If there was ever a C-level position that can effectively straddle business, technology and R&D, it might just be the CSO, or Chief Sustainability Officer.

In the article, "New Type of Executive Helps With Greening of Corporations", The New York Times looks into the ascendancy of this new breed of exec, which in some cases, actually has a strong say in how a company approaches the way it does business...

Since he became Dow Chemical’s first chief sustainability officer in March, David Kepler has been talking to Dow’s technology, manufacturing and finance people about alternative fuels and green products. “We usually agree,” Mr. Kepler said. “But if a critical environmental issue is in dispute, I’ll prevail.”

Linda J. Fisher, the chief sustainability officer at DuPont, scuttled the purchase of a company that was not in a “sustainable” business. “We’re building sustainability into the acquisition criteria,” she said.

Later in the article, the flipside of her role is revealed. Part of her duties includes not overstating the "greenness" of the items DuPont produces, such as not hyping a product as green because of a tiny or incremental advance.