Strategic Approaches to Sustainability

Part of the ModularMaster in Sustainability programme

This course seeks to equip sustainability professionals with the foundational knowledge required to build a sustainability strategy. By first looking into the history and drivers of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), participants will develop a deeper understanding of various sustainability models such as corporate citizenship and Triple Bottom Line accounting, to eventually apply them to their own organisation. Participants will learn key strategies in implementing stewardship, engagement, and governance, as well as how to avoid pitfalls like greenwashing.

Offered in partnership with:

Who Should Attend

Senior Sustainability Consultant; Senior Sustainability Manager; Sustainable Procurement Specialist; Sustainable Finance Manager; Senior Risk Analyst; Sustainability Project Manager; Senior Environmental Programs Specialist; Supply Chain, Sustainability & Energy Manager; Director of Public Policy and Environmental Affairs; Head of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG); Head of Sustainability; Chief Sustainability Officer

Minimum Entry Requirement

Good English proficiency
Relevant work experiences

Programme Outline

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, participants should be able to / can expect to:

Explain ESG drivers, risks, and opportunities
Appreciate various complexities and perspectives of stewardship, engagement, and governance
Understand and emulate the process of developing a sustainability strategy

Day 1

History & evolution of ESG
ESG drivers I: License to operate, long-term value to the firm
ESG drivers II: Regulatory factors, physical risks and transition risks
Exercise: Identifying ESG drivers in your organisation
ESG risks and opportunities: E factors
ESG risks and opportunities: S factors
ESG risks and opportunities: G factors

Day 2

Stewardship and engagement: objectives and obstacles
Engagement I: Forms, styles, tools, and partners
Engagement II: Strategies, best practices and regulations
In-class Assignment 2: Building an engagement plan for an issue in your organisation
Steward leadership I: Management and corporate level
Steward leadership II: Board and investor level
Steward leadership III: Value chain and societal level

Day 3

Implications of Triple Bottom Line accounting
Activating corporate citizenship and purpose
Performing a materiality assessment
In-class Assignment 1: Mapping issues to stakeholders in your organisation
Identifying and leveraging core competencies
Systematic value chain mapping
Using Theory of Change to develop a sustainability strategy

Day 4

Why and when Governance matters more
Management structure and compensation: Best practices & pitfalls
Audit and reporting activities: Best practices & pitfalls
Exercise: Mapping governance structures in your organisation
Recognising and avoiding greenwashing
Strengthening data governance and building digital trust
Team Project briefing and preliminary planning

Day 5

Team Project: Developing a sustainability strategy for your organisation

Assessment

Assignments
In-class participation
Team Project

Subject Credits

Upon completion and satisfying the requirements of passing this course, learners will be awarded 12 subject credits.

Course Fees and Funding

Full course fee inclusive of prevailing GST	You pay S$5,450.00
SkillsFuture Course Fee Subsidy (up to 70%) For Singapore Citizens < 40 years old For Permanent Residents	You pay as low as S$1,635.00
Mid-Career Enhanced Subsidy (up to 90%) For Singapore Citizens ≥ 40 years old	You pay as low as S$635.00
Enhanced Training Support for SMEs (up to 90%) For SME - Sponsored employees	You pay as low as S$635.00

The above module fee payable is inclusive of prevailing 9% GST.
This course is not eligible for the $4,000 credit under SkillsFuture Credit (Mid-Career) top-up scheme.

Instructors

Sunil Puri
Senior Vice President & Head of Research & Engagement
Stewardship Asia Centre (SAC)

Sunil Puri is a part of the leadership team at Stewardship Asia Centre (SAC) and is responsible for research and thought leadership. He leads research efforts at the intersection of sustainability and leadership, designs and delivers senior leadership programmes, and develops toolkits and frameworks. Prior to joining SAC, Sunil was a Senior Director, Research, Innovation and Product Development with the Center for Creative Leadership in Singapore and India, where he led the development of new tools, programs, and events based on research, engaged with partners and clients as a leadership subject-matter expert, and curated and executed the annual research agenda with global stakeholders. Between 2014 and 2016, he was the Head of Research & Insights with Human Capital Leadership Institute, where he led Pan-Asia research initiatives on “global Asian leader development” and facilitated programs for senior business and HR leaders. Sunil is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi and Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. He has authored several research studies and contributed thought pieces to the Harvard Business Review, The Strait Times, Economic Times, The Business Times.

