Leading Sustainability for Directors
What directors need to know and how to do it.
This course will include three half-day sessions designed to equip directors with the knowledge and skills to strengthen their organisation’s orientation towards sustainability. It is based on a director’s sustainability checklist and will provide a practical approach to this critically important issue, with a focus on immediate takeaways, and includes an opportunity to apply learnings to your own organisation.
Objectives
- To understand the key elements of the new ISO Guidance Standard on ESG and apply these principles to your organisation's sustainability initiatives.
- To calculate your organisation's carbon footprint and be able to formulate a strategic plan toward Net Zero.
- To gain insights into the circular economy and be able to identify at least three circular economy practices to enhance environmental sustainability.
- To understand the breadth of social responsibilities and be able to design and implement governance strategies that enhance social value in their organisation.
The three sessions of the online course will take place over three different dates from 1:30pm to 4:30pm. It is a requirement for you to be able to attend all three sessions. The session topics are:
- Sustainability Governance Principles and Net Zero Agenda
- Non-Carbon Environmental Issues and Circularity
- Social Agenda and Implications and Implementation
The next cohort session dates are below, please note you must attend all three sessions.
- Monday 28 September 2025
- Monday 20 October 2025
- Monday 3 November 2025
Benefits
- An understanding of what sustainability means for your organisation in the context of the duties of a director and growing ESG requirements.
- An understanding of carbon footprint and how to determine scopes 1, 2 and 3 for your organisation and how to move toward carbon neutral and beyond.
- An insight into the broader environmental agenda, materiality, the circular economy and the issues and opportunities regarding environmental challenges.
- An understanding of the gravity and scope of social responsibilities and how to orientate your organisation to strengthen responsibility to stakeholders.
- Gain insights into the latest ISO ESG Principles, which provide a standardised framework for integrating Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practices into your organisation.
- Learn how to develop a comprehensive sustainability action plan tailored to your organisation's goals.
This course will take you on a sustainability journey to change the way you operate and live to be part of the solution, to deliver prosperity that includes everyone, and to grasp the opportunity we have right now to lead sustainable organisations.
This course was originated by IoD Ireland and is being run in partnership with IoD UK.
Course leaders
Professor Simon Haslam CDir is the director and co-owner of a strategy research and consulting firm, FMR Research Ltd, and of the Consulting Mastered online platform. Simon Haslam is a Chartered Director (CDir) and the course leader on the strategy aspect of the Chartered Director Programme for IoD Ireland, as well as the programme lead for strategy at the Institute of Directors UK.
In addition, he is the non-executive chair of a transport business and has worked in the consulting sector in Ireland for twenty years, with clients across the private, public and third sectors from SMEs to global brands. Simon has an MBA from Durham University Business School and a PhD from Strathclyde Business School, and is a visiting Professor at Durham where he leads the Strategic Management module of its Global MBA programme. His book, Strategic Decision Making: A Discovery-Led Approach to Critical Choices in Turbulent Times, co-written with Dr Ben Shenoy, was published by Kogan Page in 2018.
Professor John Henry Looney is an environmental sustainability specialist. He sits on the Certification Governance Board for Planet Mark, and on the ISO committee responsible for the recent guidance standard on ESG. He is a Visiting Professor at University of Lincoln on sustainable energy systems, and the University of Nottingham.
He was the author of the UK’s first carbon footprint and sequestration study in 1989 fand has since worked on projects for many funding bodies (banks and investors) in over 35 countries delivering environmental outcomes. He is also a director of his own consultancy (Sustainable Direction Ltd).
Dates and prices
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Please get in touch if you have any questions about our business courses. Our contact hours are 9am to 5:30pm Monday to Friday. If you would like someone from our team to contact you, please email us at [email protected] and we will get in touch within 24 hours on weekdays.