Sustainability is Strategy

Either we have a Sustainable Business, or we will have No Business at all

 

Sustainability is now a decisive factor in competitiveness. It influences access to capital, risk assessment, talent management, and relationships with customers, investors, and other stakeholders. In a context of high global uncertainty, leaders face a central challenge: how to integrate sustainability into top strategic decisions.

Sustainability as Strategy is an executive program that prepares leaders to incorporate sustainability into the core of their business strategy, transforming it into a true driver of value creation and competitive advantage.

With a practical and experiential approach, the program combines experiential learning, case studies, real-life cases, role play, leadership expeditions, and sessions with Católica-Lisbon SBE professors, business leaders, and international lecturers, including John Elkington, faculty member and creator of the Triple Bottom Line - People, Profit and Planet, one of the most influential approaches to integrating sustainability into business strategy. Participants also develop a project applied to the context of their organization.

Throughout the program, participants join the Responsible Business Alumni Community - Champions Network, reinforcing their position as leaders capable of anticipating trends, influencing governance, and supporting informed strategic decisions.

 

Sustainability is not an option. It is the strategy.

Who is this program for:

• Heads of Sustainability, Social Responsibility Directors, ESG Executives, Environmental Advisors, Board Members, Founders, and C-level leaders seeking to align sustainability with business strategy and prepare their organizations for the post-2030 future.

• Ideal for those looking to strengthen sustainable leadership, integrate ESG into the core of the business, overcome internal resistance, measure sustainability ROI, and position their organizations for global transformation.

What makes this program transformational:

• Enables participants to identify and turn ESG risks and opportunities into concrete competitive advantages.

• Strengthens influence at top management level, including Board of Directors and investors.

• Provides the tools to integrate sustainability into core business strategy, aligning impact, financial performance, and value creation across areas such as strategy, marketing and communication, finance, and human resources.

• Positions participants as strategic leaders of sustainable transformation, prepared for global challenges and complex decision-making.

• Strengthens the strategic business case for sustainability investments and decisions, reinforcing its role in long-term competitiveness and success.

Program Structure

Discover the learning modules and unlock your full potential.
keyboard_arrow_up I. Immersive retreat: The fundamentals of a sustainable strategy (13h)
1)  Introduction: Why Sustainability as a Strategy in a Changing World?
2) The Strategy: Fundamentals of Sustainable Competitive Advantage
3) Sustainability as a business: arguments for future businesses
4) From Purpose to market leadership: How to define a strategy aligned with stakeholders? 
5) Sustainability reporting and due diligence: strategy or compliance?
6) How sustainable finance will change the business world
 
keyboard_arrow_up Leadership expedition (2h)
The importance of Responsible Leadership in a fractured world (3h)
keyboard_arrow_up Reality Immersion: Sharing Corporate Sustainability Best Practices (11.5h)
1) How to Define a Winning Sustainability Strategy (1.5h)
2) My Business Sustainability Strategy: Step-by-Step (Practical Workshop I) (2h)
3) Double Materiality: How to Develop and Leverage It for Strategy (1.5h)
4) Reality Immersion: Sharing Corporate Environmental Best Practices (1.5h)
5) Reality Immersion: Sharing Corporate Social Best Practices (1.5h)
6) How to Generate Business Through Sustainability: Practical Application (1.5h)
7) Innovation, Sustainability and AI (2h)
keyboard_arrow_up Accelerating Sustainability in My Business (7h)
1) How to "Sell" Sustainability Internally (2h)
2) My Business Sustainability Strategy: Step-by-Step (Practical Workshop II) (2h)
3) Governance as a Pillar of a Sustainable Business (3h)*
keyboard_arrow_up Leadership Expedition III (1h)
1) Technology and Sustainability: Far More Than a World of Artificial Intelligence (1h)
keyboard_arrow_up Future Trends (2.5h)
1) Future Trends and Sustainability – Forum with CEOs (2.5h)

Program Faculty

Nuno Moreira da Cruz

Nuno Moreira da Cruz

 

Program Director

 Filipa Pires de Almeida

Filipa Pires de Almeida

 

Program Director
John Elkington

John Elkington

 

Father of the Triple Bottom Line, CEO of Volans

 José Silva de Almeida

José Silva de Almeida

 

Mota-Engil, Sustainability and SHEQ Director

 Cláudia Coelho

Cláudia Coelho

 

PwC, Partner
António Baldaque da Silva

António Baldaque da Silva

 

Center for Sustainable Finance, Executive Director

 Margarida Ramalho

Margarida Ramalho

 

Director of the Future Ready CEO Academy

 Tiago Carrilho

Tiago Carrilho

 

BCSD, Head of Knowledge and Training
João Crispim

João Crispim

 

Grupo Casais, Head of Grants and Incentives

 Fernanda Torre

Fernanda Torre

 

CEO Next Agents, COO Boards Impact Forum

 Pedro Fonseca Pires

Pedro Fonseca Pires

 

Senior Manager, NTT DATA

What our Alumni say

Want to know more?

Contact the program manager:

E-mail: andreia.hidalgo@ucp.pt
Phone: +351 214 269 846 

Schedule a call