The UCL School of Management Executive Education team recently welcomed 22 senior leaders from Italian firm Leonardo to Level 50 of One Canada Square for the Sustainable Transformation of Business programme in partnership with SDA Bocconi. Specialising in aerospace, defence and security, Leonardo is making significant efforts to transform its company operations and improve sustainability. In total, more than 200 senior managers from Leonardo will complete the Sustainable Transformation of Business programme at UCL School of Management.
In today’s world, sustainable transformation is becoming increasingly crucial for corporations for a number of reasons, including increased consumer demand for sustainable business practices and introductions of governmental bodies that regulate and limit greenhouses gases. For Leonardo, sustainability is key and has been integrated into the company’s entire value chain.
The Sustainable Transformation of Business Executive Education programme is designed to help organisations understand the latest thinking on corporate sustainability and the business case for change. It can also help to showcase the value of sustainability on both cost and profits, while simultaneously helping businesses to develop an understanding of basic climate science and the challenges and opportunities associated with the circular economy and business decarbonisation.
UCL School of Management Professor and Centre for Sustainable Business Co-Director Paolo Taticchi opened the programme, before introducing Dr. Raphael Slade as our first Guest Speaker. Raphael is a Senior Research Fellow at Imperial College London, specialising in energy policy and technology. He is Head of Science for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and delivered a session to Leonardo’s senior management on the significance of climate science and decarbonisation.
The programme also welcomed Teresa Domenech Aparisi, an Associate Professor in Industrial Ecology and the Circular Economy at University College London’s Institute for Sustainable Resources. In her session, Teresa explored the circular economy and invited attendees to ask questions during a dedicated Q&A session. Finally, Day 1 also introduced Christophe Quiquempoix, Business Unit Procurement VP at Schneider Electric. On the day, Christophe reviewed the Schneider Electric Sustainability strategy and specifically explored the ways in which the company has been engaging, embedding and supporting their suppliers into more sustainable operations.
Day 2 of the programme specifically focused on equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives and began with a session hosted by UCL School of Management Associate Professor and EDI Lead Raina Brands. Raina discusses the ways in which leaders can assess their EDI and weave them into organisational systems and practices.
Guest Speaker and Volatility & Risk Institute Advisory Board Member Cristiano Zazzara also delivered a session on the links between financial performance and ESG performance before discussing the latest trends in sustainable finance. Finally, Paolo Taticchi shared a lengthy workshop designed to help organisations accelerate change within both the company and their senior leadership teams. This was followed by a fireside chat with Guest Speaker Virginia Stagni, Chief Marketing Officer at The Adecco Group Italy.
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