ESG Risk Management

Course overview

ESG stands for Environmental, Social and Governance and refers to how organisations promote sustainability, social responsibility and ethical governance practices within their business. This is an important and fast-growing trend in the corporate world today.

The course provides managers across all sectors with a comprehensive introduction to ESG risk management practice. As the requirement to address ESG risks grows, this course will equip you with the tools and techniques to develop a more sustainable and resilient organisation.

You will learn how to integrate ESG risks into existing risk strategy and risk management frameworks, and will examine the new methodologies which help benchmark ESG ratings against industry peers. You will also look at standards for procurement and investment decisions.

The course explains the complexities of designing stress and scenario tests using risk modelling tools and techniques, and how these are particularly important in managing and mitigating ESG risks with stakeholders such as regulators. As the requirement to address ESG risks grows further, this course will equip you with the tools and techniques to develop a more sustainable and resilient organisation.

What will I learn?

By the end of the course you will be able to: 

• identify and measure Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) risks
• apply an ESG risk management framework that reflects a risk appetite
• classify ESG risks to be mitigated and outline treatments
• evaluate the benefits of stress testing and scenario analysis to manage ESG risks
• assess a current ESG strategic plan, its reporting and disclosure
• produce a robust ESG strategic plan for management of a key ESG risk in your organisation or sector.

Who is this course for?

This course is aimed at professionals looking to incorporate management of ESG risk in their day-to-day jobs. Professionals should have an undergraduate (also known as a first or a bachelor’s) degree in a relevant field and roughly five years of (business) work experience. It is important that participants have a context of the industry to be able to relate to for the activities in this course. We recommend learners from the following categories:

• ESG and sustainability roles including: ESG lead/specialist and Head of sustainability,
• adding ESG to an existing role: Risk managers, Procurement team, Supply chain managers, Operations, Finance directors, Strategy roles, managers in corporate, medium-sized enterprises
• pursuing ESG and sustainability roles: generalists with an interest in progressing to risk management roles for ESG issues

Course delivery

Our certificated courses reflect the Cambridge experience and values, with low student to tutor ratios and academically rigorous standards. Our learning model is designed to help you advance your skills and specialise in emerging areas that address global challenges. We will help you build your network through an engaging and impactful learning journey that encourages collaboration. Courses are delivered in weekly modules, allowing you to plan your time effectively. The assessment criteria will be presented to you at the start of the course, so you can approach your studies with confidence and motivation, knowing what is expected of you and how to meet those expectations. 

Throughout your online learning experience, you will have access to your course tutor, who will help facilitate your learning and provide you with support and guidance during your studies. You can interact with your tutor through a range of media, such as live sessions, discussion forums, email or canvas messaging. 

Each course includes a balance of: 

• interactive learning and real-world application so you can directly apply what you’re learning to your own context
• diverse teaching methods to enhance learning outcomes which will be delivered via learning activities such as University of Cambridge academic led videos, quizzes and group work
• optional live sessions (1 hour) with University of Cambridge academics and tutors to deepen your understanding of the week's material. These sessions may include an informal Q&A, a short lecture or a breakout activity that builds on the content introduced that week. All sessions are recorded and made available to stream so you can catch up whenever suits you
• guided critical thinking via our reflective workbook so you can collect, structure and summarise information and your thoughts as you progress through the course. 

What will I get on completion?

Evidence your learning with a Certificate of Achievement from the University of Cambridge on successful completion.