Imperial Sustainability Leadership Programme
Hold your business to a higher standard
The Imperial Sustainability Leadership Programme is a transformative 15-week online journey designed to help you create a responsible business model for lasting economic value – one that is purpose-driven to deliver positive environmental and social impact for all stakeholders. Throughout the programme, you will develop innovative methods and adopt a new mindset. You will evolve as a business leader while refining a sustainability innovation strategy for your organisation that rises to the challenge of environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals.
Why now?
Sustainability is no longer optional. Consumers, employees and investors are pushing hard for organisations to dedicate resources to making a positive contribution to society in line with the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Prioritising corporate social responsibility offers a world of opportunity for your organisation to do well while it does good.
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Testimonials
Why take the Sustainability Leadership Programme?
The innovative thinking at Imperial College London has made the school a worldwide leader in the fusion of business, technology and an entrepreneurial mindset. The Imperial Sustainability Leadership Programme delivers a curriculum balanced between strategy and finance, created with the goal of helping you reinvent your business as a sustainable organisation:
Cultivate the mindset to create lasting change
Identify the connections between business and social responsibility
Evaluate your organisation’s sustainability-related metrics
Develop a change plan in the direction of a flourishing organisational culture
Use the six Ps model to evaluate your organisation’s sustainable development
Integrate stakeholder needs into corporate governance structures
Explore relevant sustainability case studies
Receive personal support from a dedicated learning team throughout the programme
Earn a verified digital certificate from Imperial Executive Education
By the end of this 15-week online certificate programme, you will be able to:
Create a sustainability transformation plan for your organisation
Develop a sustainability mindset
Communicate to key stakeholders the connections between economic and environmental success
Imperial Sustainability Leadership Programme has been awarded the 2022 Financial Times Responsible Business Education Award for driving societal change, promoting sustainable development, and demonstrating novel ways to teach digitally in a more inclusive way.
What you will learn
Throughout the programme, your learning will be centred around two threads:
- Data-informed: with insights from the thought leaders at Imperial's Leonardo Centre on Business for Society, which houses the GOLDEN database, you will learn about experimental designs for organisations that help examine the impact of stakeholder-orientated change at the core of business
- Reflective: cultivate a sustainability mindset through an optional meditation track, which research proves is crucial for creating lasting change
Discover how businesses use innovative practices to assess global climate and social challenges, identify how companies can become part of the solution, evaluate strategies for carbon reduction and analyse how global programmes set goals for long-term practices.
Draw strategic connections between sustainability and social inequality by evaluating how business can contribute to reducing or eliminating humanity’s most pressing challenges and defining the metrics for evaluating a successful socially innovative initiative.
Learn how rating agencies evaluate how well organisations meet sustainability goals, explore value chains, trace ESG metrics through the supply chain, identify your organisation’s sustainability-related metrics and create a sustainable value chain strategy.
Consider sustainable business model innovation and its future role by devising creative solutions to challenging problems with a contradiction matrix and creating a triple bottom line canvas for your organisation. Using your triple bottom line canvas, develop questions to foster innovative sustainable practices. *Note: this module spans two weeks.
Learn how sustainability supports economic success and can fit into an overall competitive business strategy by exploring how partnerships and M&A deals can help you reach your sustainability goals.
Learn about the finance function as a component of transitioning to sustainability by identifying the impacts of integrated reporting, analysing how finance can support sustainability initiatives and exploring strategies to align an organisation’s investments with sustainability.
Reflect on your leadership goals using the methods of ikigai (finding meaning in your work), examining how incentives help you attract, retain and develop talent, considering incentive systems to reward employees for meeting sustainability goals and “measuring” volunteerism.
Identify the importance of an organisational culture and the values of yours specifically by developing a plan to become a flourishing organisation, evaluating an organisation’s commitment to inclusion and exploring the connection between diversity and sustainability.
Consider how new governance models reflect the new realities of a post-shareholder primacy era by exploring alternative ways of integrating stakeholder voices, identifying the needs of stakeholders through qualitative research and comparing models of governance structure.
Examine how to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs) by considering whether companies are the problem or the solution to the climate crisis, creating a roadmap for strategic purpose and evaluating your organisation’s sustainable development with the six P's model.
Shift to a flourishing model and create lasting change by examining the role of the organisation in system transformation processes, identifying how an organisation fits within a larger ecosystem and creating a map of relevant stakeholders within your organisation’s ecosystem.
Present your transformation roadmap to your peers and prepare to take action within your own organisation.
Case studies
Examine how innovators in sustainability have stepped up to the challenge of securing a more stable and prosperous future for the planet while securing growth and prosperity for their businesses. See CSR in action from the following examples:
WOK
On its way to becoming the first “green” restaurant in Colombia, Wok had to evaluate whether the benefits of transitioning towards sustainability outweighed the costs and the risks.
