ESG Fundamentals for Directors

Advance your ESG expertise. Future-proof your board.

Join Professor Simon Haslam CDir and guests as they unpack the essentials of sustainability and how directors can be part of the solution.

Simon will take you through:

1. The Governance Agenda

2. The Net Zero Agenda

3. The Wider Environment Agenda

4. The Social Agenda

What you’ll get:

• An understanding of what sustainability means for your organisation in the context of director duties and growing ESG requirements.
• An understanding of carbon footprint.
• 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.
• An opportunity to apply learnings to your organisation. 

Before booking, check to see if your eligible to apply for funding through our partnership with Sustainable Finance Skillnet. Eligible candidates can be funded 30% of the cost of the programme. Email skills@isfcoe.org for more information. 

What people are saying  

“This ESG Short programme attracted me with its offer of focus on ‘what directors need to know and how to do it’ on the topical area of Leading on Sustainability. It delivered on its claim – through presentations by experts on the key aspects of the ESG agenda - Governance, Net Zero, wider Environment and Social, engaging discussions and practical guidance - including checklists and reference materials. As a result I have the tools that will support me in constructive, informed and challenging strategic discussions on the many aspects of ESG. Thanks to all involved in the design and delivery of the workshop and to the other course participants."

Elaine Byrne CDir, Central Bank of Ireland

“This programme provided clear guidelines on the expectations and requirements of our business going forward and has enabled us to develop a framework policy centrally that we can now roll out to our individual business units. Thank you."

Charlie Sheil, Windward Management

“Excellent overview short programme. A lot of material covered. Great guest speakers."

Eileen Lee, PM Group

“The short programme content was comprehensive and up to date, the presenters communicated well and engaged with attendees, the guest speakers were excellent and their stories and experience were helpful. The online format and the 2 weeks interval between sessions work perfectly. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I have no hesitation in recommending this course to others.”

Micheál Ó Conghaile, MUFG Investor Services

"This short programme was very interesting and thought provoking throughout. It was very good at highlighting the significant opportunities emerging from the Global Sustainability Challenges for Businesses."

Enda Devine, IPB Insurance

“Great introductory short programme for Board Directors on what sustainability is and how to get started."

Stanley Buckley, FSW Coatings Ltd

There are 4 morning sessions held from 9:00 am – 12:30 pm.

1. The Governance Agenda: The Board’s Role and Actions.

Monday, 30th September 2024.

9:00 am to 12:30 pm.

Guest speaker to be announced.

2. The Net Zero Agenda: The Board’s Role and Actions.

Monday, 21st October 2024.

9:00 am to 12:30 pm.

Guest speaker to be announced.

3. The Wider Environment Agenda: The Board’s Role and Actions.

Friday, 8th November 2024.

9:00 am to 12:30 pm.

Guest speaker to be announced.

4. The Social Agenda: The Board’s Role and Actions.

Wednesday, 20th November 2024.

9:00 am to 12:30 pm. 

Guest speaker to be announced.

Session one - The Governance Agenda:  The Board’s Role and Actions

Explore the growing importance of sustainability in the context of directors’ duties and the board’s role. Gain insight into the 17 elements of the sustainability agenda, the growth of movements such as ESG, and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and how these provide the foundation for a viable strategy.

What we’ll cover:

• Sustainability and why it’s important.
• Frameworks for sustainability (including the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs), ESG and GRI).
• Developing board/director capability around the sustainability agenda.
• Actions for your organisation to take.

Session two - The Net Zero Agenda: The Board’s Role and Actions

Discover the net zero perspective for boards. Understand what carbon footprinting is, how to do it, and how to create a strategy to become more carbon-neutral in the future.

What we’ll cover:

• The concept of Net Zero and carbon footprinting.
• The three components of carbon footprint.
• Calculating your carbon footprint using Scopes 1,2,3.
• Actions for your organisation to take to move toward Net Zero.

Session three - The Wider Environment Agenda: The Board’s Role

Understand the wider environmental perspective for boards. Unpack the implication of concepts such as materiality, examine the circular economy and explore opportunities around re-designing business models.

