November 8, 2023
The Centre for Civil Society and Governance of The University of Hong Kong and International Association for Sustainable Economy (IASE) are pleased to announce the International Sustainable Business (ISB®) Qualification Program is now available for the graduates of Master of Social Sciences in Sustainability Leadership and Governance.
Graduates from the Sustainability Leadership and Governance Programme (SLGP) will be conferred ISB® Advisor designation by IASE. In addition, they will be ready to sit for the higher-level board examination entitled ISB® Specialist designation by Q3 2024. Graduates will be eligible for membership to IASE and will be given their first year free on graduating from SLGP.
Hong Kong — November 8, 2023 The Centre for Civil Society and Governance (CCSG) at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and International Association for Sustainable Economy (IASE) announce the launch of International Sustainable Business (ISB®) Qualification Program for the graduates of its Master of Social Sciences in Sustainability Leadership and Governance Programme (SLGP). The graduates of SLGP will be conferred the ISB® Advisor designation by IASE. This shall take immediate effect to benefit the latest intake of SLGP students enrolled in September 2023.
“We are delighted to work with IASE to provide our students with the opportunity to obtain an internationally recognized ESG certification offered by IASE. This will benefit our graduates as they’ll become part of a growing global ESG professional network that offers connectivity, diversity, and support in furthering their career as a corporate leader and to make personal impacts on corporate sustainability” said Dr Margaret Burnett, SLGP Programme Director at The Centre for Civil Society and Governance of The University of Hong Kong.
Promoting ESG Professionalism in Asia Pacific
The collaboration between CCSG and IASE will offer graduates an internationally recognized ESG certification, and a valuable opportunity to become more competitive in a thriving, dynamic work segment as the demand for ESG experts is increasing across professional services and across all industries.
The SLGP is housed under The Centre for Civil Society and Governance (CCSG) at The University of Hong Kong (HKU), a first-tier university in Asia Pacific with a reputation for high-quality education and cutting-edge research. The SLGP Master Programme is grounded upon intellectual frameworks and practice in policy, governance, business management and social sciences to collectively focus on issues of sustainability. The aim of the Programme is to develop sustainability leaders for any type of organization.
Headquartered in United Kingdom and with a presence across five continents, IASE has gained traction globally as an international certification body for ESG professionals. Through the collaboration with CCSG and SLGP, IASE aims to promote institutional exchanges in research activities and professional development and to conduct joint education programs in ESG and sustainability in Asia Pacific. Furthermore, the two entities look to play an important role in harmonizing ESG professionalism within the Asia Pacific region.
“We are proud of and excited to be collaborating with the CCSG and SLGP as together they can further support us in developing our regional hub in Hong Kong, a city that shows a strong commitment in driving meaningful ESG best practices and facilitating sustainability project implementations via its robust green finance industry. Working with the CCSG and SLGP will help us in our endeavor to promote ESG principles and practices in the business environment and especially in areas that have shown increased interest, from places such as Hong Kong, Australia, and Malaysia.”, says Cliff Cheng, Executive Director of IASE Hong Kong and Director of IASE International.
Projects Beyond Graduate Program accreditation
In addition to the accrediting of the SLGP, IASE welcomes the appointment of SLGP Program Leads to its International Academic Committee consisting of leading ESG scholars and practitioners from all over the world.
According to Carmen Micu, Chair of The Board Of Directors, IASE International: “IASE values the collaboration with CCSG highly. We are confident that the appointment of the CCSG & SLGP ESG experts & academics to our committee will allow us to strengthen our presence in Asia Pacific, and to enrich our certification and continuous professional development offerings. ESG is not just a pack of regulations, but a different approach, and a different mindset that can be leveraged by professionals from all around the world interested in understanding how ESG policies and regulations can make the business landscape better suited for the future. We firmly believe this collaboration is groundbreaking and sets the stage for many more to come. Integrating ESG principles into business practices is both a global necessity and a universal opportunity. This marks the first step towards a more sustainable, equitable, and prosperous future. We’re excited to pursue educational collaborations and initiatives that will create a better world for generations to come. »
And further supportive comments from Professor Wai-Fung Lam, Director of the Centre for Civil Society and Governance
« We are very excited about the collaboration, which generates synergy for both the University and the professional sector in their efforts to promote corporate sustainability leadership. Building on this foundation, we look forward to more in-depth cross-sector collaborative work and further scaling up of the impacts. »
