About the Course

ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) principles are transforming the business and financial landscape. This 9-week, self-paced course offers you essential skills and insights to understand the fundamentals of ESG and how to apply them in a business or investor setting. This course has been created and taught by Nawar Alsaadi, a renowned sustainable business leader and ESG practitioner. *** An earlier version of this course was launched by Nawar Alsaadi on Linkedin on July 21st 2024. It quickly became a sustainability phenomenon leading to over 300,000 impressions, and 4000 engagements, by the time the course concluded on Sept 15th 2024.

What You Will Learn

  • Understand ESG foundations, origins, drivers, and its role in business and finance. Explore the ongoing fusion of business and sustainability.

  • Learn the fundamentals of ESG reporting, it’s evolution. Familiarize yourself with the most relevant ESG reporting and disclosure frameworks.

  • Learn how to integrate sustainability data, research and metrics in corporate strategy. And how to leverage ESG to create financial value and optimize risk and return.

  • Appreciate the intricacies of sustainability policy and regulations. Grasp the risks associated with Greenwashing.

Course Format

Multi-format approach to keep you engaged.

  • Videos

  • Readings

  • Case Studies

Course Curriculum

    1. Message from your Instructor

    2. Course Outline

    3. Before we get started

    1. Welcome to Week 1

    2. Intro to Week 1

    3. What is ESG? Explainer

    4. Introduction to ESG Principles

    5. Exploring the E, S and G in ESG

    6. Why does ESG matter?

    7. ESG Ratings Are Not What They Seem

    8. Finding Purpose and Managing Stakeholders: The New Story of Business

    9. Test your learnings

    1. Welcome to Week 2

    2. Intro to Week 2

    3. Environmental Factors Explainer by ED4S

    4. Environmental Factors in ESG

    5. Causes and Effects of Climate Change

    6. Environmental Factors Causes and Mitigation

    7. Net Zero Explained

    8. Can you reach net zero by 2050?

    9. Water sobriety, alternative sources and circular models

    10. Biodiversity Loss – The Hidden Threat to Our Economy

    11. The global movement to restore nature's biodiversity

    12. What is the just transition and what does it mean for climate action?

    13. BHP Climate Action Plan

    14. (Optional) Building a Nature-Positive Energy Transformation

    15. Test your learnings

    16. Week 2 Forum Discussion

    1. Welcome to Week 3

    2. Intro to Week 3

    3. Social Factors in ESG

    4. Social Factors Explainer

    5. ESG Social Factors

    6. The UN Global Compact

    7. Beyond Environmental Impact: The Case of Social in ESG

    8. What is diversity, equity, and inclusion?

    9. Deciphering the Value of S in ESG

    10. (Optional) Why businesses are measuring social factors as part of their ESG performance

    11. Test your learnings

    12. Week 3 Forum Discussion

    1. Welcome to Week 4

    2. Intro to Week 4

    3. Governance Factors in ESG

    4. Introduction to Corporate Governance

    5. From Insights To Action

    6. ICGN Global Governance Principles

    7. ESG Oversight – Interview with Barbara Berlin, Managing Director, PwC

    8. (Optional) Sustainability and ESG oversight: The Corporate Director’s Guide

    9. (Optional) Corporate governance and Company Performance

    10. (Deep Dive - Optional) Sustainability and Corporate Governance

    11. Test your learning

    12. Week 4 Forum Discussion

    1. Welcome to Week 5

    2. Intro to Week 5

    3. ESG Integration in Corporate Strategy

    4. Embedding Sustainability into the Core of Business Strategy

    5. How Your Corporate Strategy Can Deliver Both Growth and Sustainability

    6. Introduction to Functional Integration

    7. Integrating ESG Into Strategy

    8. Five Ways That ESG Creates Value

    9. Beyond Checking The Box - How to create business value with embedded sustainability

    10. How Apollo Equity Helps Drive Value Through Portfolio Company Decarbonization

    11. Sustainable Value Creation - Closing the gap between stated commitments and operational realities

    12. Test your learnings

    13. Week 5 Forum Discussion
  • Free
  • 117 lessons
  • Certificate of Pparticipation

Your Instructor

Instructor Nawar Alsaadi, SIPC, FSA

Nawar Alsaadi the CEO and Founder of Kanata Advisors, an ESG Fintech advisory firm based in Toronto, Canada. He is also the CEO and Co-founder, of KanataQ, the sustainability solutions hub. Prior to these roles, Nawar held several senior ESG-related positions, including Chief Impact Officer at ScopeFour Capital, Senior Portfolio Manager for ESG Investing at Canada Post Pension Plan, and Director of ESG Insights at NEI Investments, among other executive and advisory roles. Nawar holds a Master of Business Administration from the Questrom School of Business (Boston University). Additionally, he holds certifications in CFA ESG and CFA Climate, a Sustainable Investment Professional Certification (SIPC) from Concordia University, and an FSA Credential from the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB).

Earn Certificate of Participation

Earn Recognized CPD Credits

Training hours may qualify for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credits with professional development bodies.

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