Identifying priorities, risks and opportunities for long-term organisational value

This module provides participants with a structured approach to assessing their organisation's sustainability maturity and identifying the issues that are most critical to long-term business success. Using internationally recognised frameworks, including the UN Global Compact framework alongside practical diagnostic tools, participants will explore how sustainability intersects with organisational strategy, governance, operations and stakeholder expectations. By the end of the session, participants will have identified their organisation's priority sustainability challenges and opportunities and established a clear foundation for future strategic action.

Course Description

Learning outcomes

• Assess the strategic sustainability landscape affecting their organisation.
• Identify the environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues most material to business performance and long-term value creation.
• Evaluate organisational strengths, gaps and emerging risks against industry expectations and stakeholder priorities.
• Prioritise sustainability initiatives that support resilience, innovation, operational excellence and competitive advantage.
• Develop a clear strategic roadmap for embedding sustainability across the organisation.

   

  Session Content

   

  Part 1: Strategic Sustainability Assessment

  • Assessing organisational sustainability maturity.
  • Identifying internal and external drivers of sustainability, including regulation, investor expectations, customers, employees and supply chains.
  • Exploring the relationship between sustainability, resilience, innovation and long-term value creation.

   

  Part 2: Materiality and Gap Analysis

   

  • Identifying the sustainability issues that are most material to organisational success.
  • Assessing current organisational capabilities, governance arrangements and existing initiatives.
  • Identifying strategic gaps, business risks and opportunities.
  • Prioritising actions based on organisational impact, feasibility and strategic importance.

   

  Executive Deliverable

   

  Participants will produce a Strategic Sustainability Assessment comprising:

   

  • A prioritised materiality matrix highlighting key sustainability issues.
  • A strategic gap analysis identifying risks and capability gaps.
  • A prioritised action roadmap outlining immediate, medium-term and longer-term priorities for embedding sustainability across the organisation.

• 3 hours in person training at the Centre for Training for Authorities and Leaders (CIFAL) and the University of Surrey
• 1 hour online ‘accountability and implementation’ follow-up session, 30 days after the module
• Permanent access to the learning materials
• Ongoing support through the CIFAL Surrey exclusive SMEs sustainability peer-to-peer learning group
• UNITAR certificate for professional development, upon successful completion of the module
• Access to a calendar of events held by CIFAL Surrey and the Institute for Sustainability at the University of Surrey
• Access to further consultancy, support, and co-designed bespoke training (on-demand).