Executives across the world are likely to be under pressure from their businesses to get to grips with the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) space, so the recently launched portfolio of executive certificates and programming by The Aresty Institute of Executive Education at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania may be a good option for some.
Created in collaboration with the Wharton ESG Initiative, these online programs pair Wharton’s world-class financial acumen with pioneering ESG research to prepare executives for the current challenges of ESG integration.
It will be interesting to watch the Australian business school landscape, to see if anyone on our turf will follow suit in 2023 and beyond.
“The future of business is changing at an incredibly accelerated rate,” said Patti Williams, vice dean of Wharton Executive Education. “Wharton is launching these programs to serve as a partner in progress for leaders as they navigate shaping that future. We are convening the brightest business and academic minds to spark the much-needed exchange of knowledge and insights, and we’re doing it in an accessible, flexible way.”
The suite of ESG programming is designed specifically for executives and leaders who are charged with high-stakes ESG decisions in real time. Once considered a niche field, ESG is now cited as “the #1 factor impacting business strategy” by Forbes. Wharton’s programming equips participants with tangible insights for immediate impact, while maximising learning and integrating seamlessly into executives’ busy schedules.
Programming options include a four-week foundational offering, Wharton ESG Essentials, for those needing to develop fluency in ESG, with an added path to continue studies for an additional four weeks in one of three Wharton ESG Executive Certificate programs — for Financial Professionals, Senior Leaders, and Strategists. These advanced certificates are designed to catapult executives to the forefront of ESG decision making. All programs feature a blended online structure, with cohorts meeting virtually for two hours live online once a week (Wharton ESG Essentials for four weeks total; Wharton ESG Executive Certificates for eight weeks total) and completing self-paced online sessions when convenient for them.
Sessions will be led by award-winning and tenured Wharton faculty who are pioneering the academic research and leading the dialogue in the rapidly evolving ESG field.
“We’re not advocates, we’re not taking a position, we’re trying to help you do the analysis,” said Witold Henisz, vice dean and faculty director of the Wharton ESG Initiative and academic director of Executive Education ESG Programming. “We are providing an increasingly important set of tools for executives — the skills and strategies to value ESG factors as well as address them — in real time. These are factors that have been left out of the models, left out of the toolkits to businesses’ detriment, and as we’re doing the research that informs the next generation, we want to equip our current leaders for the frontier as well.”
Broadcasted and facilitated in real time from an interactive online classroom, the programs prioritise live engagement and employ a host of instructional modalities to enhance the learning experience: in-class discussions, case work, small-group breakout sessions, and role playing.
Wharton ESG Executive Programming begins online in April 2023 and is now accepting applications. Prospective participants can learn more and apply at WhartonExecESG.com.
SOURCE: The Wharton School
