CEO Tenure and Green Innovation: The Mediating Role of ESG

  • Authors

    • Guo Jia Graduate School of Management, Postgraduate Centre, Management and Science ‎ University, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
    • Aza Azlina Md Kassim Graduate School of Management, Postgraduate Centre, Management and Science ‎ University, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
    https://doi.org/10.14419/8kkwht16

    Received date: February 13, 2026

    Accepted date: February 23, 2026

    Published date: February 24, 2026

  • CEO Tenure; ESG; Green Innovation; China; Sustainable Development

  • Abstract

    With growing attention to environmental sustainability and corporate social ‎responsibility, Chinese corporations are facing increasing regulatory and market ‎pressures to adopt practices that foster long-term competitiveness. Green innovation has ‎become a critical strategy for sustainable growth. In addition, ESG practices have ‎gained increasing focus as a mechanism to promote corporate sustainability and ‎improve transparency. In this case, this study examines the effect of CEO tenure on ‎green innovation and the mediating role of ESG. Using data from Chinese corporations ‎between 2020 and 2024, this study finds a negative association between CEO tenure ‎and green innovation. Furthermore, ESG is shown to mediate this relationship, ‎indicating that CEO tenure influences green innovation both directly and indirectly. ‎Moreover, the negative influence of CEO tenure on green innovation is stronger in ‎manufacturing firms than in non-manufacturing firms. These findings provide ‎implications for corporate governance and policies to foster the development of green ‎innovation‎.

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  • How to Cite

    Jia, G. ., & Md Kassim, A. A. (2026). CEO Tenure and Green Innovation: The Mediating Role of ESG. International Journal of Accounting and Economics Studies, 13(2), 353-362. https://doi.org/10.14419/8kkwht16