Essentials of ESG: Pathway to Good Governance

This one day course supports anyone with governance responsibilities to understand the ESG agenda from different stakeholder perspectives, to see how ESG practice and reporting is continuing to evolve and to develop ways to integrate ESG into their organisation’s strategy, governance and reporting. 

Participants will build their understanding of the ESG landscape, how ESG can be embedded in their organisation’s governance structures, which aspects of ESG are material to their organisation, the role of data and how to bring together different aspects of ESG to deliver a cohesive and comprehensive approach.  The interactive nature of the sessions and case studies aim to enhance practical application and strategic thinking in the context of ESG and corporate governance.

Who is this course for

This course is ideal for professionals who may be new to the ESG agenda or want to refresh their understanding, in roles like:

• Governance professionals 
• Company Secretaries / Assistant Company Secretaries
• Professionals with governance responsibilities (Legal, Finance, Administration, HR, Operations and others)
• Sustainability professionals

This course focuses on ESG in private and listed companies.  The principles and information in this course will be highly relevant to an international audience. Most case studies used in this training course will be from UK organisations.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, delegates will be able to:

1. Describe the current and likely future context of the ESG agenda, including relevant legal and regulatory reporting frameworks and the key stakeholders driving ESG
2. Explain good practice, primarily among UK private and listed companies, on the various aspects of the ESG agenda
3. Break down the mechanisms that your company can put into place to understand its ESG priorities, risks and opportunities
4. Identify relevant ESG reporting requirements for your organisation and summarise your approach to meeting these requirements
5. Explain your approach to influencing ESG-related change at company and board level.

You will also receive:

• A delegate pack containing comprehensive course notes and presentation slides
• A certificate to show you have attended the course
• 6 hours credit towards your Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
• 6 months complimentary professional subscription of The Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland. This includes a subscription to G+C Magazine as well as access to briefings, discounts and our knowledge base.

People who take this course often go on to book:

• Directors and their Duties
• Risk Management
• Optimising the structure and composition of boards and committees
• Introduction to board performance reviews

Useful CGI Resources:

• CGI ESG Summit
• CGI Terms of Reference for a Sustainability Committee
• CGI Tackling Greenwashing guidance
• Find Articles on ESG in the Governance and Compliance magazine

A wealth of further information and guidance on governance practices can be found on CGI’s website.

Competency framework:

This course aligns to CGI’s competency framework: Entry/Emerging
Use the competency framework to identify your strengths and areas for improvement in governance.