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ESG Reporting and the Annual Report: What Directors Need to Know
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Advance your ESG expertise. Future-proof your board.
Join Professor Simon Haslam CDir and guests as they unpack the essentials of sustainability and how directors can be part of the solution.
Simon will take you through:
1. The Governance Agenda
2. The Net Zero Agenda
3. The Wider Environment Agenda
4. The Social Agenda
What you’ll get:
Before booking, check to see if your eligible to apply for funding through our partnership with Sustainable Finance Skillnet. Eligible candidates can be funded 20% of the cost of the programme. Limited places available for funding. Email skills@isfcoe.org for more information.
Note: Booking for this programme via Skillnet cannot be facilitated until January 2025.
What people are saying
“This ESG Short programme attracted me with its offer of focus on ‘what directors need to know and how to do it’ on the topical area of Leading on Sustainability. It delivered on its claim – through presentations by experts on the key aspects of the ESG agenda - Governance, Net Zero, wider Environment and Social, engaging discussions and practical guidance - including checklists and reference materials. As a result I have the tools that will support me in constructive, informed and challenging strategic discussions on the many aspects of ESG. Thanks to all involved in the design and delivery of the workshop and to the other course participants."
Elaine Byrne CDir, Central Bank of Ireland
“This programme provided clear guidelines on the expectations and requirements of our business going forward and has enabled us to develop a framework policy centrally that we can now roll out to our individual business units. Thank you."
Charlie Sheil, Windward Management
“Excellent overview short programme. A lot of material covered. Great guest speakers."
Eileen Lee, PM Group
“The short programme content was comprehensive and up to date, the presenters communicated well and engaged with attendees, the guest speakers were excellent and their stories and experience were helpful. The online format and the 2 weeks interval between sessions work perfectly. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I have no hesitation in recommending this course to others.”
Micheál Ó Conghaile, MUFG Investor Services
"This short programme was very interesting and thought provoking throughout. It was very good at highlighting the significant opportunities emerging from the Global Sustainability Challenges for Businesses."
Enda Devine, IPB Insurance
“Great introductory short programme for Board Directors on what sustainability is and how to get started."
Stanley Buckley, FSW Coatings Ltd
There are 4 morning sessions held from 9:00 am – 12:30 pm.
1. The Governance Agenda: The Board’s Role and Actions.
Monday, 29th September 2025.
9:00 am to 12:30 pm.
Guest speaker to be announced.
2. The Net Zero Agenda: The Board’s Role and Actions.
Monday, 20th October 2025.
9:00 am to 12:30 pm.
Guest speaker to be announced.
3. The Wider Environment Agenda: The Board’s Role and Actions.
Monday, 3rd November 2025.
9:00 am to 12:30 pm.
Guest speaker to be announced.
4. The Social Agenda: The Board’s Role and Actions.
Tuesday, 2nd December 2025.
9:00 am to 12:30 pm.
Guest speaker to be announced.
Session one - The Governance Agenda: The Board’s Role and Actions
Explore the growing importance of sustainability in the context of directors’ duties and the board’s role. Gain insight into the 17 elements of the sustainability agenda, the growth of movements such as ESG, and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and how these provide the foundation for a viable strategy.
What we’ll cover:
Session two - The Net Zero Agenda: The Board’s Role and Actions
Discover the net zero perspective for boards. Understand what carbon footprinting is, how to do it, and how to create a strategy to become more carbon-neutral in the future.
What we’ll cover:
Session three - The Wider Environment Agenda: The Board’s Role
Understand the wider environmental perspective for boards. Unpack the implication of concepts such as materiality, examine the circular economy and explore opportunities around re-designing business models.
What we’ll cover:
Session four - The Social Agenda: The Board’s Role
Investigate the board’s role as it relates to the social agenda. You’ll gain insight into stakeholder ramifications, where to focus and how to generate buy-in.
What we’ll cover:
Chartered Director
Introducing Simon Haslam CDir
The strategic mind behind FMR Research Ltd. and the Consulting Mastered platform.
As a Chartered Director (CDir), Simon drives IoD Ireland’s Chartered Director Programme on strategy and is the Programme Lead for Strategy at the Institute of Directors UK.
Armed with an MBA from Durham University Business School, a PhD from Strathclyde Business School, and two decades of consulting experience in Ireland, Simon brings a wealth of knowledge and wisdom to our workshops. This, alongside his role as a non-executive chairman in the transport industry, adds real-world insight, enriching his ability to share practical learnings with workshop attendees.
Simon is also co-author of the book ‘Strategic Decision Making: A Discovery-Led Approach to Critical Choices in Turbulent Times’ and is a visiting professor at Durham where he leads the Strategic Management module of its Global MBA programme.
Is this eligible for CPD?
Dimension covered: Technical Skills and Knowledge
Eligible hours: 12 hours of Chartered Director CPD
This session may be eligible for other professional body CPD. Check with your relevant professional body.
What is the cost?
To attend all four sessions:
IoD members - €1,545
Non-members - €2,050
It is not possible to book individual sessions, booking is paid for as a whole.
Cancellation and refund policy
Places are confirmed upon full payment. Cancellations with a full refund are accepted in writing to cpd@iodireland.ie until Tuesday, 23rd September 2025. After this date, no refunds are possible, and all fees are forfeited for cancellations or non-attendance. Please note this virtual but live and interactive series requires live online attendance at each session. Unfortunately, recordings will not be available as part of post-session materials.
Group bookings
Contact the IoD Ireland Learning and Education team on cpd@iodireland.ie or phone +353 1 411 0010.
How do I attend?
To reserve your space, book and pay through the “Book now” button.
Once registered, we’ll send an email to confirm your booking.
We'll also send a reminder email with a link to access the session closer to the date. You must click the link and confirm your details to receive the direct link to join the workshop.
The event will take place on Zoom. Download Zoom if you don’t have it already. Please ensure you have a working microphone and camera to take part in our interactive workshop.
Want to connect with fellow workshop participants?
All workshop attendees will receive a list of all other workshop participants in advance of the session. This will include name, job title and organisation. If you have any queries around this please contact the Learning and Education team.
For GDPR reasons, we cannot provide contact details on the attendee list.
Questions?
For any IoD Ireland Learning and Education Programme queries, email cpd@iodireland.ie or call +3531 411 0010.
IoD Ireland is delighted to partner with Sustainable Finance Skillnet to offer funding for this Programme. Eligible candidates can be funded 20% of the cost of this Programme. This will reduce the cost from €1545 to €1236 (for IoD members) and €2050 to €1640 (for IoD non members).
Note: Booking for this programme via Skillnet cannot be facilitated until January 2025.
Eligibility
To be eligible to receive this special price, candidates must meet the following criteria:
Application Process
To submit your application for this funding all candidates must submit an expression of interest directly with Sustainable Finance Skillnet. This process will ask for your name, employer name and email address. Please note no funding applications will be processed by IoD Ireland.
Once the expression of interest form is submitted, a member of SFS will contact each candidate in relation to their application.
To express your interest, contact Skillsnet on skills@isfcoe.org