Sustainability Leadership Programme for Senior Executives
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Champion sustainability leadership to drive business success
As sustainability is becoming a global business disruptor, businesses are making dramatic changes to align their operations with environmental, social and governance (ESG) targets, achieve positive impacts and stay competitive. This requires business leaders with the right skills and knowledge to approach ESG in a strategic manner and measure its impact. The INSEAD Executive Education Sustainability Leadership Programme for Senior Executives will equip you to meet the mounting demand for ESG skills as a foundation of your organisation’s future growth strategies.
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Customised design for your success
The Sustainability Leadership Programme for Senior Executives has been professionally designed with the needs of busy senior executives in mind. It offers the flexibility to customise your learning for maximum impact, with a convenient combination of online and live virtual sessions.
Adaptable
Learn online at your own pace in accordance with your work schedule, and deep dive into themes relevant to your organisation with a choice of topical electives.
Reflective
Develop your skills and knowledge, and grow as an executive through a highly experiential learning journey that emphasises practical application of key programme concepts.
Connected
Participate in regular live interactions with faculty, experts and peers to explore the latest research and industry insights. Gain access to an extensive global network of business leaders.
Hear from the programme director
“Organisations today require astute leaders who can ensure their operations are environmentally and socially responsible while improving the bottom line, building brand value and deepening stakeholder trust. INSEAD Executive Education imparts the skills needed to successfully integrate sustainable practices across all aspects of the enterprise and will empower you to forge a sustainable way forward for your company.”
— Atalay Atasu
Programme Director for the Sustainability Leadership Programme for Senior Executives
What you will learn in this programme
The Sustainability Leadership Programme for Senior Executives will help you:
Take a proactive approach to solving known and future sustainability challenges by developing innovative strategies and frameworks
Apply an understanding of current sustainability policies to incorporate policy developments and manage future policy developments as they emerge
Articulate how your organisation’s activities relate to ESG aspects of business and further link to sustainability initiatives
Identify change opportunities to bridge sustainability gaps and shape your organisation’s behaviour through an action plan to conduct effective sustainability initiatives.
Key programme features
Experiential sessions
Test your understanding of concepts and reflect on decisions through digital simulations and live sessions.
Action learning project
Develop your ability to think critically and steer sustainability strategy across your organisation.
Guest speakers
Hear from industry practitioners to explore current trends and gain valuable insights.
Peer interaction
Experience a high level of engagement with accomplished global peers and exchange diverse perspectives.
Programme facilitator
Craft your learning journey in line with your career goals with a programme facilitator assigned to your cohort.
Curriculum
The curriculum is rigorously developed on INSEAD’s groundbreaking research and expertise. It comprises a core component and two electives. The core modules are part of four overarching topic areas, plus a topic on leadership, which will prepare you to become a transformational sustainability leader. The modules are taught online, so you can learn at your own pace along with select live sessions.
The Business Case for Sustainability
Climate change, energy use, pollution, and societal externalities are not just buzzwords; they are real issues affecting businesses today. Regulators are now setting tougher rules to protect the environment, and both consumers and investors are looking more favourably at businesses that prioritise sustainability. For businesses to succeed in this changing landscape, the path should be focused on sustainable execution.
The impact of climate change, energy, pollution and societal externalities on business
Sustainability as a stakeholder disruption
Nature, consumers, regulators and investors as stakeholders
The path to sustainable business execution
Sustainability as a Strategic Opportunity
Sustainability isn't just about doing good for the planet; it's also a strategic opportunity for businesses. By aligning sustainability with business profitability, companies can tap into a new, conscious consumer base.
Aligning sustainability and business profitability
Sustainability inspired willingness-to-pay creation
Creating markets for sustainable products
Converting customers from non-sustainable to sustainable products
Key success factors for sustainability based platforms (two-sided markets)
Sustainability Measurement and Reporting
When it comes to sustainability, measuring and reporting are vital. This involves picking the right KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) that push for sustainable actions within the company. New ways of reporting, like impact-weighted accounting, are emerging to give a clearer picture of a company's environmental and social impacts. Additionally, there are government rules about what companies have to report in terms of sustainability.
