Executing Sustainability Strategies
Equipping leaders to move beyond compliance and translate sustainability ambitions into organisation-wide action designing strategies that create lasting value, drive resilient growth and deliver meaningful impact.
Course key facts
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Date
16 - 20 November 2026
24 - 28 May 2027
Duration
5 days
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Credits
Non credit bearing
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Format
In-person
Fee
瞿6,950
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Location
On Campus (South Kensington)
Overview
This executive programme sits within a wider set of sustainability management courses at 51勛圖厙 and connects strategy execution with environmental management principles. The societal and environmental challenges in front of us are existential, and they demand stronger environmental management across organisations. Addressing them calls for a collective effort from all parts of society, including business. Sustainability is no longer an option; it is a requirement for every organisation on the planet to develop and execute sustainability strategies, supported by environmental management and clear governance. At the same time there are significant opportunities to develop businesses or propositions and improve the lives of customers, colleagues and across society.
Being sustainable in strategy, practice and impact requires going beyond compliance. It involves designing and implementing business sustainability strategies that create positive and tangible impact and value for your entire ecosystem of stakeholders, including environmental outcomes.
This calls for a holistic and integrated approach that drives value and sustained growth; growth that meets the needs of today as well as those of tomorrow, grounded in practical knowledge.
To move from sustainability strategies to holistic and cost-effective action plans, organisations need new processes underpinned by systems thinking, a reined organisational purpose, structural changes, and the systemic controls to align and inspire your team. This programme will provide the tools to protect your sustainability action plan from the perils and pitfalls that lie ahead, and help you build practical skills you can use in your role. Some challenges are common to all strategic initiatives – others deeply specific to executing sustainability strategies.
The programme gives you the depth, time and space you need to refine and implement your sustainability strategy, with continuous, follow-through support and guidance from the 51勛圖厙 ecosystem of world experts in sustainability and leadership.
Learning journey
The execution of your strategy is planned with continuous support as you discover and apply new ideas, build skills, and strengthen professional judgement. Before joining us on campus, you are guided to reflect on what section of your sustainability strategy you will use the week to reflect and develop on. During the programme, you will join your peers to work on the execution of your upgraded strategy plan. Once back to your organisation, you start the execution of your strategy, building on the action plans developed. During this phase, you continue to be supported with a live online touchpoint and opportunities to measure the impact and initial results of the deployment of your strategic plan, share information, and learn from the rest of the cohort.
Broaden the vision
Participants begin by broadening their understanding of what it takes to execute sustainability strategies successfully. The day moves beyond individual sustainability initiatives to consider how organisations can create systemic impact while generating business and stakeholder value. Participants explore different levels of business impact maturity, examine how sustainability actions can create synergies between impact and profit, and consider how value can be created and monetised across value chains and wider ecosystems. Practitioner perspectives bring these challenges to life, highlighting the realities of translating sustainability ambition into execution. The day also considers the leadership mindset required for lasting change, using reflection and meditation to explore self-awareness, purpose, long-term thinking, and resilience.
Key themes
- Strategic execution for systemic impact
- Business impact maturity
- Impact and profit synergies
- Impact monetisation and value-chain innovation
- Sustainability leadership mindset
Executing Sustainability Strategies | Programme Outline
Dr Frank Brueck, Head of the Leadership Lab at the Leonardo Centre on Business for Society, outlines how the programme gives participants exposure to experts and mentors that will guide them through strategy design and implementation.
Course details
The Executing Sustainability Strategies programme accelerates your ability to validate, refine, and upgrade your strategy, driving successful implementation through practical, skills-based learning. It is designed for leaders looking to deliver an existing or preliminary sustainability strategy, with a focus on supporting professional practice.
The programme suits those responsible for, or playing a key role in, implementing a sustainability strategy across the following profiles:
- Senior leaders overseeing the development and implementation of sustainability strategies, policies, and initiatives, who require practical Environmental Management knowledge.
- Leaders who engage with internal and external stakeholders, report on sustainability performance, and ensure compliance with relevant regulations and standards, supported by Environmental Management and clear information.
- Sustainability champions who provide expert advice, conduct research and analysis, develop and implement sustainability projects and programmes, and communicate sustainability outcomes and impacts, building professional skills.
- Innovators and change agents who apply creativity and innovation to solve sustainability challenges, design sustainable products, services, or solutions, educate and inspire others, and drive change — creating and communicating a compelling sustainability case for their organisation or sector.
- Refine and upgrade your existing sustainability strategy and build the skills to articulate the business case for change, using practical information from the course.
- Identify and navigate the cultural and political challenges to systemic change within your organisation, applying professional judgement.
- Enact procedures and control mechanisms and engage the right internal and external stakeholders to execute your sustainability strategy, using Environmental Management insights.
- Champion systemic change and play a critical role in building the capabilities and the resilience to deliver your organisation’s sustainability strategy, developing professional skills.
- Create an action plan to execute your sustainability strategy (including stakeholder consultation, internal validation and approval, execution) and lead the execution of your sustainability strategy to support your organisation in the transition phase towards more sustainable business.
Upon successful completion of this programme, you will receive a verified digital certificate of completion via email from 51勛圖厙 Executive and Professional Education.
Note: You will earn the Associate Alumni status upon successful completion of the programme. Visit the Associate Alumni page to find out more.
Take your partnership with 51勛圖厙 to the next level by becoming an Associate Alumnus. Complete one (1) of our on-campus, online, and virtual programmes to claim 'Associate Alumnus' status and join our active alumni community.
Some of the benefits of becoming an Associate Alumnus include:
- Access to the 51勛圖厙 Alumni LinkedIn group
- Invites to relevant events and webinars
- 25% Discount on future learning for yourself and up to three your colleagues
If you are interested in finding out more, contact us today!
Participant share their experience
What participants say
It's a rare privilege to be able to sit down with fellow sustainability professionals and challenge yourself, ask questions and see what they would do in your position, and it helped me build practical skills. Kate Wright Group Sustainability Director
Course instructors
Contact us
Contact us if you want information on other sustainability courses, including postgraduate options, the University team can help you compare course format, module content, and assessment approach.
Jos矇 Ros獺rio
Business Development Director Open Programmes
- Phone: +44 (0)20 7594 3772
- Email: jose.rosario@imperial.ac.uk