With ESG issues rising high in the corporate agenda, and a shortage of specialists able to bridge the gap between sustainability and business language there is a growing interest in gaining education about ESG. Today’s leaders have never been trained on sustainability, as the topic back when they were pursuing their education did not exist. Business schools’ curricula were concentrated around all possible aspects of profit maximization and shareholder-primacy doctrine, which are now often blamed for the company’s wrongdoing (Murray, 2023). Climate change and its implications were not a part of the business studies syllabus, nor was sustainability as a positive way of shaping corporate practice.
Well, times have changed and they changed quickly. ESG grew tremendously in importance transforming into a part of the corporate agenda and top strategic importance rather than just a box to be ticked to satisfy the general public.
With growing awareness about ESG, people understand what needs to change, but little do they know about ‘the why’ and ‘the how’ (Murray, 2023). People often think ESG as some form of activism and not a tangible business strategy.
In fact, companies are being pressured to look beyond profit. But with no expertise in place on how to execute a sustainability strategy, they need to face the harsh reality and accept the cost of failing to meet the demands and expectations.
While it is true to say that incorporating ESG into the corporate sector is not something that can happen overnight, however, becoming knowledgeable enough to be clear about what ESG means for the business does not require years of study. With programmes like a diploma in ESG within a short period of time you will be in a position to develop an integrated ESG strategy allowing you to manage risk and use appropriate governance structure to oversee new developments, evaluate whether the new strategy is working (and if needed change it), you will feel comfortable about understanding and meeting the ESG regulations, you will be in a position to address investors’ questions and anticipate what will they wish to know. Investing 100 hours towards your studies (self-paced, following your individual schedule), under the watchful eye of experts leading you through programme modules, you will be in a far more comfortable position to lead the business through sustainability and most importantly you will differentiate yourself as an expert in ESG within your leadership team. Looking how much you can gain, the investment is worthwhile.
As we all know today’s business is very competitive. Having the advantage of being an expert in a field that is still maturing and that ultimately will become an integral part of every business across all industries brings unlimited opportunities to shape your professional future. The need for ESG experts is only growing and existing gap skills is not going to be fulfilled quickly looking at the demand for sustainability specialists.
Modern leadership does not exist without sustainability and programmes like a diploma in ESG allow you to gain an advantage and become an expert in the discipline and your organization a responsible business keeping up with what the future brings.
References:
Murray, S. (2023) ‘Business schools target executives’ green gaps’ Financial Times, Available on: https://www.ft.com/content/88499a8f-0f90-46fd-8cb0-903966e81a6c (Accessed: 29 May 2023).