Program Overview

The stakes have never been higher for valuing and managing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors. Once considered a niche field, ESG was later cited as “the #1 factor impacting business strategy” by Forbes and then attacked as “woke” in America while a strong global tide of activity and progress is moving it in the positive direction. Leaders must now navigate several cross currents — keeping pace with an accelerating regulatory landscape, leading requisite organizational and technological change, and enacting policies to attract and retain talent — all while delivering more value for increasingly demanding and sophisticated shareholders and stakeholders who are growing more skeptical about ESG claims not supported by hard data.

Wharton ESG Essentials taps the latest insights from Wharton’s leading faculty to equip participants with the tactical foundational competencies needed to successfully link ESG to profit-and-loss statements and portfolio strategies, create and implement a solid risk-management plan, and adopt proven best practices rooted in frontier research. Go beyond the headlines and rhetoric and gain the clarity to not just understand the impacts of ESG factors but to strategically harness them.

Top-ranked ESG program by The European Business Review .

In Wharton ESG Essentials , you will:

Gain insight into what is meant by ESG integration and the best implementation practices that focus on value creation and protection rather than ideology to drive progress in the face of anti-ESG backlash

Apply these insights in the context of the climate transition. Understand why business leaders should care about climate change by learning about the risks and opportunities associated with different climate scenarios and policy environments

Turn next inside the firm to identify the key factors that help board members, executives, and investors actively monitor and manage ESG risks and opportunities with a focus on corporate engagement with social activists championing particular ESG issues

Take a deep dive into how to craft a corporate purpose that can influence the behavior of middle managers and ensure implementation is aligned with senior management goals

Live Online Program Structure

This program’s blended format of live online and self-paced online sessions is designed to produce maximum, immediate impact for the busy executive. Participants will join live online sessions for three hours once a week over four weeks. Sessions are led by teaching award-winning and tenured Wharton faculty who are pioneering the academic research and leading the dialogue in the rapidly evolving ESG field.

Broadcasted and facilitated live from Wharton’s Wave Classroom , the program prioritizes live engagement and employs a host of instructional modalities to enhance the learning experience: in-class discussions, case work, small-group breakout sessions, role playing, and several competitive and engaging simulations. In addition, participants will work through self-paced online content at their convenience in between live online sessions.

Blended Format Highlights Include:

Live Online Discussion with Wharton Faculty – This program offers the unique opportunity to directly engage with each of the program’s faculty.

Curated Relevant Resources – Faculty curate and share a list of essential videos to equip learners with the requisite knowledge necessary for an optimal experience in live online sessions.

Peer Dialogue – Participants are encouraged to share their input and experiences as well as gain valuable insights from peers and the wider community.

Program Details:
Welcome Session
September 23, 2025, from 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Weekly Live Online Sessions
Every Tuesday for four consecutive weeks in September and October
1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. EDT

Day 1: September 30, 2025

Day 2: October 7, 2025

Day 3: October 14, 2025

Day 4: October 21, 2025

Experience and Impact

Wharton ESG Essentials will prepare leaders to analyze and evaluate the financial implications of ESG factors on their strategies. The program will walk you through a comprehensive view of the ESG landscape — from the movement’s values-based origins to its increasing focus on financial impact; from its data challenges and measurement issues to new measurement approaches and the broad array of investment and corporate strategies that deploy them.

Participants will acquire not just the analytical skill sets but also the communications playbook needed to effectively articulate the implications of ESG factors to key stakeholders — from competitive positioning to strategies leading change that will help accelerate the issues in their organizations.

The program will also look at rising social pressures on firms to address issues of concern to workers, customers, communities, and civil society more broadly. You will assess the efficacy of different corporate strategic responses, particularly as the political environment grows increasingly polarized. Additionally, you will evaluate the role that enterprise risk management, board governance, cross-functional teams, and leaders play in navigating the adoption, implementation, and measurement of firm-wide ESG policies.

Session topics include:

Introduction to ESG

Purpose, Employee Engagement, and Performance

Governance of Socio-Political Challenges

Climate Transition

Wharton ESG Executive Certificate
Participants may take Wharton ESG Essentials as a standalone program, or, for those interested in extending their learning journey, Wharton ESG Essentials serves as the introductory content in the Wharton ESG Executive Certificate for Senior Leaders . This advanced certificate program is designed to quickly catapult leaders to the forefront of ongoing ESG decision making.

Participants who have completed Wharton ESG Essentials as a standalone program can apply for and enroll in the executive certificate program within one year of Essentials completion.

Convince Your Supervisor

Here’s a justification letter you can edit and send to your supervisor to help you make the case for attending this Wharton program.

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Due to our application review period, applications submitted after 12:00 p.m. ET on Friday for programs beginning the following Monday may not be processed in time to grant admission. Applicants will be contacted by a member of our Client Relations Team to discuss options for future programs and dates.