Cynthia Wu
Partner, Sustainability, Capital Markets, Mergers & Acquisitions
Rajah & Tann Singapore

Cynthia has in-depth experience in capital markets and mergers and acquisitions work in Singapore and in the region. She handles equity capital markets transactions, where she regularly advises issuers and underwriters on initial public offerings and listings of issuers on the Main Board and Catalist of the Singapore Exchange, as well as other recognised stock exchanges. She also advises listed clients and investors on continuing obligations and compliance matters, with particular focus on corporate governance and stakeholder engagement, with particular focus on corporate governance, stakeholder engagement and sustainability.

On mergers and acquisitions, Cynthia has experience in advising both public and private companies in a wide range of cross-border and domestic transactions, including acquisitions and divestments, investments, joint ventures, takeovers and reverse takeovers, schemes of arrangement and privatisations.

Priscilia Soh
Partner, Sustainability, Commercial Litigation, Restructuring & Insolvency
Rajah & Tann Singapore

Priscilla has experience in a range of commercial disputes, emphasising banking and financing disputes, fraud and investigations, shareholders’ disputes and insolvency litigation.

Priscilla is a European Federation of Financial Analysts Societies (EFFAS) Certified ESG Analyst. She regularly advises banks on the mitigation of risks in contracts, and enforcement issues. She was lauded by a client for her “impressive level of professionalism, expertise, and dedication throughout the project. Her attention to detail and ability to communicate complex legal concepts in a clear and concise manner were particularly noteworthy."

Justin Lee
Partner, Technology, Media & Telecommunications
Rajah & Tann Singapore

Justin is a specialist in Data and Digital Economy matters, and has assisted clients with a broad spectrum of technology-related work, including a number of high value, complex IT transactions and multi-jurisdictional data protection projects. Notably, he has also acted for clients in several matters involving cutting edge technology developments, encompassing blockchain payment settlements platforms, blockchain-enabled insurance systems, 5G telecommunications networks, autonomous vehicles, and NFT marketplaces and platforms.

Policies and Financing Options

SSG Funding Terms and Conditions

Use of Personal Details

In consideration of the subsidy provided by SkillsFuture Singapore Agency (“SSG”) through the SUTD Academy for the Course,

I consent to:

The collection, use and disclosure to relevant third parties of my personal data by the SUTD Academy including but not limited to personal particulars, attendance records, assessment/performance records, for the following purposes:

Reporting of national statistics and conducting of holistic continuing education training research and analysis;
Facilitate the conduct of the relevant surveys and audits in relation to the Course;
General administration of the Course including but not limited to processing of the subsidy provided by SSG;
Publicity and marketing of the Course or other Courses to be provided by SSG or SUTD Academy; and
SSG or its Appointed Auditors or Nominated Representatives to directly contact Course Participant to obtain information deemed necessary for the purposes of conducting effectiveness survey or audits in relation to the Course.

SUTD will have to claim the full course fee from participant who is unable to fulfil the SSG funding requirements stated below.

I agree to:

Attend and complete all lectures, class exercises, workshops and assessments;
Complete the Course feedback at the end of the Course;
Complete the post Course survey sent about 3 to 6 months after class attendance; and
Sign up for a personal email account.

SUTD Privacy Statement

For more information on SUTD's privacy statement, please visit https://sutd.edu.sg/Privacy-Statement.

SUTD Terms and Conditions

Methods of Payment

Learn more about the available payment modes.