Incorporation of sustainability in performance measurement
Selection of KPIs to incentivize sustainable corporate action
Design of impact-weighted accounting reporting
Regulatory requirements for reporting on sustainability
Achieving credible reporting on sustainability
DEI and Societal Progress
Business isn't just about profits anymore; the way we think about it is evolving. Nowadays, performance isn't only measured by numbers but also by societal progress. This requires making and explaining tough decisions that balance profits and principles. In turn, this requires new skills and knowledge to discuss, promote and act on these values effectively.
Evolution of the paradigm of business
Integrating performance and progress
Moral reasoning in business
Making and justifying tradeoffs
LOCAL model
DEI vocabulary
Impactful Leadership for Sustainability (5 weeks and 1 week orientation)
Learn to navigate the complexities of a leadership role and tackle issues through courage, emotional intelligence and an ability to read room dynamics. Gain an understanding of your leadership capacity relative to your role and deal with changes in complex systems while recognising the inevitability of actions within dynamic systems.
Sustainable Finance: This elective addresses the fundamentals of sustainable finance and provides financial services professionals with the appropriate knowledge and skills to fully integrate sustainability into their work and organisations. It covers sustainability from the perspective of key financial sector actors, including asset owners, asset managers, banks and insurers.
Strategies for a Circular Economy – Online: Learn about circular economy business models and ways to integrate circularity into existing processes while mitigating roadblocks.
Supply Chain Strategies for Business – Online: Gain the strategic capabilities required to navigate the complexities of today's supply chain landscape and deliver transformative change within your organisation.
Agile Strategy Execution: This elective provides the insights and tools to bridge the gap between the rational development of strategy and real-life execution. It helps identify hidden traps, balance the rational with the emotional and build the internal capability to continue successful strategy implementation.
The live virtual sessions are conducted by INSEAD faculty members who are renowned thought leaders on sustainability and business management.
From Systems Thinking to Strategic Sustainability Decisions: Fishbanks Simulation
Consumers, Regulators and Investors in a Changing World
Creating Value and Willingness to Pay for Sustainability
Building Scalable Platforms and Ecosystems for Sustainability
Regulation, Standards and the Future of Governance
Sustainability Analytics
AI in Sustainability
AI for net zero – optimizing energy and emissions
Sustainable Innovation
Geopolitics in Sustainability
Meet your cohort peers and faculty in person on the INSEAD campus in Fontainebleau during an optional immersion and networking event. This event provides a valuable opportunity to create a lifelong community of global sustainability-focused executives.
Note: The list of topics is non-exhaustive and subject to change. Note: Participants may take around 12 months to complete the programme depending on individual schedule and programme selections.
Live virtual sessions: drive sustainable transformation with AI, analytics and strategic simulations
Explore cutting-edge insights and strategic simulations that challenge conventional thinking and unlock new pathways for sustainable business transformation. The live sessions provide an interactive learning experience, equipping you with the knowledge on practical applications and strategic tools to navigate evolving market forces, stakeholder expectations and technological advances, applying innovation and AI to drive measurable impact across your organisation.
AI in sustainability: Discover how analytical and generative AI are opening new possibilities across the ESG pillars of sustainability, backed by recent research.
Sustainability analytics: Explore how data-driven pilots and evidence-based testing can help leaders make stronger sustainability decisions, reduce risks and create more durable value for business and society.
Innovation and Environmental Sustainability: Discover how innovation at the technology, product and ecosystem levels can drive meaningful reductions in environmental impact across an entire industry. Explore the managerial challenges of leading large-scale sustainability transformations — and the solutions.
Note: This list of live virtual session topics is non-exhaustive and subject to change. Please check the curriculum for the full list of topics.
Project work
The Action Learning Project is a key part of the programme. You will apply knowledge from the classroom to prepare an action plan that mostly focuses on identifying and solving real-life issues in your industry that the 17 United Nations SDGs focusses on. Regular, check-in sessions and feedback from your programme facilitator and peers will assist you in refining your road map.
