Chapter Zero Poland (coordinated by Responsible Business Forum) and Deloitte are launching cooperation with Queen Hedvig Academy on the educational programme „Strategy and Leadership in the Age of ESG” addressed to management and supervisory boards. Programme has been jointly prepared by Queen Hedvig Academy and IMD, one of the world’s top business schools. Programme is conducted entirely in English
The Strategy and Leadership in the Age of ESG programme is aimed at individuals who hold top management and supervisory positions and want to develop and acquire new leadership skills to support the company’s strategic transformation towards sustainability. In the face of numerous new regulations and requirements related, among others, to the CSRD directive on reporting ESG factors, i.e. environmental, social and corporate governance issues, corporate leaders need completely new competences and knowledge.
Programme, developed jointly by Queen Hedvig Academy and IMD in cooperation with Chapter Zero Poland and Deloitte, will help participants to understand the nature of ESG and provide practical knowledge of the regulatory requirements related to this area. Participants will learn how to integrate ESG solutions into their business strategy and how sustainability can become a tool to strengthen competitive advantage by, among other things, mitigating ESG risks and taking advantage of the opportunities presented by the global transformation towards sustainability.
– Commitment and strong ESG competencies of those at the leading edge of companies are key to business transformation towards sustainability. A strategic, long-term approach based on practical, expert knowledge is essential to build and sustain competitive advantage and build stable, resilient organisations. Providing this knowledge and, at the same time, strengthening the cooperation of leaders for whom sustainability is an important priority is the aim of the 'Strategy and Leadership in the Age of ESG’ programme” emphasises Marzena Strzelczak, President, CEO of the Responsible Business Forum, which coordinates Chapter Zero Poland.
Responsible Business Forum, a leading expert organisation in the field of sustainable development and Chapter Zero Poland initiative coordinator, together with Deloitte, decided to get involved in this prestigious programme to support high-quality educational activities that respond to the most current business challenges.
– New regulations, including the CSRD, make it clear how firmly ESG factor issues must be embedded in every organisation’s business strategy. Boards of directors, supervisory boards and business owners are facing the great challenge of climate transformation and building competitiveness based on sustainability. They need knowledge and exchange of experience. 'Strategy and Leadership in the Age of ESG’ course is designed for business executives who want to tap into the highest level of strategic knowledge about sustainability. Thanks to the practical dimension of our educational programme, we will prepare boards of directors, supervisory boards and business owners to set the course for the green transformation of their organisations and shape the key areas of the company’s strategy with sustainability at the centre,” says Irena Pichola, Partner and team leader Sustainability Consulting Central Europe, Deloitte.
– Smart business leaders are preparing their organisations for increasing regulatory requirements. They invest in greener technologies and divest themselves of assets that may be lost. Business leaders should act now to avoid the consequences of falling behind competitors in a rapidly changing world, says Karl Schmedders, Professor of Finance at IMD, one of the programme speakers.
All information about the programme, which will be conducted entirely in English, can be found in the brochure available here >>
Applications for the programme are made via the form available here >> [Applying to the course please as a source of information add Forum Odpowiedzialnego Biznesu/Chapter Zero Poland.]
About the programme and presenters
Strategy and Leadership in the Age of ESG programme will be delivered in a hybrid format: classroom-based in Warsaw and Lausanne and online. Among the lecturers are prominent experts representing IMD, Climate Governance Initiative and business leaders:
- Salvatore Cantale – Professor of Finance at IMD
- Susan Goldsworthy – Affiliate Professor of Leadership, Communications and Organisational Change at IMD
- Karina Litvack – Non-Executive Director Eni S.p.A. (invited by Chapter Zero Poland)
- Lorenzo Massa – Professor at the Business School Aalborg University (AAU), Managing Director of the Business Design Lab at AAU
- Markus Meadler – Executive and academic leadership in Higher Ed
- Irena Pichola – Partner, Sustainability Consulting Central Europe Leader, Global Lead on Climate Bold Play in Public Sector, Deloitte
- Karl Schmedders – Professor of Finance at IMD, passionate about ESG
- Michael Yaziji – Professor of Strategy and Leadership at IMD
Webinar on leadership with Prof. Karl Schmedders
On 11 May, as part of the cooperation between Chapter Zero Poland and Queen Hedvig Academy, a webinar with Professor Karl Schmedders from IMD, Lucyna Stańczak – Wuczyńska, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of BNP Paribas Bank, and Irena Pichola, Partner at Deloitte, will be held. The meeting will focus on the role of strategy and responsible leadership in the implementation of ESG solutions. In addition meeting participants, will also have an opportunity to learn more about the educational programme 'Strategy and Leadership in the Age of ESG’, which is now being launched.
Karl Schmedders is Professor of Finance at IMD, a private business school in Lausanne, Switzerland.
His research and teaching at IMD focus on sustainability and the economics of climate change. Before joining IMD, Karl was Professor of Quantitative Business Administration at the University in Zurich and Associate Professor of Managerial Economics and Decision Sciences at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois/USA. He received a PhD in Operations Research from Stanford University. Karl is a Fellow of the Game Theory Society and an Economic Theory Fellow of the Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory
About the organisers
Queen Hedvig Academy has 20 years of experience in designing and running executive education programs for the most demanding clients from the world’s leading corporations. We have collaborated with experts from renowned academic institutions, such as Stanford Research Institute, IMD, IESE Business School, the University of Oxford. Our faculty is composed of scholars and experts from top universities and research centers across the world, who are leaders in their fields.
IMD is an independent university institute with campuses in Lausanne and Singapore. For more than 75 years, IMD has been a pioneering force in developing leaders who transform organizations and contribute to society. IMD has been ranked in the top three of the FT’s Executive Education Rankings (combined ranking for open & custom
programs) since 2012. It has also been in the top five for more than 15 consecutive years. This consistency at the forefront of its industry is grounded in IMD’s unique approach to creating “Real Learning. Real Impact”. Led by an expert and diverse faculty, IMD strives to be the trusted learning partner of the choice for ambitious individuals and
organizations worldwide. Challenging what is and inspiring what could be.
Chapter Zero Poland, which is part of the Climate Governance Initiative, is a programme run by the Responsible Business Forum to develop the competencies of supervisory and management bodies of companies. The aim of the Polish edition of this international initiative is to raise awareness of the consequences of climate change for companies and the impact of business on the climate. Programme, based on international cooperation, is intended to provide knowledge and tools as well as a platform for the exchange of experiences for members of supervisory and management boards and the expert community dealing with the topic of climate change in Poland and around the world.
Responsible Business Forum is the longest running, since 2000, and the largest non-governmental organisation in Poland that deals with the concept of corporate responsibility in a comprehensive manner. The Forum is an expert organisation, remaining an initiator and partner of key undertakings for Polish CSR and ESG. An important place in FOB’s activities is occupied by international cooperation. Since 2002, the organisation has been a national partner of CSR Europe. Since 2009, FOB has cooperated with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and is the only representative of WBCSD in Poland. FOB is the organiser of the Chapter Zero Poland programme.
„Working for sustainable development, we inspire business that changes the world, we connect people who change business” – this is the organisation’s mission statement. For more information: https://odpowiedzialnybiznes.pl/.
