What does sustainability actually mean for those who lead organisations, and for those in the boardroom? This course helps you with understanding sustainability, the science, the politics, the legal obligations, and the trends.

Course overview

Putting sustainability into practice

Sustainability is harder to put into practice than most businesspeople imagine. The idea is simple on the surface: it’s about meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. But how can strategic leaders and decision-makers do this, while retaining the support of key stakeholders and maintaining momentum? How can sustainability be brought into the boardroom – and into day-to-day leadership conversations – in a way that supports the long-term success of the organisation?

The course ‘Integrated Sustainability in the Boardroom’ addresses the realities of ‘doing’ sustainability, recognising and reconciling demands for increased ROI with the need for all organisations to cut emissions, reduce waste, save energy, and protect biodiversity.

What you’ll learn

During your time on the course, you’ll build a practical grasp of what sustainability means for your organisation - so you can ask better questions, make sound decisions, and lead with confidence.

You’ll assess the business impact of climate, nature, and biodiversity across markets, supply chains, and resilience, and clarify what sustainability means for your organisation.

You'll learn how to engage stakeholders effectively and balance competing expectations, whilst communicating with credibility and avoiding greenwashing.

You’ll also connect sustainability to business decisions and governance and build a solid board-level case for why sustainability in the boardroom matters now for business.

Throughout, discussions stay grounded in the realities of running an organisation—helping you identify actions that are both meaningful and achievable.

Why Sustainability in the Boardroom matters now for organisations

Sustainability matters in the boardroom now more than ever, as many organisations continue to significantly underestimate the material risks posed by climate change and biodiversity loss. By understanding how sustainability issues impact your sector, you can help your organisation to strengthen resilience and make better-informed strategic decisions. In turn, robust sustainability planning will create clear opportunities for long-term organisational success.

Who should attend

Sustainability in the Boardroom is for anybody who is making decisions about strategy, business development, business continuity, or risk. It's for investment managers, heads of procurement, CEOs, communications leaders, decision makers, finance heads, supply chain managers, board directors, and those reporting to and engaging with the board.

How you’ll learn

This is an MBA-level online course delivered online over 12 weeks (approximately 100 effort hours), blending expert teaching with practical application. Across eight sessions you’ll engage with video lectures, short exercises, and interactive case discussions that bring the concepts to life.

You will be joining an existing Online MBA cohort, which provides an excellent opportunity for networking and idea exchange. Faculty-led live tutorial peer discussion will help you test ideas against other industries and sectors.

Online tutorials are typically scheduled from 12-2pm on weekdays, with final scheduling confirmed within eight weeks of the course start date. During each tutorial, you’ll have the opportunity to review the learning to date and to consider and discuss specific cases or exercises with your fellow students.

Assessment and certification

The learning is anchored by a formal assignment designed to be genuinely useful: you’ll act as an internal consultant within your current organisation or one of your choice, focusing on strategic issues related to the organisation’s interplay with the natural environment. You will be tasked with preparing a comprehensive report for the Board of Directors on the short-, medium-, and long-term impacts of a chosen sustainability challenge. Your report will outline the risks this challenge poses and identify any shortcomings within the organisation's current capacity to address long-term sustainability.

Your report will provide actionable recommendations to help the Board to make the organisation more resilient, giving you a piece of work you can take back to your organisation and build on.

Successful completion earns you a University of Edinburgh Business School certificate, plus 10 Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF credits), equivalent to 5 European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) credits. These credits can be put towards the University of Edinburgh MBA or Online MBA.

Course impact

By the end of this course, you’ll be equipped with the skills and confidence to make strategic sustainability decisions for your organisation. You will be able to:

  • Understand how the science of carbon, nature, and biodiversity relates to business activities
  • Know where emissions and ecosystem degradation happen within the value chain, to better understand what activities cause, and what interventions can improve, environmental outcomes
  • Appraise the impact of climate and nature on your organisation
  • Identify the KPIs of stakeholders and connect these with an organisational sustainability agenda.

Course lead - Dr Bernice Maxton-Lee

Headshot of Dr Bernice Maxton-Lee

Dr Maxton-Lee is Executive Education Lecturer in Sustainability and Climate Change at the University of Edinburgh Business School’s Centre for Business, Climate Change and Sustainability, which is spearheading research and teaching on the corporate sustainability transition.

In a 20-year career spanning business and academia she has won awards and accolades for her teaching and research, consulting for The Economist, the United Nations, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich), and the Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturing company TSMC. With deep experience managing multi-stakeholder, multi-sectoral projects in business and sustainability in Asia and Europe, she specialises in bridging the communications gap between science, research, and business, across diverse cultures.

Dr Maxton-Lee is the author of two books on sustainability, biodiversity, and climate change, has presented to business and academic audiences globally on the sustainability transition, and is a frequent guest on BBC radio and television.

Course dates

2 September 2026 – 25 November 2026

Course fees

£2000

Case study

Learn how David Keir and his colleagues from Dundas Global Investors used our training to develop a company-wide strategy.

Executive Education | Developing a whole team climate strategy at Dundas Global Investors

David Keir from Dundas Global Investors discusses how collaborating with the Business School engaged his whole team in developing a company-wide climate strategy.

Application terms

Applications are accepted until 5pm UK time on Tuesday 18 August 2026.

Our participants typically hold a 2:1 honours degree or higher. We do, however, take a holistic view of every application. If your academic background does not meet these specific criteria, your application may still be considered if supported by a good professional track record.

Successful applicants must also evidence a minimum of three years’ management experience.

Before applying, please ensure you have gathered all the required supporting documents, including a CV and your sponsor letter (if applicable). For further details, please see the application form.

Cancellation requests must be received by 9am on Wednesday 9 September 2026 to qualify for a full refund. After this date, a refund will no longer be possible.

For more information about this course, please email us: executive@business-school.ed.ac.uk