Sustainable Finance

The Geneva School of Business Administration (Haute école de gestion Genève – HEG) of the HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland is offering the first online Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) in Sustainable Finance (12 ECTS) to help finance professionals seize growing opportunities offered by responsible investment.

Programme overview

Training in Sustainable Finance

Registration for the 2022-2023 session is open.
Next programme starts 12 September 2022

Presentation flyer

Today, responsible investment represents more than 25% of all professionally managed assets, according to the Global Sustainable Investment Review. For finance professionals, sustainability represents new opportunities in terms of jobs and markets. It is also a source of innovation in financial products and services. The interest for sustainable finance is increasing rapidly among private investors (millennials), as well as among institutional investors.

Designed by professionals for professionals, this programme is mainly organized through online teaching in English and it is well grounded in the Swiss tradition of excellence. Seasoned sustainable finance experts from the financial, banking, international organisations and academic domains have contributed to this CAS. A final week in Geneva is devoted to networking, live presentations, discussions and visits at expert organisations, enabling participants to dive into the rich local sustainability ecosystem.

The CAS Sustainable Finance is targeting a local and international audience of finance professionals willing to take the next turn in their career by mastering the theory and practice of this growing field: financial analysts, portfolio managers, independent wealth managers, client advisors, and junior ESG analysts.

Training

The structure of the CAS Sustainable Finance combines theory, concepts, industry expert interviews, and practical exercises, and is supported by mandatory and optional readings in addition to video material and tests. The practical dimension of this programme will allow participants to endorse different roles relevant to a full responsible investment process.

For example, students will act as the CEO of a bank and as an asset owner defining their values and investment guidelines. They will also play the role of an analyst defining ESG criteria and applying the guidelines, and of an asset manager in charge of selecting the right investment funds.

As virtual shareholders, students will exercise their voting rights and engage with companies on certain themes. Finally, participants will discuss the steps of their investment process during the last week of the course in Geneva.

Experts from the following organisations have been interviewed for this course: Conser Invest, de Pury Pictet Turrettini & Cie, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), ethos, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Impact Finance Management S.A., International Labour Organization, Lombard Odier, Nest Fondation collective, Oberson Abels, PeaceNexus Foundation, Pictet & Cie SA, Quadia, SGS, Sustainable Finance Geneva, Swiss Sustainable Finance, Symbiotics, UNEP Finance Initiative, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG), University of Oxford, and University of Geneva.

Learning outcomes

This course will enable participants to understand the drivers and characteristics of the sustainable finance movement and to build their own responsible investment strategy whether it be as a corporate actor, an investor, an asset manager, or as an active shareholder.

At the end of the programme, the participant is able to:

Justify why sustainability is relevant to the financial sector
Combine the constraints of risk, return, and impact
Conduct ESG analyses and select responsible investment products
Understand active ownership and engage with companies on sustainability issues
Report on a full responsible investment process

Recognized as Best Pedagogical Innovation at the FIR-PRI Finance & Sustainability Awards 2019

Programme

The CAS Sustainable Finance will be open for 26 weeks: students will have 25 weeks maximum to follow the 9 steps of the online education part of the programme, from 12 September 2022 to 24 March 2023; the programme includes four days in Geneva, 23 September 2022 (kick-off meeting) and from 15 to 17 February 2023.

Online

Step 1: Sustainability and you - From capitalism to sustainable development
Step 2: Be a bank CEO - Sustainability, business & finance
Step 3: Define your investment charter - The role of asset owners
Step 4: Set practical investment guidelines - ESG criteria
Step 5: Implement ESG assessments - Responsible investment
Step 6: Submit an investment idea - SDG, thematic and impact investing
Step 7: Select the right funds - Responsible investment process
Step 8: Be an active shareholder - Corporate governance & engagement
Step 10: Formulate your investment process - Walking the path of sustainable finance

In Geneva

Kick-off meeting 23 September 2022
Step 9: Meet Geneva experts’ sustainability ecosystem - Recent developments in sustainable finance 15 to 17 February 2023

Programme 2022-2023

Brochure 2022-2023

Organisation

Director

Antoine Mach

Co-founder and managing partner of Covalence SA, a Geneva-based company specialized in Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) ratings, founded in 2001. He co-founded Sustainable Finance Geneva.

Educational design

Jean Laville

Partner at Conser Invest, an independent consultancy firm dedicated to sustainable finance. He is also Deputy Director of Swiss Sustainable Finance, an association promoting sustainable finance in Switzerland.

Facilitator

Kookie Habtegaber

She is a development economist. Her main focus has been on the interface between economic development, environmental risks and sustainable finance. Most recently Kookie served as the global lead for WWF’s green economy work.

Applications

Applications should be submitted to the HEG Executive education office no later than 5 September 2022.

Applications will be treated on a «first-come first-served» basis and will be restricted for pedagogical reasons. In addition to the signed application form, the application must include the followings: curriculum vitae, recent picture, copy of highest diploma, and motivation letter.

For the complete programme (distance learning & Geneva on-site classes): the programme fee is CHF 6’000.-. It does not include potential travel and hotel expenses in Geneva.

For the distance learning ONLY (steps 1-9): the programme fee is CHF 4’000.-.

To register for the complete programme, please use the following online link:

Online registration

To register for the distance learning ONLY, please download the registration form below:

Registration form

News & Media

The program management shares its news, publications, conferences and media publications on the themes of Sustainable Finance training for the general public.