NOVOZYMES
Consider the ripple effect when the largest producer of industrial enzymes becomes the world’s first company to craft a corporate strategy based on the United Nations' SDGs.
ENEL
When a global energy company invests in renewable energy sources, it must maintain a dual focus: the health of the planet and shared value creation for its stakeholders.
NOVO NORDISK
As a company’s leadership positions sustainability as its primary strategic objective, how does it integrate the organisational culture and affect operations?
Programme experience
Video lectures
Live webinars
Weekly assignments
Interactive activities
Case studies
Discussions and polls
Dedicated programme support team
Continuous programme access
Who should attend?
This 15-week certificate programme is designed for senior executives and functional managers who are interested in building a comprehensive understanding of sustainability as a business practice. It is particularly relevant for the following roles:
Senior executives responsible for overall business growth and strategic initiatives who are seeking to make strategic changes to their business to make it more sustainable, develop a competitive advantage and develop a positive brand image for investors and shareholders.
CSR and sustainability specialists who are seeking to maximise their organisation’s negative environmental and social impact through sustainability practices, make a business case for new initiatives and build an action plan for meeting the organisation's sustainability goals.
Mid- to senior-level functional managers in traditional industries, such as energy, industrial goods, logistics and manufacturing who are seeking to contribute to their organisation’s sustainability efforts within their function and gain an understanding of how sustainability will affect their current role and business practices.
Consultants seeking to offer their clients solutions to help them achieve their sustainability goals, keep up with industry trends in sustainability and gain a respected credential to demonstrate specialisation in sustainability consulting.
Programme faculty
Professor of Strategy and Sustainability, Imperial College Business School, Head of the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship, Scientific Director of the Leonardo Centre at Imperial
As a professor of strategy and sustainability at Imperial College London, Maurizio Zollo aims to understand how organisations learn to grow and adapt to environmental turbulen...
Visiting Researcher, Imperial College Business School, Cofounder and Executive Vice President of GOLDEN for Impact Foundation, Amsterdam, Director of the IKIGAI Corp.
With more than 25 years of experience as a consultant, trainer, lecturer, and researcher in the fields of CSR/sustainability, cultural change, cross-cultural management, team ...
Executive Director of the Leonardo Centre, Imperial College Business School
With 25 years of experience in sustainability, entrepreneurship, innovation, social impact, venture and corporate venture capital, strategy, marketing, and investment banking,...
Certificate
Upon completion of the programme, participants will be awarded a verified digital certificate by Imperial Executive Education.
Note: You will earn the Associate Alumni status upon successful completion of the programme. Visit the Associate Alumni page to find out more.
FAQs
How do I know if this programme is right for me?
After reviewing the information on the programme landing page, we recommend you submit the short form above to gain access to the programme brochure, which includes more in-depth information. If you still have questions on whether this programme is a good fit for you, please email learner.success@emeritus.org, and a dedicated programme adviser will follow up with you very shortly.
Are there any prerequisites for this programme?
Some programmes do have prerequisites, particularly the more technical ones. This information will be noted on the programme landing page, as well as in the programme brochure. If you are uncertain about programme prerequisites and your capabilities, please email us at learner.success@emeritus.org for assistance.
What are the requirements to earn a certificate?
This is a graded programme. You will be required to complete a combination of individual assignments, quizzes, and a final project. Each component carries a certain number of points and a cumulative score of 75% is required to pass and obtain your professional certificate.
Will I be guaranteed a job upon completion of the programme?
The primary objective of this programme is to give you the skills you need to be prepared for a job in this field. While eligible participants will receive career coaching and support and may receive introductions to our hiring partners, job placement is not guaranteed.
How much time will I be expected to devote to this programme?
Each programme includes an estimated learner effort per week. This is referenced at the top of the programme landing page under the Duration section, as well as in the programme brochure, which you can obtain by submitting the short form at the top of this web page.
How will I spend my time in this programme?
You will divide your learning time between viewing recorded coding demos, video lectures, contributing to class discussions, completing assignments, projects, and knowledge checks, and attending optional live sessions with industry experts and programme leaders.
How is the programme administered? Can the programme be accessed anytime?
The programme is accessed through the custom learning portal. This portal will give you access to all programme-related content such as video lectures, assignments, and discussions. Live office hours will be conducted using a webinar tool. The video lectures and assignments are accessible weekly throughout the programme. In the event you miss a live session, a recording will be made available.
Do I need to attend live sessions every week?
