RISK
·ANALYSIS

03 — Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning

Measuring whether interventions deliver results

Explore the application of Results-Based Management, Theory of Change, SMART indicators and evidence analysis to monitor performance, evaluate outcomes and strengthen organizational learning.

MEL
·RBM
·IMPACT

04 — Policy & Regulatory Analysis

Translating requirements into implementation

Explore how sustainability policies, standards and regulatory expectations can be analyzed and translated into governance structures, processes, controls and organizational action.

POLICY
·REGULATION
·GOVERNANCE

05 — AI & Sustainability Technology

Embedding sustainability intelligence into digital products

Explore the intersection of ESG subject-matter expertise, business requirements, data and AI-enabled sustainability analytics.

AI
·PRODUCT
·ESG TECHNOLOGY

06 — Sustainability Reporting

From complex data to credible disclosure

Explore the processes, controls, methodologies and stakeholder coordination required to produce credible sustainability and climate reporting.

REPORTING
·DISCLOSURE
·ESG

04 / Expertise

Where strategy meets implementation.

Sustainability & Climate

Sustainability & ESG Strategy
Climate Risk & Analysis
GHG Accounting
Scope 1–3 Emissions
Sustainability Reporting & Disclosure
ESG Data & Metrics
Decarbonization Strategy

Policy, Regulation & Governance

Policy Development & Analysis
Regulatory Analysis
Regulatory Governance & Oversight
Governance Frameworks
Internal Controls
ESG Assurance & Audit Readiness
SOP & Process Development

Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning

Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL)
Results-Based Management (RBM)
Theory of Change
SMART Indicators
Performance Measurement
Impact Assessment
Evidence-Based Decision Making

Technology, Data & Transformation

Digital Transformation
AI & Sustainability Technology
Business Analysis
Data Governance
Product Development
Project & Program Management
Stakeholder Engagement
Data Analytics

Frameworks & Methods

GHG Protocol
ISSB
GRI
SASB
TCFD
CSRD
California SB 253
California SB 261
UN SDGs
OSFI B-15
CDP
SBTi
ISO 14001
Results-Based Management
Theory of Change

05 / Education

Learning that bridges disciplines.

University of Cambridge
Master of Studies — Sustainability Leadership
In View
University of Cambridge
Postgraduate Certificate in Sustainable Business
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
MicroMasters — Data, Economics, Development & Policy
University of Manitoba
Bachelor of Arts — Economics
International Institute of Business Analysis
Certificate in Advanced Business Analysis

Credentials

PMP

Project Management Professional

FSA Credential

Fundamentals of Sustainability Accounting

Certified Scrum Professional