On-campus networking event (two days | optional)
Get the opportunity to meet your cohort peers in person on the INSEAD campus in Fontainebleau during an optional two-day networking event that will feature in-person faculty sessions and simulations. This networking event features graduates from multiple cohorts, giving you the unique chance to network with executives worldwide and become part of a lifelong community of global leaders.
Note: The networking event is held once a year, which brings together participants from different senior executive programmes.
Meet the faculty
The global team of cross-disciplinary INSEAD faculty includes experts in sustainable operations management, strategic management and business management.
Programme Director; Professor of Technology and Operations Management; The Bianca and James Pitt Chair in Environmental Sustainability; INSEAD Sustainable Business Initiative
Dr. Atalay Atasu's research focus is on socially and environmentally responsible operations management, with topics of interest including the circular economy, extended produc...
Associate Professor of Accounting and Control The Barons Janssen Endowed Professorship Chair, Accounting and Control Area
Peter Joos is Deputy Dean, Dean of Faculty, and Professor of Accounting and Control at INSEAD, where he holds the Sauvage Family Endowed Chair for Academic Excellence and the ...
Professor of Strategic Management British Petroleum Fellow The BP Chaired Professor of European Competitiveness
Karel Cool is Professor of Strategy and the BP Chaired Professor of European Competitiveness at INSEAD. His research and teaching focus on competitive strategy, industry dynam...
Professor of Strategy and Management The Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court Endowed Chair in Societal Progress
Subi Rangan received an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management and a Ph.D. in political economy from Harvard University.
His research explores the evolution of capitalis...
Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour
Zoe Kinias is an Associate Professor of Organizational Behaviour and Sustainability and the John F. Wood Chair in Innovation in Business Learning at Ivey Business School, West...
Senior Affiliated Professor of Organisational Behaviour
Declan Fitzsimons is Senior Affiliated Professor of Organisational Behaviour at INSEAD. He holds a PhD from the school of Management at Cranfield University, UK. His research ...
Past Participant Profile
Work Experience
Top Industries
Top Countries
Where Past Learners Come From
Disclaimer: All product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Use of product and company names does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by the holders.
The list of companies is only indicative and not exhaustive.
Programme facilitator
Sustainability and Leadership Executive Coach
Alla Idrisova is an experienced senior executive and entrepreneur, adeptly merging a strong academic foundation with practical expertise in management consulting, executive co...
CFO, Greenpeace
Rachid Kherrouf is a seasoned financial expert renowned for his leadership and international career journey through various esteemed organisations. Armed with a strong educati...
Certificate
Upon completion of the programme, participants will be awarded a verified digital certificate by INSEAD Executive Education.
Who is it for?
The Sustainability Leadership Programme for Senior Executives is ideal for:
Business owners, C-suite leaders, policy-makers and other decision-makers who are seeking to make sustainability a focus in their organisation
Senior executives or project management experts aiming to acquire sustainability know-how and transition a leadership role
Business unit or country heads wanting to respond to sustainability-related opportunities and risks.
Participants should preferably have:
More than 10 years of work experience
Be in a leadership or decision-making role with authority to influence policy.
Sustainability at INSEAD
From teaching on environmental management in the late 1980s to exploring the circular economy in the early 2000s, INSEAD has pioneered sustainable business education and is at the cutting edge of many sustainability focus areas. The school continues to “walk the talk” by successfully integrating sustainability into its operations to meet UN SDGs. Recent achievements include:
INSEAD has received a gold medal from EcoVadis for sustainable management practices
INSEAD is a signatory of Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), a platform supported by the United Nations to raise the profile of sustainability in schools all over the world
INSEAD is a major academic partner for the annual ChangeNOW Summit, the world's largest environmental and social impact summit
INSEAD’s research on sustainability-related topics rose from 24 percent in 2015 to over 33 percet in 2020
INSEAD has published 19 case studies related to sustainability in 2020
INSEAD has been prominently involved in many innovative and impactful global sustainability initiatives, partnerships and research projects as part of its Force for Good campaign.