Faculty video lectures are recorded, allowing you to watch these on your own schedule. However, participation in optional live sessions and discussion boards is highly encouraged. Live sessions will give you the opportunity to draw on the coding experience of our industry-experienced course leaders to answer your questions and help reach your learning goals. The discussion boards are also an integral part of the learning experience, giving you and your peers the opportunity to learn together, along with guidance from the moderators.
Can I download the programme videos?
You can download video transcripts, assignment templates, readings, etc. However, the video lectures are only available for streaming and require an internet connection.
How do I interact with other programme participants?
You can communicate with other participants through our learning platform. You will be able to form groups based on your interests and location. A direct messaging feature is also available through the platform.
What is it like to learn online with the learning collaborator, Emeritus?
More than 300,000 learners across 200 countries have chosen to advance their skills with Emeritus and its educational learning partners. In fact, 90 percent of the respondents of a recent survey across all our programmes said that their learning outcomes were met or exceeded. All the contents of the course would be made available to students at the commencement of the course. However, to ensure the programme delivers the desired learning outcomes the students may appoint Emeritus to manage the delivery of the programme in a cohort-based manner the cost of which is already included in the overall course fee of the course. A dedicated programme support team is available 24/5 (Monday to Friday) to answer questions about the learning platform, technical issues, or anything else that may affect your learning experience.
What are the requirements to earn the certificate?
Each programme includes an estimated learner effort per week, so you can gauge what will be required before you enrol. This is referenced at the top of the programme landing page under the Duration section, as well as in the programme brochure, which you can obtain by submitting the short form at the top of this web page. All programmes are designed to fit into your working life. This programme is scored as a pass or no-pass; participants must complete the required activities to pass and obtain the certificate of completion. Some programmes include a final project submission or other assignments to obtain passing status. This information will be noted in the programme brochure. Please contact us at learner.success@emeritus.org if you need further clarification on any specific programme requirements.
What type of certificate will I receive?
Upon successful completion of the programme, you will receive a smart digital certificate. The smart digital certificate can be shared with friends, family, schools, or potential employers. You can use it on your cover letter, resume, and/or display it on your LinkedIn profile. The digital certificate will be sent approximately two weeks after the programme, once grading is complete.
Can I get the hard copy of the certificate?
No, only verified digital certificates will be issued upon successful completion. This allows you to share your credentials on social platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.
Do I receive alumni status after completing this programme?
No, there is no alumni status granted for this programme. In some cases, there are credits that count toward a higher level of certification. This information will be clearly noted in the programme brochure.
How long will I have access to the learning materials?
You will have access to the learning platform and all programme materials (videos excluded) for one full year following the programme start date. Access to the learning platform is restricted to registered participants per the terms of agreement.
What equipment is needed or the technical requirements for this programme?
To successfully complete this programme online, you must have access to a device meeting the minimum requirements, found here. In addition, Microsoft Office or similar product and a PDF viewer are required to access documents, spreadsheets, presentations, PDF files, and transcripts in all programmes. Please check the learning platform on the first day of class.
Do I need to be online to access the programme content?
Yes, the learning platform is accessed via the internet and video content is not available for download. You can download files of video transcripts, assignment templates, readings, etc. Video lectures must be streamed via the internet and webinars and small group sessions will require an internet connection.
What is the programme fee for the programme and what forms of payment do you accept?
The programme fee is shown at the top of this page.
Flexible payment options, group enrolment benefits and referral bonus are available.
Tuition assistance may be available for participants who qualify. Please contact your programme adviser to discuss.
What if I don’t have a credit card – is there another mode of payment accepted?
Yes, you can do the bank remittance via wire transfer. Please contact your programme adviser for more details.
Is there an option to make flexible payments for this programme?
Yes. Flexible payment options are available for this programme. We partner with loan partners to offer you flexible and transparent loan options. More information about loan financing is available here. Installment payments are also available—you can find the options here.
Does the programme fee include taxes? Are there any additional fees?
Yes, the programme fee is inclusive of any taxes with the exception of GST for Singapore residents.
Who will be collecting the payment for the programme?
Emeritus collects all programme payments, provides learner enrolment and programme support, and manages learning platform services.
Are there any restrictions on the types of funding that can be used to pay for the programme?
Programme fees for Emeritus programmes with Imperial Executive Education may not be paid for with (a) funds from the GI Bill, the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Act of 2008 or similar types of military education funding benefits or (b) Title IV financial aid funds.
What is the programme refund and deferral policy?
For the programme refund and deferral policy, please click the link here.
Didn't find what you were looking for? Write to us at learner.success@emeritus.org or Schedule a call with one of our Programme Advisers or call us at +44 208 629 1765 (UK) / +1 315 509 2976 (US) / +65 3138 2451 (SG)
Flexible payment options available.
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