Sustainability intelligence for a changing business landscape.

Context: Sustainability is no longer about goodwill. It is about resilience and business continuity. Environmental and social risks increasingly affect assets, supply chains and the ability to operate. Building adaptive capacity today means retaining the options, resources and time to respond.

What we do: We work around the sustainability dilemmas that keep you up at night. Many become visible in the reporting cycle - but the answers sit behind the report. We see reporting as the lens for better decisions. It surfaces the insight; what you do with it is where the real value lies. We connect strategy, regulation, governance, data and communications across the organisation to turn complexity into credible, decision-useful action - beyond compliance.

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Our Services

Dilemma 1 - What’s coming and how do we prepare?

Strategic foresight & risk - how we help:

  • Double materiality assessments

  • Stakeholder engagement

  • ESG regulatory horizon scan

  • Controls & mitigations for impacts, risks and opportunities

  • Sustainability issues research and actionable insight

Dilemma 2 - How do we report credibly without creating unnecessary complexity?

Sustainability reporting - how we help:

  • Reporting strategy architecture

  • Cross-functional collaboration: finance, legal, risk, Co-Sec

  • ESRS / ISSB / GRI readiness

  • Content collection & outline

  • Data quality review and assurance preparation

  • AI-readability & disclosure optimisation

Dilemma 3 - How do we make sustainability a leadership responsibility?

Corporate Governance - how we help:

  • Sustainability governance frameworks

  • Governance Committees & Board preparation

  • Cross-functional ESG governance mechanisms

  • Executive briefings

  • Internal capability & leadership development

Dilemma 4 - How do we turn ambition into action?

Operationalising sustainability - how we help:

  • Translating regulatory requirements into functional roadmaps

  • Anti-greenwashing and claims governance

  • Sustainability communications and narrative

  • Capability building and training

Dilemma 5 - Where do we start?

Sustainability readiness for SMEs - how we help:

  • Awareness sessions

  • Sustainability maturity assessments

  • Setting the ESG approach, governance, team, reporting

  • Responding to supply chain & investor requests

Who We Are

20+ years

delivering sustainability globally

Senior expertise. Practical thinking. No unnecessary complexity.

Our Founder

edie Awards

led edie award-winning team

CoreWorks was founded by Elena Zayakova, bringing 20+ years of global experience at the intersection of sustainability strategy, regulation, reporting and communications.

From research and management consultancy to creative agencies and FTSE 100 leadership, Elena has worked across Europe, North America and the Middle East & North Africa - leading teams, award-winning work and complex transformation.

Her approach is focused, pragmatic and proportionate: bringing the right expertise to help organisations navigate complexity and build resilience.

FTSE 100

leadership and C-suite engagement

Credentials

Global experience
Europe, North America & MENA

Science & Sustainability degrees
Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski and University of Leeds, UK

Oxford Women’s Leadership Programme
Saïd Business School, University of Oxford

Integrated Reporting
ACCA certification

AI for Business Transformation
Imperial College London

Sustainability Committee Member
British Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce

International

client list

Clients Elena had worked with

Europe

A.P. Moller–Maersk, Allianz SE, AngloAmerican, Adidas, BSkyB, Coca-Cola Enterprises, De Beers, EY, Experian, GSK, Nestlé, Novartis, Phoenix Group, Sage Group, Sony, Santander, Tullow Oil, Tetra Laval

Middle East & North Africa (MENA)

Bank Muscat, Chalhoub Group, Kahramaa (Qatar’s General Electricity & Water Corporation), King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)

North America
Hasbro, PVH, P&G, Pfizer

Engagement models

Need senior leadership?


→ Fractional Sustainability Leadership: integrating with executive structures to guide strategic direction, performance oversight, and stakeholder reporting.

Need additional strategic capacity?


→ Strategic Advisory: providing trusted senior expertise to consulting firms requiring additional capacity.

Need someone to deliver it?


→ Hands-on Programme Leadership: taking full ownership of programme execution. Working across strategy, data, reporting architecture, and governance.

Need specialist expertise?


→ Technical Advisory: providing deep expertise in specific areas such as sustainability reporting, data readiness, cutting through regulatory complexity, assurance.

Need an independent view?


→ Critical Friend / Independent Review: challenging assumptions, reviewing disclosures, and providing leadership-level second opinions.

What People Are Saying

“Working with Elena was invaluable in the development of our sustainability service offering. What sets Elena apart is her rare ability to combine thoughtful, strategic insight with a genuinely hands-on approach. She doesn’t just help her clients shape the vision and roadmap; she actively rolls up her sleeves to drive progress, solve problems, and ensure initiatives are delivered effectively.

Elena’s deep understanding of sustainability, coupled with a pragmatic and collaborative style, helps translate ambition into meaningful action.”

- Thom Newton, Global CEO,‍ Conran Design Group

“Elena is a force of nature. Her knowledge of sustainability reporting, disclosure requirements, and the evolving regulatory landscape is second to none. What makes her truly exceptional, however, is her ability to turn that expertise into a compelling narrative that resonates with every stakeholder- from boards and investors to employees and customers.

Elena has a unique ability to cut through complexity, build alignment, and deliver outcomes that create both business value and meaningful sustainable impact. Working with Elena has been one of the most rewarding professional partnerships of my career.”

- Surinder Sond, VP Sustainability, Sage Group

“It has been a pleasure working with Elena at Sage Group. She brings a robust approach to Sustainability Reporting and has a talent for simplifying complex topics into plans and messages that resonate with different audiences, including senior leadership. Her deep subject matter knowledge, professionalism and drive for high standards have driven progress beyond what we thought was possible. Elena has built incredibly solid foundations and an award-winning reporting practice at Sage but just as importantly, she has built trust and friendships along the way.”

- Elisa Moscolin, EVP Sustainability & Foundation, Sage Group

“Some people are excellent listeners and some people are excellent at taking action. Elena is that rare type of person who combines both. She will listen deeply - noticing things said and unsaid - to fully understand what's needed, and then deliver it to a high standard time and time again. This is her superpower as both a leader and a strategist, and something that I've had the pleasure of witnessing every time I've been lucky enough to work with her.”

- Nicolas Heath, EMEA Partner, ERM

“I had the pleasure of working closely with Elena for several years at a sustainability consultancy in London. I can confidently say that she is one of the most knowledgeable sustainability professionals I’ve worked with. She combines deep technical expertise with strategic thinking and an exceptional level of diligence.  Her work is always thorough, well-considered, and delivered with total reliability. Beyond her professional strengths, she is a joy to work with - collaborative, thoughtful, and fun. ”

- Karen Deignan, Co-Founder, SustainabilityWorks

“Elena is a trusted sustainability advisor to senior leadership. She brings strong judgment on regulatory alignment and translates heavy data into disclosure that’s comprehensive and genuinely useful. Her commitment to rigour helped raise the quality of reporting at Sage and made for an edie Award–winning sustainability report!”

-Rachel Madan, CEO, Megaphone & Quill, Former Executive Director for Sustainability & Impact, Luminous

Contact Us

Have a sustainability challenge you need to solve? Let's talk.