Sustainability Leadership Program

Define, Drive, and Measure Transformation

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Course Dates

STARTS ON

February 26, 2024

Course Duration

DURATION

9 to 12 Months
Online and Live Online

Course Fee

PROGRAM FEE

US$18,000 US$16,000 and get US$1,000 off with a referral US$200 application fee

Course Information Flexible payment available
Course Information Special group enrollment pricing

Learning is better with your colleagues

Our participants tell us that taking this program together with their colleagues helps to share common language and accelerate impact.

We hope you find the same. Special pricing is available for groups.

The benefit of learning together with your friend is that you keep each other accountable and have meaningful discussions about what you're learning.
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Courtlyn

Promotion and Events Specialist

PROGRAM DISCOUNT

US$2,000

This is only available to participants who apply by .

FROM VISION TO REALITY: ACHIEVING SUSTAINABILITY GOALS

Sustainability is a complex issue, but it is one that businesses have started to prioritize. Executives are often faced with sustainability challenges, such as: Which functional areas need to be prioritized for transformation? How can you measure and track the impact of sustainability? What is the impact of incorporating sustainability practices on the bottom line?

The nine- to twelve-month Sustainability Leadership Program from Texas Executive Education at the McCombs School of Business will prepare you for a sustainability-focused future and effectively address these challenges. It will equip you with the tools to strategize for sustainability, develop an action plan for sustainability initiatives, and measure its impact.

82%

of C-suite executives state that they were personally impacted by climate change in the last year.

Source: Deloitte CxO Sustainability Report

75%

of executives state that their organizations have increased sustainability investments over the last year.

Source: Deloitte CxO Sustainability Report

SUSTAINABILITY AT UT AUSTIN

The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) is one of the foremost leaders in sustainability studies, research, and interdisciplinary engagement. Its Global Sustainability Leadership Institute has a vision to create a world where profits meet purpose to drive positive change. The Institute focuses on corporate sustainability, sustainable finance, impact innovation and infrastructure, and sustainability communications. UT Austin has a thriving innovation ecosystem with diverse entrepreneurial and technical talent, research, corporate partnerships, and a campus and city with a sustainability mindset.

WHO IS IT FOR?

The Sustainability Leadership program is designed for leaders across various business sectors, including those in the C-suite, who are committed to integrating sustainability into their business strategies.

This program is particularly beneficial for:

  • Current or emerging sustainability officers seeking to drive strategic transformations that enhance sustainability, gain competitive advantage, and cultivate a positive brand perception among stakeholders.
    Indicative titles may include chief sustainability officer; director of sustainability; director of environment, energy, and safety; director of social and environmental responsibility; chief officer of environment; and chief of environmental health and safety.
  • Corporate executives aiming to integrate sustainability efforts into their functional areas, including finance, marketing, operations, HR, technology, product, legal, etc. who are keen to understand the impact of sustainability on their role and business operations.
    Indicative titles may include functional or department heads, directors or VPs of business functions, and business unit heads.
  • Leaders and consultants wanting to understand the future of sustainability to provide innovative solutions to clients and stay abreast of industry trends.
    Indicative titles may include founders, C-suite executives across mid-size to large organizations, and professionals in not-for-profit organizations focused on ESG or sustainability.
  • CSR specialists determined to transform their organizations’ ESG impact through sustainable practices, make a business case for new initiatives, and build an action plan to achieve sustainability goals.
    Indicative titles may include CSR specialist, CSR lead, and director of CSR.

    Requirements

  • Minimum 10 years of work experience
  • Fluency in written and spoken English
  • International exposure (preferred)

DESIGNED FOR SUCCESS

The program has been structured with the needs of busy executives in mind. You will learn through online sessions, including guest lectures from industry leaders. You also have the flexibility to customize your learning journey for maximum career and business impact.

Adapt

Embark on your learning journey at your own pace. Experience a program that provides the flexibility of online sessions with an in-depth curriculum.

Communicate

Learn alongside accomplished global peers and exchange perspectives. Interact with world-leading faculty and industry experts to gain new insights.

