In our three-stage certificate program, you will learn how to make your business sustainable and gain a decisive competitive edge in the business landscape. You will acquire the knowledge, skills and network you need to lead your company into a sustainable future.
What to expect
- Expert knowledge: Top-tier partner institutions from both academia and practice
- Two sides of the coin: Link sustainability challenges for both corporates and financial institutions
- Holistic view: Integrate diverse scientific perspectives
- Clear emphasis: Focus on the “E” of ESG.
- Sustainable network: Prioritize in-class interaction and exchange
- Impact on business: Utilize Case-studies for practice-oriented solutions
Any questions?
Would you like to learn more about our certificate program?
Sign up for one of our information sessions!
Our program equips individuals with the knowledge, skills, and connections required to steer businesses towards a sustainable future. With a focus on practicality, relevance, and engagement, our program guarantees that you will acquire actionable insights that can be readily applied to your professional practice. It comprises of three components: an initial online preparation phase, a core mastery module, and two specialized modules.
The online preparation course covers fundamental topics related to sustainability and ESG guidelines and ensures that all participants have a common knowledge level. This shared knowledge will serve as a basis for the interactive and discursive components of the subsequent face-to-face training.
Topics covered:
- Terminologies: ESG – CSR - Sustainability – Many animals in the zoo
- What are the main aspects of E, S and G and why is ESG important
- Key legal and regulatory plans / frameworks; for E, S and G
- Potential impacts on business and reporting
- Role of the financial sector
- Sustainable Development Goals and further aspects
This four-day on-campus session allows you to interact with experts and peers, study essential ESG topics, and collaborate through discussions and case studies.
The core mastery module examines the impact of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) from both corporate and financial institution perspectives. Participants gain insight into the primary drivers of policy agendas and the regulatory frameworks of ESG as well as their implications for both market sides. We use interactive learning methods, including case studies and group discussions, to provide a complete and engaging learning experience.
Topics covered:
- Economic view on ESG: The relationship between government policy, the role of companies and financial markets.
- Co2 certificate market: Functionality, planned changes in EU by the end of the 2020s and implications for ESG.
- ESG, capital costs and company value
- Current ESG policy and regulation: Development of the Taxonomy Regulation and its impacts.
- Interpretation of regulations in Europe / worldwide and future trends
- Sustainability reporting standards, materiality and its implications
- Disclosure of sustainability related information compared to disclosure of financial information
- Data and measurement: What we measure is what we get
- Investment approaches, valuation and implication for corporates
- Assumptions, analysis and development of climate change and biodiversity
- Climate risks and assessments: (Non-) financial risks of climate change, cases of divestment in response to climate risks, recent lessons learned
The specialization module is delivered within two-days on-campus sessions providing a deeper dive into specific topics under the guidance of experts in the field.
You will analyze business models with a particular emphasis on sustainability as a disruptive force. Various methods for developing effective strategies and for determining a realistic level of ambition for their sustainability initiatives will be introduced. We enable you to derive concrete recommendations for further action, aimed at advancing the development of their organization.
Topics covered:
- Developing sustainability reporting policies within the organization
- Translating reporting into management: the medium-term implication of ESG KPI
- Develop an action plan for the sustainability strategy: implementing KPIs
- Managing and leading change toward a sustainable organization
- The role of sustainability leadership in driving change
The specialization module is delivered within two-day on-campus sessions providing a deeper dive into specific topics under the guidance of experts in the field.
In this module, we cover the effects of climate change on various types of risks, including market, credit, and operational risk. This includes examining the unique risks that these institutions face as a result of climate change, as well as the strategies they can employ to mitigate those risks.
Topics covered:
- Process of identifying, assessing and managing climate risks
- Assess risks and opportunities in the short, medium and long term
- Mapping the resilience of your organization against different scenarios that are conceivable
- Impact of climate change on financial institutions – a case study: scenario-analysis connected to credit, market, operational, liquidity and business risk as well as banks, insurance,pension funds and asset managers
- How do you manage climate risk with investment allocation?
- How do you screen investment portfolios for risks relating to climate and biodiversity?
- Climate risk and risk-return trade-offs in investment portfolios
You still have questions? Register for one of our upcoming information sessions!
Our blended learning program comprises interactive face-to-face courses and an online self-learning phase (preparation course).
The in-class courses will be held on Campus Westend of Goethe University Frankfurt.
The program starts twice a year, in spring and in autumn.
Program language is English.
Upon successful completion of the program, you will receive a qualifying certificate "Certified Specialist in Sustainability Management" or "Certified Specialist in Sustainable Finance", depending on the chosen specialization. This corresponds to 3 ECTS points.
Modules can be booked separately.
Prof. Dr. Uwe Walz is an esteemed economist who currently holds the position of Professor at Goethe University Frankfurt. Prior to this, he served as a Professor of Economics at the University of Bochum (1995-1997) and Tuebingen (1997-2002). He has also held visiting research fellow positions at the London School of Economics and the University of California, Berkeley. As Dean of Studies of the Department of Economics at Goethe University, Prof. Walz also holds key positions as a Member of the Management Board, Program Director Data Center, and Deputy Scientific Director at the Leibniz Institute for Financial Research SAFE (Sustainable Architecture for Finance in Europe), which he helped establish as one of the two founding directors. In his current main research, he focuses on private equity, start-up and growth finance, and innovation economics. Prof. Walz has published widely in international journals, most recently on venture capital topics and organizational design. His work has appeared in journals such as the Journal of Corporate Finance, the Journal of Financial Intermediation, the Journal of International Economics, the European Economic Review, and the Journal of Public Economics.
| Dates | Modules |
|---|---|
| Aug 21, 2023 | Application Deadline |
| Oct 16 - Nov 14, 2023 | Online Preparation Course |
| Nov 29 - Dec 2, 2023 | Core Mastery Module |
| Jan 15 - Jan 16, 2024 / Jan 22 - Jan 23, 2024 | Specialization Modules |
| Package | Early Bird Fee | Regular Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Online Prep + Core Mastery Module | 2,400 EUR* | 2,800 EUR |
| Online Prep + 1 Specialization Module | 1,200 EUR* | 1,400 EUR |
| Online Prep + Core Mastery Module + 1 Specialization Module | 3,300 EUR* | 3,900 EUR |
*Early bird fees apply until August 21, 2023. For GBS and Goethe University Frankfurt Alumni, the early bird offer is permanently available.