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Executive Programs for Individuals

Sustainable Finance Stewardship Academy

October 9- November 16, 2024

Time: (EST)
See “schedule” below
Format:
In-person and Online
Tuition:
$5,950 (full price); $4,760 (discounted price for CU alumni, groups, and corporate partners)
Application deadline:
October 1
Location:
Columbia University’s campus and online
Payment deadline: 
October 1
Certificate of Participation
Sustainable Finance Stewardship Academy (SFSA)


Download Program Overview and Schedule

Apply Now!

Overview

The 21st century has brought with it profound challenges to our economic, social, and planetary wellbeing. We now face an accelerating pace of change and disruption to our social and political institutions, as well as growing global systemic-level threats, from global warming to pandemics and poverty. 

To respond to the increased expectations and pressures by their various constituencies, to leverage opportunities, and to build shareholder value, investors, corporate executives, and directors alike need to understand how to address these system-level challenges and respond to the increased expectations and pressures faced by their various constituencies.

SIPA's Sustainable Investing Research Initiative (SIRI) offers two new Executive Education Academies -- the Sustainable Finance Stewardship Academy (SFSA) and the Sustainable Business Stewardship Academy (SBSA) -- which are designed to help inform and train corporate directors, executives, and senior managers from large financial and corporate institutions to develop and implement effective stewardship strategies to help lead their organization through these turbulent times. 

Become a leader in developing financial and business strategies to drive systemic change and create a more sustainable future for generations to come. Join the SFSA to master system-level investing--the new frontier in sustainable investing--and the SBSA to become an expert in business stewardship, aligning corporate social, environmental, and policy initiatives with your business strategy.

Tuition

  • $5,950 (full price)
  • $4,760 (discounted price for Columbia alumni, groups, and corporate partners)

Professional Benefits

Participants of the SFSA will learn how to engage in system-level investing--the new frontier in sustainable investing. They will discuss the opportunities and challenges of implementing conventional tools and advanced techniques available to investors to trigger systemic change through their capital allocation, portfolio firm engagement, coalition building, policy engagement, and much more. Pursuing system-level investing will likely help make the environmental, social, and economic systems more resilient and decrease the overall systemic risk the financial system and real economy are exposed to.

Following the completion of the course, participants will earn a Certification of Participation awarded by Columbia University as well as given the opportunity to join an alumni peer learning network.

Who Should Attend

Corporate directors, executives, and senior managers of large financial firms and corporations.

Curriculum

Columbia University campus

Learning Objectives

For more details about the specific learning goals for each session, see the “Learning Goals” listed in the Tentative Course Schedule of the respective programs.

Key Topics/Areas of Concentration

  • System-level investing
  • Sustainable finance stewardship 
  • Systemic challenges
  • Complexity and interrelationships within and between systems
  • Conventional investment tools and advanced techniques available to investors to foster system-level investing
  • Developing and implementing effective system-level investing strategies that help mitigate the systemic risk(s) that the investor aims to address
  • Fiduciary duty and what it means for system-level investors to consider sustainability/ESG issues
  • Current and future developments in standard setting, regulation, and adoption in sustainable finance around the world

Program Format

Online and in-person sessions

Special Program Features

  • Access to world-renowned Columbia University faculty and guest speakers
  • Case Studies
  • Executive Coaching
  • Peer-to-peer learning
  • Combination of online and in-person learning
  • The in-person meeting will bring participants from both academies – the Sustainable Finance Stewardship Academy (SFSA) and the Sustainable Business Stewardship Academy (SBSA) – together to foster dialogue, learning, networking, and collaboration across the financial and corporate sectors
  • After completion of course, participants will 
    • Earn a Certification of Participation awarded by Columbia University
    • Have the opportunity to join an alumni peer learning network.

Schedule

The SIRI academies will run in parallel. The first 6 sessions (90min each) will be held online over a two-month period, followed by a 1.5 day in-person meeting on the campus of Columbia University. The in-person meeting will bring both academies together to foster dialogue, learning, networking, and collaboration across the financial and corporate sectors. 

 Apply Now!

Dates for the Fall 2024 academy: 

Session 1 (online) Wednesday, October 9 5-6:30 p.m. EST 
Session 2 (online) Wednesday, October 16 5-6:30 p.m. EST
Session 3 (online) Wednesday, October 23 5-6:30 p.m. EST
Session 4 (online) Wednesday, October 30 5-6:30 p.m. EST
Session 5 (online) Wednesday, November 6 5-6:30 p.m. EST
Session 6 (online) Wednesday, November 13 5-6:30 p.m. EST
Session 7 (in-person) Friday/Saturday, November 15-16 (1.5 days)

Program Faculty

William (Bill) Burckart, Adjunct Professor of International and Public Affairs; The Brandmeyer Fellow for Impact and Sustainable Investing

Caroline Flammer, A. Barton Hepburn, Professor of Economics; Director, Sustainable Investing Research Initiative (SIRI)

Dylan Minor, Adjunct Professor of International and Public Affairs; The Brandmeyer Fellow for Impact and Sustainable Investing

Jon Lukomnik, Adjunct Professor of International and Public Affairs; The Brandmeyer Fellow for Impact and Sustainable Investing

Columbia University campus

Contact

The Picker Center for Executive Education

Laura McCreedy
Manager of Executive Education
[email protected]

Columbia University | SIPA
Picker Center for Executive Education
118th Street, Room 400
New York, NY 10027
P: +1 212-854-2710