What we’ll cover:

• Materiality and the environmental agenda beyond carbon footprint.
• The circular economy, concept and emerging practice.
• Commercial and business model opportunities for organisations.
• Actions that leaders can take to harness the environment agenda.

Session four - The Social Agenda: The Board’s Role

Investigate the board’s role as it relates to the social agenda.  You’ll gain insight into stakeholder ramifications, where to focus and how to generate buy-in.

What we’ll cover:

• Sustainability from a people/stakeholder perspective.
• Assessing your business’s impact: stakeholder mapping.
• How to strengthen social responsibility, where to start and where to go next.
• Actions that leaders can take to develop their corporate/global citizenship.

Introducing Simon Haslam CDir

The strategic mind behind FMR Research Ltd. and the Consulting Mastered platform.

As a Chartered Director (CDir), Simon drives IoD Ireland’s Chartered Director Programme on strategy and is the Programme Lead for Strategy at the Institute of Directors UK.

Armed with an MBA from Durham University Business School, a PhD from Strathclyde Business School, and two decades of consulting experience in Ireland, Simon brings a wealth of knowledge and wisdom to our workshops. This, alongside his role as a non-executive chairman in the transport industry, adds real-world insight, enriching his ability to share practical learnings with workshop attendees.

Simon is also co-author of the book ‘Strategic Decision Making: A Discovery-Led Approach to Critical Choices in Turbulent Times’ and is a visiting professor at Durham where he leads the Strategic Management module of its Global MBA programme.  

Is this eligible for CPD?

Dimension covered: Technical Skills and Knowledge

Eligible hours: 12 hours of Chartered Director CPD

This session may be eligible for other professional body CPD. Check with your relevant professional body.

What is the cost?

To attend all four sessions:

IoD members -  €1,500

Non-members - €1,950 

It is not possible to book individual sessions, booking is paid for as a whole.

Cancellation and refund policy

Places are confirmed upon full payment. Cancellations with a full refund are accepted in writing to cpd@iodireland.ie until Tuesday, 24th September 2024.  After this date, no refunds are possible, and all fees are forfeited for cancellations or non-attendance. Please note this virtual but live and interactive series requires live online attendance at each session. Unfortunately, recordings will not be available as part of post-session materials.

Group bookings

Contact the IoD Ireland Learning and Development team on cpd@iodireland.ie or phone +353 1 411 0010.

How do I attend? 

To reserve your space, book and pay through the “Book now” button.

Once registered, we’ll send an email to confirm your booking.

We'll also send a reminder email with a link to access the session closer to the date. You must click the link and confirm your details to receive the direct link to join the workshop.

The event will take place on Zoom. Download Zoom if you don’t have it already. Please ensure you have a working microphone and camera to take part in our interactive workshop.

Want to connect with fellow workshop participants?

All workshop attendees will receive a list of all other workshop participants in advance of the session. This will include name, job title and organisation. If you have any queries around this  please contact the Learning and Development Team.

For GDPR reasons, we cannot provide contact details on the attendee list. 

Questions?

For any IoD Ireland Learning and Development Programme queries, email cpd@iodireland.ie or call +3531 411 0010.

IoD Ireland is delighted to partner with Sustainable Finance Skillnet to offer funding for this Programme. Eligible candidates can be funded 30% of the cost of this Programme. This will reduce the cost from €1500 to €1050 (for IoD members) and €1950 to €1365 (for IoD non members).

Eligibility

To be eligible to receive this special price, candidates must meet the following criteria:

• Work in the private sector in the Republic of Ireland.
• Provide a work email address.
• Confirm that their employer will pay for the cost of the Programme (the employer will be invoiced by SFS).
• Agree to complete a quick Trainee Profile form which will be sent to you by SFS Skillnet.

Application Process

To submit your application for this funding all candidates must submit an expression of interest directly with Sustainable Finance Skillnet. This process will ask for your name, employer name and email address. Please note no funding applications will be processed by IoD Ireland.

Once the expression of interest form is submitted, a member of SFS will contact each candidate in relation to their application.

To express your interest, contact Skillsnet on skills@isfcoe.org