The CSR School – a specialized sustainability training program for professionals initiated in 2019 by CSR Hellas – returned for its second year, in collaboration with The American College of Greece and the University of Crete.
Adapting to the current circumstances and following the guidelines for the Covid-19 pandemic, the program on Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability was offered exclusively online, from November 5 – December 5, 2020. The training program on Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability followed last year’s successful inaugural program, which took place at the premises of The American College of Greece.
Aiming at highlighting the importance of corporate responsibility and providing advanced training on the identification of sustainability-related business opportunities and the inclusion of responsibility in the core of one’s business strategy, CSR Hellas, Alba Graduate Business School, The American College of Greece and the University of Crete, organized the CSR School for the second consecutive year, with the support of the ACG Center of Excellence for Sustainability and the Alba Executive Development.
After twelve webinars, seven weeks and a total of 48 hours of virtual learning, the program has completed its course, with 64 alumni from a diverse mix of professional fields, such as Finance & Banking, Communication, IT, and graduate students, from Greece and abroad, added to the program’s growing alumni base. During the 12-part Webinar series, the participants attended lectures by distinguished academic faculty members from educational institutions and organizations, such as the Wharton School – University of Pennsylvania, Alba Graduate Business School at The American College of Greece, University of London, and OECD, discussed relevant case studies, learned about best practices that have been implemented by seasoned senior professionals from organizations such as TITAN Cement Group, Epson Europe, European Investment Bank, and APIVITA S.A., and exchanged views and thoughts around the incorporation of relevant theory into the CSR initiatives of their own organization.
The CSR School participants were guided through an interactive sustainability educational journey, delving into the exploration of a wide range of issues such as ethical leadership, the SDGs, sustainable value creation, responsible governance, circular economy, the environmental impact of consumer attitudes and choices as well as waste management techniques, ESG methodologies, the importance of non-financial reporting, employees and CSR with an emphasis on the pandemic and post-pandemic era, the transformation of supply chains into sustainable ones, the connection between CSR and the environment with a focus on climate change-related risks to business continuity, sustainable finance and responsible banking, capital markets, and the tools for implementing a successful CSR strategy through theoretical frameworks and hands-on practical models and case studies.
This initiative, which is the first full-fledged collaboration between a public and a private university and a business network in Greece, is set to continue in 2021. Stay tuned for all the relevant information about the third training program via the official website.