- Defining Corporate Purpose, ESG, and Stakeholder Governance
- Communicating with Investors on ESG
- Identifying, Assessing, and Mitigating ESG Risks
- Structuring Board Oversight of ESG
- Setting ESG Targets, Transition Planning, and Incentives
- Aligning Climate Lobbying with ESG Commitments
- Disclosing ESG Risks and Opportunities
ESG: Navigating the Board's Role Fall 2022
About the Course
From diversity to supply-chain due diligence to reducing carbon emissions, ESG cuts across vastly different corporate functions. As this course will reveal, ESG is not a discrete set of issues, but a powerful process for managing risk and leveraging business advantage.
With new regulations on climate disclosure on the horizon, and increasing attention from investors and other key stakeholders, there is pressure on board members to focus on ESG issues. But given its breadth, how to do so remains opaque. This course answers that challenge, pinpointing how corporate board members, whose legal duties and strategic roles are very different from management, can embed ESG into board operations.
Topics
This course is divided into seven modules:
Time Commitment
6-8 hours of self-paced work, plus optional live discussions and further resources
Course Components
• Lectures include theoretical underpinnings and practical insights from experts including investors, board members, corporate executives, lawyers and judges, academics, and leading NGOs.
• Curated Resources: For participants who want to delve deeper into each topic, this course offers a “venture further” section which includes industry reports, excerpts of academic paper, opinion pieces written by our expert guests and media articles.
• Written Reflections to stimulate discussion and debate.
• Live discussion forums to discuss relevant current events, share best practices and network.
• Office hours with Professor Amelia Miazad
• Certificate from Berkeley Law
Who Should Participate?
This course is designed for current and aspiring corporate directors, and for those who support corporate directors.
Testimonials
“Now more than ever, boards need to understand the intersection of ESG with business strategy and operations. Considering ESG goes beyond compliance; it's critical to financial success, to remaining competitive, and to being prepared for what's around the corner. This course is a key way for board members to get up to speed.”
– Suz Mac Cormac, Partner, Morrison & Foerster
“This course provides an excellent overview for all board members on the vocabulary and concepts that are increasingly critical for leading sustainable companies. Amelia and Veena offer thought leadership and inspire participants to consider both the risks and opportunities presented by broad ESG considerations.The group discussions were vibrant, and generated good ideas for deeper dives in future programs. Definitely a good investment of time for all board members.”
– Steven G. Hoch, Partner, Brown Advisory Former Board Member, Nestle SA
“Not only did this course have great content, but the format encouraged critical thinking around key points, offered maximum flexibility in time management and blended the best up-to-date thinking from different perspectives. I haven’t been able to find anything else this good.”
– Pat Biggers Director, Portfolio Manager, Lazard Asset Management Board of Trustees, Global Impact Funding Trust of Morgan Stanley
"In a packed arena of ESG offerings, this course really stood out to me. I've recommended it to all my boards, and I'm seeing a cascade effect as people are impacted by the course. As ESG continues to become a "must-have" rather than a "nice-to-have" for boards, this course provides an excellent overview with balanced and varied perspectives from leaders in the field."
– Susan Story,Lead Director, Raymond James Financial Board Director, Dominion Energy Board Director, Newmont Corporation Retired President, CEO and Board Director, American Water
“I highly recommend this course as it covers an array of ESG topics by providing substantive content and leveraging the perspectives of leaders in the field. The live discussion sessions allow directors to interact and share experiences on ESG matters.”
– Celeste Clark, Board Member, Wells Fargo
"I’ve been a practitioner of sustainability for a long time, but never a student. To be able to step back, see a fuller perspective and apply my experience to what I was learning through this course was really valuable. Investors are getting more sophisticated with ESG, and you need to be at the top of your game to succeed."
– John Replogle, former CEO, Seventh Generation
Have a question about the course? Contact us at esg-directors@law.berkeley.edu.