FAQs
The INSEAD Sustainability Leadership Programme for Senior Executives follows an immersive learning process. Participants are expected to fulfil a certain minimum criteria to earn the Certificate of Completion. This includes successful completion of core and elective activities and an action learning project.
As participants progress through each core module and elective, reviewing the weekly content, they earn points for each activity. Participants need to have earned a certain minimum number of points at the end of each core module and elective. In addition, participants are also required to submit a core action learning project at the end of the core phase. To complete the programme and earn the certificate, participants are required to:
Complete a minimum of 80 percent of all in-platform learning activities
Submit at least three weekly action learning project assignments per core module and elective
Submit a timely Action Learning Plan.
On-campus attendance is optional for this programme. You will have the opportunity to participate in an on-campus immersion and networking event at the end of the programme. However, the curriculum is fully online and consists of a mix of recorded video and live virtual sessions with fellow participants, learning coach and faculty.
Yes, of course! The learning experience is especially designed to encourage interaction and simulate as close an experience to face-to-face interaction as possible. Participants can interact with each other through discussion forums, live forums, webinars and virtual networking interspersed throughout the learning journey.
In addition, the programme concludes with an optional in-person immersion and networking event.
Yes, we purposefully manage class sizes to ensure ample faculty-to-participant time. INSEAD faculty will also regularly read and respond to your comments in the discussion forums. The faculty is assisted in these interactions by the learning coach, acting as a bridge between the participants and the faculty.
The Sustainability Leadership Programme for Senior Executives has been designed with your busy schedule in mind. You will be required to commit not more than three to five hours per week, enabling you to benefit from this impactful programme while balancing your work responsibilities. The programme offers a blend of self-paced modules and live interaction.
The learning journey includes live and asynchronous online sessions with renowned faculty, industry experts and global peers. You can take advantage of regular live sessions and the Slack channel to ask questions and discuss ideas with your programme facilitator and cohort participants. Real-world examples and a debrief of the programme learnings are delivered through a combination of recorded video and live online lectures.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to take any more electives than the specified number. The electives are designed to help you gain specialised skills in areas that are aligned with your career so that you can dedicate focused time for learning and honing those skills.
Yes, we provide closed-captioning and transcripts for all pre-recorded videos as well as closed-captioning for recordings of live sessions.
Eruditus collects all programme payments, provides learner enrolment and programme support, and manages learning platform services. INSEAD is collaborating with Emeritus (part of the Eruditus Group) to offer a portfolio of high-impact programs.
For the programme refund and deferral policy, please click the link here.
Programme fees for Emeritus programmes with INSEAD 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.
While not a formal academic degree, this sustainability leadership course features a modular curriculum that ensures a rigorous blend of strategic leadership frameworks and technical depth, without the full-time commitment of a sustainability management degree. Participants will also receive a verified digital certificate from INSEAD Executive Education.
Yes, this learning journey features an extensive curriculum exploring ESG integration, leadership accountability and stakeholder engagement. It enables you to align ESG goals with broader business priorities, firmly positioning itself as a leading ESG course for senior executives aiming to drive enterprise-wide impact.
This programme is designed for C-suite executives, business unit leaders, policymakers and senior decision-makers responsible for embedding sustainability strategy across functions and geographies. It is ideal for leaders seeking advanced sustainable management training and requires a minimum of ten years of work experience.
Yes, through the Action Learning Project, you will apply your knowledge from video content and live sessions to prepare an action plan that mostly focuses on identifying and solving real-live issues around the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals in your industry.
Connect with a programme adviser for a 1:1 session
Email: INSEAD_SLPSE@emeritus.org
Phone: 000 8009191971 (India*)/ +65 3129 7301 (Singapore)/ +44 1416 732351 (UK) / +1 234 603 6577 (US)/ +971 80 0088601096 (UAE) / +52 55965 46131 (LATAM)
*If you are dialing the India number, please make sure to include the first three zeros (000).
Early applications are encouraged. Admissions are reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis.
Flexible payment options available.
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