Sustainability Governance for Directors Training Course

Participants can design governance structures that assign sustainability responsibilities across the organisation.

• Board, committee and executive responsibilities mapped through a RACI matrix
• Terms of reference for sustainability, audit, risk and remuneration committees
• Delegated authority limits for targets, disclosures and capital commitments
• Management steering committees linked to board reporting and escalation routes
• Three lines model applied to sustainability risk ownership and assurance
• Governance charters specifying decision rights, meeting cadence and evidence requirements

Participants can oversee a defensible process for identifying material sustainability matters.

• Double materiality distinguishes enterprise value effects from outward impacts
• Materiality assessment stages: scope, evidence, scoring, validation and approval
• Stakeholder mapping identifies affected groups, rights holders and decision makers
• Impact materiality assessed by scale, scope, irremediability and likelihood
• Financial materiality assessed through magnitude and likelihood of effects
• Board challenge questions for materiality thresholds, evidence quality and omissions

Participants can connect sustainability oversight to strategic choices and business model resilience.

• Business model dependencies on energy, water, labour and natural resources
• Value chain mapping identifies upstream, operations and downstream sustainability exposures
• Strategic options assessed through revenue, cost, resilience and licence-to-operate effects
• Scenario assumptions tested against market demand, regulation and technology change
• Capital allocation decisions linked to stated sustainability priorities and targets
• Board strategy papers distinguish commitments, operating plans and investment cases

Participants can oversee climate-related risk identification, assessment and board reporting.

• Physical and transition risks classified within the enterprise risk taxonomy
• Climate scenarios test asset exposure, demand shifts and policy sensitivity
• Risk appetite statements set tolerances for climate-related financial exposures
• TCFD governance concepts applied to board reporting and oversight
• Climate risk registers identify owners, controls, indicators and escalation triggers
• Board papers separate baseline risk, residual risk and management response

Participants can identify nature-related issues requiring board attention and governance action.

• TNFD LEAP approach identifies nature-related dependencies, impacts, risks and opportunities
• Location-specific screening identifies sensitive ecosystems and priority operating sites
• Nature dependencies assessed across water, land, pollination and ecosystem services
• Deforestation, land conversion and biodiversity commitments tested for credibility
• Supplier sourcing controls address commodity traceability and ecosystem impacts
• Board oversight indicators track nature commitments, incidents and remediation actions

Participants can oversee human rights due diligence and remediation governance.

• UN Guiding Principles structure corporate human rights due diligence
• Salient human rights issues prioritised by severity and likelihood
• Value chain assessments address labour, community and indigenous rights impacts
• Grievance mechanisms tested for accessibility, confidentiality and remedy effectiveness
• Remediation governance assigns authority, funding and board escalation thresholds
• Modern slavery statements tested against evidence, controls and supplier actions

Participants can scrutinise emissions inventories, targets and data governance arrangements.

• GHG Protocol scopes define direct, energy and value-chain emissions
• Organisational boundaries set using equity share or control approaches
• Scope 3 categories prioritised through screening and primary data plans
• Emissions baselines documented with recalculation policies and change controls
• Data owners, calculation methods and evidence trails support reporting assurance
• Board challenge tests target coverage, assumptions and dependency on offsets

Participants can assess whether sustainability targets and transition plans are credible and governable.

• Science-based target design links boundaries, baselines, milestones and accountability
• Transition plans connect strategic actions, capital expenditure and expected outcomes
• Decarbonisation pathways distinguish operational reductions, procurement and portfolio change
• Carbon credits assessed through quality criteria, claims rules and residual emissions
• Executive remuneration metrics tested for relevance, measurability and unintended incentives
• Milestone dashboards identify delivery gaps, decision points and corrective actions

Participants can establish governance for reliable sustainability data and internal controls.

• Data governance assigns owners, definitions, systems and approval responsibilities
• Control matrices link disclosure metrics to risks, controls and evidence
• Management attestations document accountability for reported sustainability information
• Internal audit plans test data controls, governance design and implementation
• Error correction protocols define materiality thresholds, notification and restatement decisions
• Audit committee reporting tracks control deficiencies and remediation progress

Participants can compare major reporting requirements and direct proportionate disclosure preparation.