Elevate

Advance your career and elevate your organization by gaining advanced skills and hands-on experience to develop unique solutions.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

The Sustainability Leadership Program is uniquely designed for you to:

  • Recognize the impact of sustainability practices across the organization
  • Strengthen policies across the organization in reaction to current and emerging policy developments
  • Use your knowledge of the global environment to identify and minimize sustainability gaps across functions in your organization
  • Establish and prioritize sustainability goals and strategies to strengthen your organization’s response to current and emerging challenges
  • Overcome barriers to change through effective change management strategies
  • Promote organizational behavior that supports the success of sustainability initiatives
  • Evaluate the progress of sustainability initiatives across the organization and communicate to internal and external stakeholders
  • Address the known and unforeseen challenges of maintaining a sustainability-focused organization

KEY PROGRAM FEATURES

Core Curriculum

Take a deep dive into the program’s core modules with 18 weeks of in-depth sessions on the crucial challenges in sustainability.

Minimal Weekly Commitment

Balance learning with your busy work schedule by dedicating just three to five hours each week toward program sessions and learning activities.

Expert Faculty

Gain in-depth insights from world-renowned faculty and expert practitioners with practical industry experience.

Success Coach

Craft your learning journey in line with your career goals with a success coach assigned to your cohort.

Self-Paced Learning

Work at your own pace by accessing the week's sessions at your convenience.

Specialized Electives

Select two online electives that can help advance your career in a relevant area of specialization.

Global Peer Group

Interact with like-minded sustainability executives from across the world and share insights with each other.

Capstone Project

Apply your insights to a project that will help you craft a business case or road map for an initiative you are leading.

In-Person Networking

Connect with high-achieving peers from around the world and build a lifelong network of executives at an optional two-day program and networking opportunity on the University of Texas campus in Austin.

"Our state's prominence in the entire energy sector has given us a front row seat to a changing industry. McCombs faculty and the Global Sustainability Leadership Institute prepare students to adapt to new markets and stay on the cutting edge, innovating sustainability solutions that benefit everyone."

— Lillian F. Mills, Dean, McCombs School of Business

"Sustainability is no longer a nice-to-have, it's a necessity. Executives who want to stay ahead of the curve need to integrate sustainability at the very core of their processes and goals. The Sustainability Leadership Program is exactly what executives need to help evolve their organizations. The program provides executives with the skills and knowledge they need to lead their businesses to a more sustainable future while creating a better world for everyone.”

— Dr. Meeta Kothare, Faculty Director of the Sustainability Leadership Program, Professor of Practice; Managing Director of the Global Sustainability Leadership Institute, McCombs School of Business

CURRICULUM

The curriculum has been designed by world-leading experts in sustainability to enable you to gain insights into current social and environmental challenges. It is organized into weekly modules for ease of learning. Each week’s curriculum includes a mix of faculty lectures, assignments, guest speakers, case studies, and business scenario simulations.

  • Sustainability in Business

    Explore the concept of sustainability, its implications for organizations, and the role of ESG and climate action in business performance.

    • What is Sustainability?
    • What Does Sustainability Mean for Your Organization?
    • Better Business Performance through Sustainability
    • ESG and Materiality 
    • Climate Action—Net Zero and Beyond 
    • Company Case Studies

    Sustainability Leadership

    Focus on integrating sustainability into corporate strategy, supply chains, employee engagement, innovation, circular economy business models, and public/private partnerships.

    • Corporate Purpose and Sustainability Strategy
    • Sustainable Supply Chains
    • Sustainability through Employee Engagement
    • Sustainable Innovation through Intrapreneurship and Acquisition
    • Embracing Circular Economy Business Models
    • Public/Private Partnerships

    Measuring and Communicating Success

    Understand the essentials of sustainability accounting and finance, ESG quantification, impact measurement, governance, and the effective communication of sustainability initiatives.

    • Sustainability Accounting Standards and Reporting
    • Quantifying ESG
    • Impact Management and Measurement
    • Governance and Board Communication 
    • Articulating Your Sustainability Story
    • Advocacy and Change Leadership for Sustainability 

    • Leading Organizations in Changing Environments

    Effectively advocate for ideas, navigate resistance, and drive change. Demonstrate effective ideation and problem-solving skills to generate innovative solutions.

    • Profitability and Sustainability in the Energy Industry

    Cultivate strategies that focus on sustainable value creation with an emphasis on regulatory, financial, and environmental factors.

