The Environmental, Social and Governance Leadership: A Pathway to Business Sustainability programme, offered by Cambridge Judge Business School, is a 4-day face-to-face executive education course designed to help senior leaders address complex ESG issues and implement effective sustainability strategies within their organizations. It explores consumer, stakeholder, and competitor dynamics surrounding ESG, focusing on transforming business operations for a sustainable future. Upcoming sessions are scheduled for 3-6 November 2025 and 27-30 April 2026, with fees of £5,550 + VAT, emphasizing hands-on interaction in the historic city of Cambridge.

Core Content

The curriculum covers foundational and motivating issues such as the changing role of business in society, the climate crisis, biodiversity crisis, and the nature of systems problems. It examines what organizations can do, including understanding stakeholder versus shareholder orientations, defining organizational purpose, achieving net zero, circularity in supply chains, ESG reporting shifts and limits, embedding ESG into governance and business models, and leading change toward sustainability. Additional topics include external pressures like socially responsible investing, sustainable finance, consumerism, nudges, policy, and regulation, all explored through interactive discussions and real-world examples.

Key Skills

Participants develop the ability to use resources and influence for a sustainable future, implement ESG strategies to transform business, and lead organizational change toward sustainability. The programme builds competencies in analyzing stakeholder and shareholder orientations, establishing organizational purpose, achieving net zero emissions, managing circular supply chains, and embedding ESG into governance structures. Graduates gain practical expertise in sustainability reporting, investor engagement, and addressing external pressures like policy and regulation to make sustainability central to operations.

Target Learners

This programme is intended for senior leaders aiming to drive positive impact by leading their company, sector, or region toward business sustainability, as well as those seeking to understand how ESG issues shape their business, competition, and operating environment. It also suits public policy leaders engaging with public and private sectors on ESG issues, incoming or incumbent board members requiring key ESG knowledge, and professionals in roles focused on sustainability implementation.

Learning Format

The programme is delivered face-to-face over 4 days at Cambridge Judge Business School, featuring intense classroom interactions with exercises, debates, conversations, and direct engagement with faculty and peers. It includes hands-on learning that extends into breaktimes and meals for networking, with a focus on sharing ideas and professional growth in the historic setting of Cambridge.

Additional Benefits

Completers gain insights from world-class faculty, including fresh research from professors like Jennifer Howard-Grenville and Christopher Marquis, enhancing their ability to lead ESG initiatives. The programme fosters lasting connections through peer interactions and provides a pathway to related offerings like Diversity, Equity and Inclusion or Circular Economy strategies, supporting ongoing professional development and organizational transformation.

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