Cancellation & Refund Policy

If a written notification is sent to sutd_academy@sutd.edu.sg within 24 hours after course registration deadline there will be no cancellation charges. A full refund will be made.
No refund is provided if written notification is more than 24 hours after course registration deadline. SUTD Academy reserves the rights to collect the full fee amount from the participant.

Replacement Policy

Companies may replace participants who have signed up for the course by giving a 3-working day notice before the course commencement date to sutd_academy@sutd.edu.sg. Terms and conditions apply.

Registration Policy

Course may be cancelled due to insufficient participants. SUTD Academy will not be responsible or liable in any way for any claims, damages, losses, expenses, costs or liabilities whatsoever (including, without limitation, any direct or indirect damages for loss of profits, business interruption or loss of information) resulting or arising directly or indirectly from any course cancellation.
Course enrolment is based on a first-come, first-served basis.
SUTD Academy reserves the right to change or cancel any course or instructor due to unforeseen circumstances.

Types of Funding

Funding under Mid-Career Enhanced Subsidy ("MCES")

MCES is an enhanced Subsidy to encourage mid-career individuals to upskill and reskill, thereby helping them to remain competitive and resilient in the job market. With this, all Singaporeans aged 40 and above will receive higher subsidies of up to 90% course fee subsidy for SSG-funded certifiable courses.
Individuals/employers are not required to submit an application for the MCES. Those pursuing SSG-funded programmes will be charged the appropriate subsidised fees by SUTD Academy if they are eligible MCES. Individuals/employers will only need to pay the nett fee (full course fee after SSG's grant).

For more info, please visit SkillsFuture website at https://www.skillsfuture.gov.sg/enhancedsubsidy

Funding under Enhanced Training Support for SMEs ("ETSS")

ETSS is an enhanced funding to enable SMEs to send their employees for training.
SMEs will enjoy subsidies of up to 90% of the course fees when they sponsor their employees for SSG-funded certifiable courses.
In addition to higher course fee funding, SMEs can also claim absentee payroll funding of 80% of basic hourly salary at a higher cap of $7.50 per hour. SMEs may apply for the absentee payroll via the SkillsConnect system.
To qualify, SMEs must meet all of the following criteria:
- Organisation must be registered or incorporated in Singapore
- Employment size of not more than 200 or with annual sales turnover of not more than $100 million
- Trainees must be hired in accordance with the Employment Act and fully sponsored by their employers for the course
- Trainees must be Singapore Citizens or Singapore Permanent Residents

For more info, please visit SSG website at https://www.ssg.gov.sg/programmes-and-initiatives/funding/enhanced-training-support-for-smes1.html

Funding under Union Training Assistance Programme ("UTAP")

UTAP is a training benefit for NTUC members to defray their cost of training. This benefit is to encourage more union members to go for skills upgrading.

NTUC members enjoy 50% unfunded course fee support for up to $250 each year when you sign up for courses supported under UTAP (Union Training Assistance Programme).

For more info, please visit https://e2i.com.sg/individuals/ntuc-education-and-training-fund/.

Funding under Post-Secondary Education Account ("PSEA")

The Post-Secondary Education Account (PSEA) is part of the Post-Secondary Education Scheme to help pay for the post-secondary education of Singaporeans.

This is part of the Government’s efforts to encourage every Singaporean to complete their post-secondary education. It also underscores the Government’s commitment to support families in investing in the future education of their children and to prepare them for the economy of the future. PSEA is not a bank account.

It is administered by the Ministry of Education (MOE) and is opened automatically for all eligible Singaporeans.

Account holders can use their PSEA funds to pay for their own or their siblings’ approved fees and charges for approved programs conducted by approved institutions.

However, you will have to check your eligibility and balance by contacting MOE first.

Contact MOE at (65) 6260 0777

E-mail to MOE at contact@moe.edu.sg

Click here for MOE website.