Caroline Corbett-Thompson, ESG Manager, dives into the meaningful work happening behind the scenes at Wise ⬇️

Tell us about your role as an ESG Manager and what led you to Wise 

As an ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) Manager at Wise, I lead our environmental, social impact governance programmes. My role is diverse, from building our social impact programme and carbon removal programmes with our partners, to measuring our carbon footprint, monitoring our climate risks and managing and complying with our ESG regulatory requirements. This also includes co-leading our amazing ESG Committee and writing out the ESG section for our annual report. 

Before joining Wise in January 2023, I was a sustainability consultant, advising global companies on how to make their supply chain more sustainable. It was really interesting getting to know how multinational companies develop their sustainability strategy, and really understanding how complex it is. This experience taught me that sustainability is systemic and touches every part of business; success requires understanding the best business levers to drive initiatives. However, consultancy meant I rarely saw implementations after delivering recommendations. I wanted hands-on implementation experience, which made the Wise role perfect. I have also been a Wise customer since 2012, when I was an international university student in Montreal (back then, it was very hard to transfer CAD to EUR), and I have always admired the mission and the product.

What are some key initiatives and efforts we’ve worked on for ESG?

One of our key ESG initiatives was launching our two partnerships - the International Rescue Committee (IRC) to bring our humanitarian donations global and Opna, our partner for purchasing nature-based carbon removals from projects in LATAM and APAC - key Wise markets - with strong social benefits. 

The ESG Committee, a cross-team group with Wisers from various departments and locations, led the development of these partnerships to determine the right partners for Wise. Throughout the year we refined our criteria to ensure it aligned with Wise’s mission and our longterm strategy for ESG. It was a great process and we really challenged ourselves as a committee to ask what sort of impact we were looking for. Once completed, we launched into an RFP and interview process to find our partner for both our humanitarian partnerships and our carbon removal partner. A key focus was impact in vulnerable communities. Where could we have the most impact with our funds? For humanitarian donations, we chose the IRC due to its commitment to emergency impact in the world’s most vulnerable areas and to transparency in everything from their funding model to their communication. Our donation is going directly to the Crisis Response Fund, supporting 270,000 individuals. 

For our climate partner, we chose Opna, which places impact at the centre of its carbon removal projects. For FY25, we chose projects in Brazil, the Philippines, Mexico, and India—all key growing Wise markets—that support women and rural communities driving climate action through nature-based methods. Partnering with these projects brings funds directly into their projects thereby driving financial inclusion which we’re passionate about as a committee. 

Another great thing? Opna uses Wise for all their transactions due to its transparent FX rate and multi-currency account. So through Opna, Wise is building climate resilience. This means that funds arrive to the project developers and communities without any FX markups, ensuring every penny goes exactly where it’s needed most. 

What are some key initiatives and efforts we’ve worked on for ESG?

One of our key ESG initiatives was launching our two partnerships - the International Rescue Committee (IRC) to bring our humanitarian donations global and Opna, our partner for purchasing nature-based carbon removals from projects in LATAM and APAC - key Wise markets - with strong social benefits. 

The ESG Committee, a cross-team group with Wisers from various departments and locations, led the development of these partnerships to determine the right partners for Wise. Throughout the year we refined our criteria to ensure it aligned with Wise’s mission and our longterm strategy for ESG. It was a great process and we really challenged ourselves as a committee to ask what sort of impact we were looking for. Once completed, we launched into an RFP and interview process to find our partner for both our humanitarian partnerships and our carbon removal partner. A key focus was impact in vulnerable communities. Where could we have the most impact with our funds? For humanitarian donations, we chose the IRC due to its commitment to emergency impact in the world’s most vulnerable areas and to transparency in everything from their funding model to their communication. Our donation is going directly to the Crisis Response Fund, supporting 270,000 individuals. 

For our climate partner, we chose Opna, which places impact at the centre of its carbon removal projects. For FY25, we chose projects in Brazil, the Philippines, Mexico, and India—all key growing Wise markets—that support women and rural communities driving climate action through nature-based methods. Partnering with these projects brings funds directly into their projects thereby driving financial inclusion which we’re passionate about as a committee. 

Another great thing? Opna uses Wise for all their transactions due to its transparent FX rate and multi-currency account. So through Opna, Wise is building climate resilience. This means that funds arrive to the project developers and communities without any FX markups, ensuring every penny goes exactly where it’s needed most. 

How do you work with other teams at Wise to promote ESG initiatives?

Driving ESG initiatives at Wise involves extensive cross-team collaboration to ensure our efforts are integrated throughout the organisation. It’s great learning what other teams are doing and this is truly one of my favourite parts of my role. As ESG is such a cross-team role, you work very closely with stakeholders from various departments, including Risk, People, PR, Finance, Government Relations, and Banking.

The key to working with so many different teams is learning and being patient. You might not understand everything right away, but by listening to the experts, you will. And when I say experts, I mean it! I tell everyone that working at Wise is amazing because you’re working with so many amazing people who are specialists in their field. 

And lastly, what advice would you give to someone looking to make an impact in ESG within their organisation?

Collaboration and patience are vital if you're looking to make a real difference. I always remind myself that creating meaningful change is a marathon, not a sprint. Be persistent, stay patient, and believe in your vision for a more sustainable and responsible workplace.

Listen to the experts around you - whether they're in finance, operations, or other departments - and think creatively about how their knowledge can support your sustainability goals and align with your company's mission. Building these relationships and finding common ground is key to getting buy-in from leadership and colleagues.

Remember, meaningful change takes time, but you'll get there. When you finally see your initiatives making a real impact - whether that's reducing your company's environmental footprint, improving working conditions, or strengthening community relationships - you'll feel incredibly proud of what you've accomplished.