Gain a competitive edge with a practical guide to creating a sustainability strategy.
Environmental and social well-being concerns have gained progressively larger stakes in mainstream business practices around the world. The evolving needs of consumers, investors, regulators, and society means that prioritizing sustainability is no longer an option for organizations — it’s a business imperative.
The Corporate Sustainability Management: Risk, Profit, and Purpose online program equips leaders with the skills and knowledge to implement a sustainability strategy that not only addresses modern challenges but also benefits the bottom line. Join a network of like-minded professionals online as you discover practical tools and frameworks for driving and implementing a sustainability action plan in your organization.
The program draws on the expertise of Dr. Todd Cort as it explores the most important elements of building a purpose-driven corporate strategy, as well as the risks and opportunities sustainability presents for your business. Over six weeks, you’ll investigate real-world case studies and gain valuable insights from industry experts as you create a road map for integrating sustainability into your business’s future.

Program Dates
Registration closes: June 03, 2025
Start date: June 11, 2025
Program Details
Length: 6 weeks (excluding orientation)
Commitment: 8 - 10 hours per week
Fee: $2,800
Outcome: Discover how your business can benefit from sustainable solutions to minimize its environmental impact.
Yale SOM developed this program to be administered by our program collaborator, GetSmarter. Please direct all program-related inquiries, including questions about fees and registration, to GetSmarter.
The topics and content were truly informative and in some cases inspirational. The delivery and overall learning experience have been nothing short of brilliant. I have found myself quoting and using the lessons in my everyday business.
About the Program
What to Expect
- Illustrate the business imperative of sustainability
- Construct a multi-stakeholder materiality assessment and matrix
- Explore the utility and limitations of using accounting protocols to value sustainability risks and opportunities
- Develop a strategic business initiative to address the financial impact of sustainability risks and opportunities
- Decide which of the available sustainability frameworks, standards, and guidelines are most relevant and beneficial to your business
- Formulate implementation steps for a sustainability program, guided by experts
Who Should Attend
- Senior managers and executives responsible for providing strategic direction and building a competitive advantage in their business
- Sustainability, social, and environmental professionals responsible for related projects
- Risk management and business continuity specialists
- Business consultants and consultancy firms looking to better advise clients
- Public sector policymakers and regulators
Agenda
Modules are released on a weekly basis, and can be completed in your own time and at your own pace.
- Orientation module
- Module 1: The business imperative for sustainability
- Module 2: Multistakeholder risk assessment
- Module 3: Valuing sustainability risks and opportunities
- Module 4: Integrating sustainability into business strategy
- Module 5: Building your sustainability tool kit
- Module 6: Implementing a sustainability program
As a beginner in corporate ESG, I definitely recommend this course to future sustainability practitioners. The content was presented in a clear and structured way and I was always motivated to learn more. At the end of the course, I had a structured format to develop my own sustainability program and understood where to focus my career moving forward.
Faculty
Program Convener

Todd Cort
Senior Lecturer in Sustainability
Read the full bio
Todd is a Senior Lecturer in Sustainability at the Yale School of Management with a courtesy appointment at the Yale School of the Environment. He serves as Faculty Co-Director for the Yale Center for Business and the Environment (CBEY) and the Yale Initiative on Sustainable Finance (YISF) as well as Faculty Director of the Executive MBA Program in Sustainability. He serves on a variety of advisory boards including the JUST Capital Scientific Advisory Board, PRIME Coalition Academic Advisory Committee, and Merck Sustainability Advisory Committee. His research and teaching focus on ESG metrics and data and how that information is integrated into corporate and investment strategies.
Registration Information
Program Details
Registration closes: June 03, 2025
Program starts with orientation: June 11, 2025
There are no prerequisites for this program. Register to get started. Our online program collaborator, GetSmarter, will welcome you and guide you through the steps to secure your place in the program.
Program Fee Assistance
A program fee reduction of 15% is available for those working in the nonprofit or government sectors; Yale University alumni; small groups of 3-6; and those who have previously participated in a Yale Executive Education program with Yale SOM or 2U/GetSmarter.*
*Discounts cannot be combined.
This program does not qualify for veteran financial aid or veterans benefits at this time.
Program Collaborator
This program is presented entirely online in collaboration with leaders in digital education, GetSmarter, a 2U, Inc. brand. Technology meets academic rigor in GetSmarter’s people-mediated model, which enables lifelong learners across the globe to obtain industry-relevant skills that are certified by the world’s most reputable academic institutions. This interactive, supportive teaching model is designed for busy professionals and results in unprecedented certification rates for online programs.
View the Corporate Sustainability Management: Risk, Profit, and Purpose online program on the GetSmarter website.
Modules are released on a weekly basis and can be completed in your own time and at your own pace.