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Leading Sustainable Business Transformation

Drive sustainable business transformation at your organization
Woman next to a green background
New program

Meet our teaching staff

Erik Alenius

Visiting Lecturer, ESMT Berlin

Tamer Boyaci

Professor of Management Science, Michael Diekmann Chair in Management Science, ESMT Berlin

Laura Marie Edinger-Schons

Visiting Lecturer, ESMT Berlin; Professor of Sustainable Business and Chief Sustainability Officer, University of Hamburg; Visiting Lecturer, ESMT Berlin

Rajshri Jayaraman

Associate Professor of Economics, ESMT Berlin

Vilma Luoma-aho

Professor and Vice Dean of Education, Jyväskylä University School of Business & Economics
This is a photo of Angela McClellan

Angela McClellan

Director, Sustainable Finance, PwC

Joanna Radeke

Director, ESMT Institute for Sustainable Transformation, ESMT Berlin
This is a photo of Christof Schenck

Christof Schenck

Director, Frankfurt Zoological Society

Hanna Setterberg

Affiliated researcher, ESMT Berlin

Merih Sevilir

Professor of Finance, ESMT Berlin
This is a photo of Ilka Weissbrod

Ilka Weissbrod

Postdoctoral Researcher, Technical University Dresden

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Faculty Insights

Hanna Setterberg: Global Sustainability Challengs

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Faculty Insights

Laura Marie Edinger-Schons: Integrate Sustainability in your Organization

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Sustainable Business Practices with Tamer Boyaci

In his sessions, Tamer focuses on two key areas: how businesses can incorporate sustainability into their supply chains and the principles of a circular economy.

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Faculty Insights

Erik Alenius: Measuring and Managing Performance for Sustainability

Program Structure

Day 1

Understanding the Global Sustainability Landscape

Immerse yourself in the global discourse on ESG challenges—tackling global warming, biodiversity loss, poverty, and inequality. Our program's distinct edge lies in engaging with eminent climate and biodiversity scientists, ensuring you're armed with the latest insights.
We will discuss the business case for sustainability, navigating risks and opportunities amid stakeholder pressure. You will acquire the language of sustainability with key terminologies and frameworks. In collaboration with your peers, you will reflect on your role and responsibility within your company. 

Day 2

Mastering Sustainable Performance Management

On the second day, we will focus on financial risks and regulation, including any relevant current and upcoming sustainability regulations (e.g., EU Taxonomy, CSRD, due diligence in supply chains). You will learn how to manage financial and non-financial performance, skillfully assessing trade-offs and managing conflicting priorities. You will also learn how to integrate financial and sustainability perspectives and prepare to manage and evaluate integrated performance.  

You will discover best practices from the industry and we will introduce the individual project assignment, in which you will have an opportunity to create a sustainable business improvement for your function supported by your learning group.  

Day 3

Implementing Sustainability into your Area of Responsibility

The focus of the third day is on you, and helping you implement sustainability in your area of responsibility. You will be able to choose from two out of the following six different specializations:

  • Chief Sustainability Officer
  • Sustainable Finance and Investment
  • Sustainable Operations and Supply Chain
  • Sustainable Sales and Marketing
  • Sustainable Strategy and R&D
  • Sustainable Human Resources
Day 4

ESG Change Management and Communication

The concluding module will center on refining soft skills related to ESG change management processes, presentation of your individual assessment and celebration of the learning, experience, and collaboration network created in the program. You will advance your proficiency in impactful communication. You will have the opportunity to present your project, select the most impactful contributions, and celebrate your achievements and the "Leading Sustainable Business" certificate, alongside your fellow participants. 

Specializations

Chief Sustainability Officer

You will focus on the key activities of sustainability professionals, from strategy development, setting key performance indicators (KPIs) and targets, evaluating progress, and spearheading sustainability initiatives throughout the entire organization. You will stay abreast of the most recent developments in sustainability reporting and sustainability rankings and ratings, while also concentrating on optimizing your impact in stakeholder engagement, encompassing partnerships and collaborative efforts. 

Sustainable Finance and Investment

You will focus on channeling capital into activities that generate financial returns while simultaneously delivering positive ESG outcomes. You will gain proficiency in navigating the ESG regulatory landscape, sustainability metrics and reporting. Moreover, you will be prepared to evaluate investments not solely for their financial potential but also for their compatibility with enduring sustainability objectives, such as carbon emission reduction, social equity promotion, and the adherence to ethical governance standards. 

Sustainable Operations and Supply Chain

Your focus will be on the critical activities within operations and procurement that relate to sustainability, encompassing an understanding of sustainable operations. You will acquire insights into optimizing supply chains, considering factors beyond costs, such as carbon emissions and waste reduction. Additionally, you will delve into sustainable logistics and explore strategies for addressing key sustainability challenges within supply chains through the implementation of appropriate incentives and collaboration. 

Sustainable Sales and Marketing

Delve into the creation of a sustainable marketing mix and gain insights into the design of sustainable products from a lifecycle perspective. You will explore the significance of pricing, with a particular emphasis on examining cases of companies that employ ethical pricing mechanisms. Additionally, your focus will extend to consumer communication and activation strategies, alongside an analysis of the risks associated with greenwashing. Moreover, you will acquire knowledge about measuring key performance indicators for sustainable marketing and sales.

Sustainable Strategy and R&D

Explore the key activities involved in sustainable strategy and R&D, encompassing sustainable strategy development, the creation of sustainable business models, and the innovation of products and services. You will explore vital concepts like value creation to enable collaborative approaches along the value chain. You will gain a deep understanding of how value is linked to sustainable models and will discuss the tensions inherent in short-term and long-term value creation for sustainability through innovation activities.

Sustainable Human Resources

Acquire the skills to seamlessly integrate ESG practices into HR policies and operations. This comprehensive approach will encompass a deep understanding of sustainability's impact on all HR activities, from talent attraction and recruitment to employee development, training, and retention. Moreover, you will explore the topic of social responsibility, focusing on initiatives that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion within the workforce while ensuring fair labor practices throughout the entire employee lifecycle. 

How you will learn

The program is guided by three core principles: Individualization, allowing you to customize your learning journey; Application Support, promoting practical projects for real impact; and Peer Learning, enabling collaboration to share success stories and overcome challenges.

In this journey, you will learn from top business and natural scientists, engage in workshops with peer consultation, and gain insights from industry experts at the forefront of their fields. Time is set aside for guidance on personal challenges, helping you bridge theory and practice.

Participants at ESMT campus

ESMT Institute for Sustainable Transformation

The Leading Sustainable Business Transformation program is a flagship initiative of the ESMT Institute for Sustainable Transformation, which stands at the forefront of addressing real-world environmental, social, and governance (ESG) challenges through rigorous academic research. The institute also provides thought leadership for leaders through its longstanding Sustainable Business Roundtable network, alongside initiatives to raise awareness about the pressing sustainability issue of biodiversity loss.

Learn more

SBRT May 2023

Earn Your Postgraduate Diploma

This program can be taken as part of the Postgraduate Diploma in Management curriculum.

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Next dates

Leading Sustainable Business Transformation (ESG.2)
Location
Berlin
Next Intake
Jun 23-27, 2025
Duration
4 days
Format
Face-to-face
Tuition
€4,800
Leading Sustainable Business Transformation (ESG.3)
Location
Berlin
Next Intake
Oct 13-17, 2025
Duration
4 days
Format
Face-to-face
Tuition
€4,800