Today’s executive boards face unprecedented challenges, from the global pandemic and its economic fallout to civil unrest, cybersecurity threats and growing calls for greater diversity and inclusion. 

A number of business schools have responded by launching a wide array of executive education courses in governance over the years. They cover a variety of topics such as role defining, succession planning, board appointments and how to raise organizational performance.  Participants emerge better equipped to tackle the issues raised by the COVID-19 crisis. 

The best executive courses in governance take an in-depth look at all aspects of corporate governance including the legal and regulatory frameworks as well as the behavioral and psychological issues. A key element is peer learning from an experienced group of participants who are current, emerging or veteran board members and executives. 

The programs are highly interactive with participants developing the skills and insights to serve effectively — and how to apply them in practice. The aim for many governance courses is to strengthen financial return, enterprise risk management and governance diversity. 

Some of the courses focus on digital transformation, and how participants can evaluate opportunities and threats for their companies. Others focus on emerging issues such as CEO succession plans, shareholder activism, cyber risk, diversity and inclusion. Many executive courses in governance will also explore ethics, while sustainability and regulation are also key themes. 

Sustainable investing is an increasingly hot topic in the financial community. With global environment and social challenges so numerous and so pressing, and with millennials participating more in the markets, there is a huge shift towards ESG (environmental, social and governance) investing. However, there is still a great deal of uncertainty in this area.

As investors shift their focus towards investments that minimize the risks and maximise the opportunities, it has become more important to stay up to date in this novel sector. A number of business schools with strong reputations for finance have started to offer executive education programs in sustainable finance and ESG investing, however course options remain limited, which reflects the burgeoning and fast-changing nature of the field.

The programs cover the foundational knowledge and key concepts and strategies in sustainable investing, in addition to providing insights on the latest market developments and real-world examples that illustrate emerging best practices. Participants will learn the associated investment risks and opportunities across different classes of assets, and learn how to measure and assess their impact.

The courses are taught not just by academics but leading experts from financial institutions. They are highly practical in nature, with participants strengthening their creative problem solving skills through case studies. The executives are also given the opportunity to work on a personal workplace project, so they leave ready to put the academic theory to work in the markets.