• IFRS S1 establishes general requirements for sustainability-related financial disclosures
• IFRS S2 specifies climate-related disclosure requirements and industry-based metrics
• GRI Standards focus on material impacts affecting economy, environment and people
• ESRS applies double materiality across environmental, social and governance topics
• Reporting boundary decisions reconcile subsidiaries, associates and value-chain information
• Disclosure gap analyses prioritise governance, strategy, risk and metric deficiencies

Participants can oversee assurance readiness and approval of sustainability disclosures.

• Limited assurance and reasonable assurance differ in evidence and testing depth
• Assurance readiness assessments identify documentation, controls and data weaknesses
• Material misstatement risks assessed for narratives, estimates and quantitative metrics
• External assurance provider independence considered by the audit committee
• Disclosure sign-off workflows assign management certification and board approval
• Post-publication monitoring identifies corrections, stakeholder feedback and regulatory inquiries

Participants can integrate sustainability matters into enterprise risk management and resilience planning.

• Enterprise risk management integrates sustainability risks into existing risk categories
• Risk velocity identifies issues capable of rapid financial or reputational escalation
• Bow-tie analysis maps causes, preventive controls, consequences and recovery controls
• Key risk indicators trigger management action before board tolerance breaches
• Business continuity plans address climate events, supplier disruption and community impacts
• Risk committee dashboards connect sustainability exposures with strategic risk appetite

Participants can oversee sustainability expectations, controls and performance across supply chains.

• Supplier segmentation prioritises critical spend, risk concentration and strategic dependencies
• Supplier codes set environmental, labour, ethics and grievance expectations
• Due diligence questionnaires test policies, practices, evidence and corrective actions
• Contract clauses establish audit rights, data requirements and remediation duties
• Procurement scorecards balance cost, quality, resilience and sustainability performance
• Board reporting highlights supplier incidents, dependency risks and corrective actions

Participants can specify concise board reporting that supports informed sustainability decisions.

• Board dashboards combine leading indicators, outcome metrics and decision requests
• Decision-useful reporting distinguishes information, recommendations and required approvals
• Materiality filters prevent board packs from becoming operational status reports
• Traffic-light ratings supported by thresholds, evidence and trend explanations
• Exception reporting escalates missed targets, control failures and stakeholder incidents
• Board minutes record challenge, alternatives considered and approved actions

Participants can apply structured challenge techniques during sustainability-related board discussions.

• Socratic questioning exposes assumptions, evidence gaps and unexamined trade-offs
• Pre-mortem analysis identifies plausible failure modes before major commitments
• Red-team review challenges transition plans, claims and disclosure narratives
• Cognitive bias checks address optimism, groupthink, anchoring and confirmation bias
• Constructive dissent recorded without undermining collective board responsibility
• Chair techniques balance scrutiny, time discipline and inclusive participation

Participants can govern sustainability communications and reduce misleading claim risk.

• Green claims substantiation requires specific evidence, boundaries and qualification statements
• Consistency checks align annual reports, marketing, investor materials and public commitments
• Stakeholder engagement plans define audiences, objectives, channels and response ownership
• Crisis communication protocols address sustainability incidents, allegations and corrective actions
• Reputational risk assessments test claim credibility against operational performance
• Board approval criteria distinguish strategic commitments from promotional statements

Participants can create a phased roadmap for improving sustainability governance and oversight.

• Maturity assessments benchmark governance, data, reporting, risk and assurance capabilities
• Gap prioritisation considers regulatory deadlines, risk exposure and resource requirements
• Ninety-day actions establish accountability, baseline evidence and immediate controls
• Implementation roadmaps sequence policy changes, systems, training and committee decisions
• Change management identifies sponsors, resistance points and communication requirements
• Progress reviews use milestones, owners, dependencies and board escalation criteria

Participants can build, review and present a complete board-ready sustainability governance pack.

• Board mandate defines oversight scope, committee roles and delegated authorities
• Materiality findings prioritise sustainability matters using documented evidence and thresholds
• Risk dashboard presents climate, nature, human rights and supply-chain exposures
• Transition plan review tests targets, financing, milestones and accountability
• Reporting control checklist identifies assurance readiness and disclosure approval requirements
• Implementation roadmap sets board actions, management owners and review dates