ESG Strategy & Leadership

Seneca’s executive certificate in ESG is for you if you’re interested in moving into an ESG-related role, or if you would like to develop the skills to implement ESG practices or ESG frameworks within your company.

This program is ideal for aspiring leaders in mid-level management positions at a financial institution, a publicly traded company or a business preparing to go public.

In this program, you’ll be taught by expert faculty who are working in the field. You’ll gain specific skills required for success in ESG roles and there will be a variety of guest speakers to enhance your learning and provide networking opportunities.

Courses are offered through online delivery and available on a part-time basis, allowing you to work full time while studying.

You can take courses individually.

• Course 1: ESG Foundations (five weeks) - starts Oct. 10, 2024
• Course 2: ESG Environmental Sustainability & Management (four weeks) - starts Nov. 14, 2024
• Course 3: ESG Social Sustainability (five weeks) - starts Jan. 9, 2025
• Course 4: ESG Sustainable Governance (five weeks) - starts Feb. 13, 2025

In this program, you will learn:

• to set ESG objectives
• the benchmarks to look for, how to develop them and understand risk metrics
• how to take ESG principles and assess them against benchmarks
• to complete a financial analysis of your ESG program/strategy, including understanding life cycle and cost analysis
• to weigh risks and rewards from a financial and environmental perspective
• about rating agencies

Prabh Banga, Vice-President of Sustainability for Aecon Group Inc., a Canadian construction company, has more than 15 years of experience and previously worked with Toronto Pearson International Airport, where she was ranked in the Top 40 under 40 in North America by Airport Business for integrating sustainability into operations and management. Ms. Banga has a master’s degree in resource and environmental management from Dalhousie University and bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from McMaster University. Ms. Banga is currently the North American representative on the Global Reporting Initiative Stakeholder Council and a research associate with the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.

Alka Bhide works as a Regulatory Programs Manager for ADEC Innovations, where she supports clients in ESG reporting and compliance, staying current on the latest global regulatory changes in the evolving landscape. Her expertise is focused on North American, European, and international ESG regulation, climate risk, sustainable finance, carbon markets and offsets, and major ESG reporting frameworks. In her previous role at BMO Financial Group, she integrated climate risk as a transverse risk across all lines of business and represented BMO in government consultations. She also defined and helped create BMO's Climate Risk Taxonomy. Ms. Bhide has a master's in energy and sustainability with a focus on sustainable finance from Northwestern University and an honours bachelor of arts from University of Toronto in economics and public policy.

Anureet Kaur, Sustainability Manager at Softchoice, develops strategy and advises on ESG reporting frameworks and disclosures for the technology company. In addition, Ms. Kaur is a Professor in Seneca's Sustainable Business Management Program, where she’s been teaching responsible leadership, social impact and climate justice since 2019. She’s also a public speaker and continues to advocate for Canada's equitable, low-carbon economy and the inclusion of Indigenous voices in climate and energy strategy as a path to true reconciliation. She previously worked as a senior sustainability and reporting consultant at Purolator, a courier company. Ms. Kaur has a master’s of science degree in sustainability management and a bachelor of business administration from the University of Toronto.

As President of SEE Sustainability Ltd., Claude Lloyd’s experience includes advising the private and public sectors, NGO/NPO and Indigenous stakeholders on ESG. Mr. Lloyd is a trusted corporate trainer and part-time professor teaching in the areas of sustainability, corporate social responsibility, business ethics and the environment. In addition, he has over 10 years of experience in numerous governance roles and is a proven board and committee member. He is a trusted adviser with expertise in sustainable business, infrastructure (water and energy) and strategic risk mitigation (ERM). Mr. Lloyd has a bachelor of environmental studies from the University of Waterloo and has taken strategic studies in AI at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

George Trisic is an experienced business leader and corporate director who has worked internationally in multiple business sectors including power generation, utilities, real estate, and industrial capital equipment. Mr. Trisic has built and lead multiple cross-functional shared service teams covering sustainability, communications, finance, human resources, legal, governance and information technology. He retired from an executive role at Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp in April 2022 where he was most recently Chief Sustainability Officer and Corporate Secretary with responsibility for leading and developing the sustainability, governance, and government affairs functions. During his time at Algonquin, the company received numerous recognitions and awards for its sustainability program including being recognized as one of the TOP 100 Most Sustainable Companies Globally by Corporate Knights (2020) and as a TOP 50 Best Corporate Citizen in Canada. Mr. Trisic holds a Bachelor of Law degree (LL.B.) from Western University and has completed the Chartered Director program (C. Dir.) at the Director’s College.