    • Risk Management for Energy Professionals

    Make informed decisions using qualitative and quantitative analyses that can help mitigate risk and drive growth in an unpredictable energy environment.

    • Managing the Energy Transition

    Navigate complex regulatory frameworks while assessing the economics of different renewable energy sources and make strategic recommendations for effective energy transition.

    *Elective topics are subject to change

  • Connect with peers, industry experts, and faculty at an optional two-day in-person event on the University of Texas campus in Austin.

CAPSTONE PROJECT

As the culmination of this empowering program, you will have the opportunity to craft a comprehensive maturity matrix tailored specifically to your organization’s sustainability goals. This matrix serves as a powerful framework, enabling you to gauge and elevate the maturity of systems and processes in your organization.

MEET THE FACULTY

Faculty Member Meeta Kothare

Dr. Meeta Kothare

Faculty Director of the Sustainability Leadership Program, Professor of Practice; Managing Director of the Global Sustainability Leadership Institute, McCombs School of Business

Meeta Kothare has over two decades of academic, business, and social sector experience. Social innovation and the use of financial tools for social impact are her current interest areas. Her work is centered around sustainable business and finance. Her areas of expertise include impact investing, entrepreneurship, and corporate sustainability.

Faculty Member Laura Starks

Laura Starks

Professor of Finance, George Kozmetsky Centennial University Distinguished Chair at the McCombs School of Business

Jeffrey Hales

Charles T. Zlatkovich Centennial Professor of Accounting; Executive Director of the Global Sustainability Leadership Institute; Bake Chair in Global Sustainability Leadership

Nathan Barrymore

Assistant Professor of Business, Government, and Society

Faculty Member John Daly

John Daly

TCB Professor of Management- McCombs School of Business, Liddell Professor of Communication- College of Communication, University Distinguished Teaching Professor

Faculty Member Rakesh Apte

Rakesh Apte

Director, Product Management and Innovation, Dell Technologies

Faculty Member Lucy Atkinson

Lucy Atkinson

Associate Professor, Stan Richards School of Advertising & Public Relations- Moody College of Communication

Michael Hasler

Associate Professor of Instruction, Information, Risk & Operations Management

Faculty Member Randolph Wilt

Randolph Wilt

Assistant Professor of Instruction, Department of Management- McCombs School of Business

SELECT ALUMNI BENEFITS

After you have completed the program, you will join the prestigious Texas Executive Education alumni group and earn select benefits, including:

  • A 25% discount for a Texas Executive Education open-enrollment program if you enroll within a year of completing the Sustainability Leadership Program
  • Access to the Texas Executive Education LinkedIn group
  • McCombs In the News, a weekly roundup of media coverage of McCombs' research, expertise, and impact
  • A University of Texas at Austin, McCombs School of Business certificate (digital and printed) and digital badge
  • Invitations to alumni webinars

CERTIFICATE AND DIGITAL BADGE

Example image of certificate that will be awarded after successful completion of this program

CERTIFICATE AND DIGITAL BADGE

Upon successful completion of the program, participants will be awarded a certificate from the University of Texas at Austin, McCombs School of Business.

After successful completion of this program, your digital certificate will be emailed to you in the name you used when registering for the program. All certificate images are for illustrative purposes only and may be subject to change at the discretion of the University of Texas at Austin.

Note: This program does not grant academic credit or a degree from The McCombs School of Business.

APPLICATION DETAILS

program fee

US$18,000 US$16,000

The fee amount is available till ,, and does not include the application fee of US$200


The program fee covers all program materials. The fee does not include accommodations for the optional three-day in-person networking event, travel expenses (domestic, international, visa fee, and more), and other expenses not specifically mentioned in the fees.

CONNECT WITH A LEARNING ADVISOR FOR A 1-ON-1 SESSION

Our learning advisors have helped senior executives across the world choose the right program for their career goals. Schedule a 1-on-1 to get a deeper understanding of why the Sustainability Leadership is the right fit for you.

Email: ut_slp@emeritus.org

Phone: +1 567 587 1582 (U.S.) / +44 1146 971132 (U.K.) / +971 80 00321209 (U.A.E.) / +52 55930 20507 (LATAM)

Apply Now

Early registrations are encouraged. Seats fill up quickly!

Flexible payment options available. Learn more.