Sabrina Watkins

Sabrina Watkins focuses on strengthening companies’ sustainability leadership and the relationships between companies, investors and activists. She serves on the boards of Future 500, Presidio Graduate School, and Balsam Mountain Trust and works directly with companies to constructively bridge between business and activism to deliver more integrated, environmental, social, and economic results.

Ms.Watkins retired from ConocoPhillips in 2017 after nearly a decade as global head of sustainability, with responsibility for corporate policies, positions, implementation strategies, results, and reporting. She worked closely with the board, executive team, and investors. During her tenure, the company reduced over 7 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, saved over $100 million, and reduced shareholder concerns all within an efficient implementation framework. During her first 20 years in the oil and gas industry, she held engineering to senior management roles in regional assets, production, procurement, drilling, health, safety, and environment for onshore and offshore locations. She then led teams for early-stage innovation, upstream and downstream emerging technologies, and upstream technology strategy before leading corporate environmental technology.

She has previously served as chair of the board of the U.S. Business Council for Sustainable Development from 2007-2009, on the Advisory Councils of the Pacific Northwest National Lab and the Global Environmental Management Initiative. In 2012, she was named to the Industrial Safety and Health News “Power 101” list of influential leaders in sustainability.

Her public speaking has recently included topics such as carbon scenarios, successful engagement with socially responsible investors (SRI’s), action alternatives to fossil fuel divestment, and the importance of ecological economics in decision making.

Ms. Watkins earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Lehigh University in 1981 and an MBA in Sustainable Business from Bainbridge Graduate Institute, now Presidio Graduate School, in 2007.