Suite of virtual executive programs is tailored for senior leaders, financial professionals, and strategists

January 19, 2023

PHILADELPHIA, PA: The Aresty Institute of Executive Education at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania today announced the launch of a portfolio of executive certificates and programming in the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) space. Created in collaboration with the Wharton ESG Initiative, these online programs pair Wharton’s world-class financial acumen with pioneering ESG research to prepare executives for the current challenges of ESG integration.

“The future of business is changing at an incredibly accelerated rate,” says Patti Williams, vice dean of Wharton Executive Education. “Wharton is launching these programs to serve as a partner in progress for leaders as they navigate shaping that future. We are convening the brightest business and academic minds to spark the much-needed exchange of knowledge and insights, and we’re doing it in an accessible, flexible way.

The suite of ESG programming is designed specifically for executives and leaders who are charged with high-stakes ESG decisions in real time. Once considered a niche field, ESG is now cited as “the #1 factor impacting business strategy” by Forbes. Wharton’s programming equips participants with tangible insights for immediate impact, while maximizing learning and integrating seamlessly into executives’ busy schedules.

Programming options include a four-week foundational offering, Wharton ESG Essentials, for those needing to develop fluency in ESG, with an added path to continue studies for an additional four weeks in one of three Wharton ESG Executive Certificate programs — for Financial Professionals, Senior Leaders, and Strategists. These advanced certificates are designed to catapult executives to the forefront of ESG decision making. All programs feature a blended online structure, with cohorts meeting virtually for two hours live online once a week (Wharton ESG Essentials for four weeks total; Wharton ESG Executive Certificates for eight weeks total) and completing self-paced online sessions when convenient for them.

Sessions will be led by award-winning and tenured Wharton faculty who are pioneering the academic research and leading the dialogue in the rapidly evolving ESG field.

“We're not advocates, we're not taking a position, we're trying to help you do the analysis,” says Witold Henisz, vice dean and faculty director of the Wharton ESG Initiative and academic director of Executive Education ESG Programming. “We are providing an increasingly important set of tools for executives — the skills and strategies to value ESG factors as well as address them — in real time. These are factors that have been left out of the models, left out of the toolkits to businesses' detriment, and as we’re doing the research that informs the next generation, we want to equip our current leaders for the frontier as well.”

Broadcasted and facilitated in real time from an interactive online classroom, the programs prioritize live engagement and employ a host of instructional modalities to enhance the learning experience: in-class discussions, case work, small-group breakout sessions, and role playing.

Wharton ESG Executive Programming begins online in April 2023 and is now accepting applications. Prospective participants can learn more and apply at WhartonExecESG.com.

About the Wharton School

Founded in 1881 as the world’s first collegiate business school, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is shaping the future of business by incubating ideas, driving insights, and creating leaders who change the world. With a faculty of more than 235 renowned professors, Wharton has 5,000 undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, and doctoral students. Each year 13,000 professionals from around the world advance their careers through Wharton Executive Education’s individual, company-customized, and online programs. More than 104,000 Wharton alumni form a powerful global network of leaders who transform business every day. For more information, visit www.wharton.upenn.edu.

About the Wharton School

Founded in 1881 as the world’s first collegiate business school, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is shaping the future of business by incubating ideas, driving insights, and creating leaders who change the world. With a faculty of more than 235 renowned professors, Wharton has 5,000 undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, and doctoral students. Each year 100,000 professionals from around the world advance their careers through Wharton Executive Education’s individual, company-customized, and online programs, and thousands of pre-collegiate students explore business concepts through Wharton’s www.wharton.upenn.edu.

Media Contact

Amy HessSenior Director, Marketing & Digital StrategyAresty Institute of Executive Education
The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania execed-pr@wharton.upenn.edu