CEO's Early‐life Experience of Disasters and Corporate Environmental Performance

Shushu Liao, Nhut H. Nguyen and Cameron Truong

Abacus, 2026, vol. 62, issue 2, 508-542

Abstract: We investigate the nexus between the early‐life disaster experiences of chief executive officers (CEOs) and their firms’ environmental performance metrics. We hypothesize that first‐hand experience of the adversities of natural disasters in the formative years of a CEO can catalyze a transformation in their environmental cognizance and perspective. This transformation is postulated to have a beneficial influence on their corporations’ strategic frameworks for environmental risk mitigation. Our results show that entities steered by CEOs exposed to disasters in their early life have fewer incidences of environmental issues. These findings remain consistent even when controlling for other factors or using alternative methods. We suggest that CEOs with early disaster experience have an enhanced perception of risk ramifications, which inculcates a prudential approach to decision making, potentially heightening the environmental risk profile of their enterprises.

Date: 2026
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