Sustainable investors hit the books
The Sustainable Investment Professional Certification (SIPC) program launches this fall. This online initiative, created by the David O’Brien Centre for Sustainable Enterprise (DOCSE) of the John Molson School of Business, provides training to professionals and students in environmentally and socially responsible investing.
"This is the first university program to provide internationally recognized certification in sustainable investment," says David Lank, marketing associate for the SIPC and a professor of marketing at the School of Extended Learning.
"This is a growing field," he says. "Some of the larger banks and investment firms now have job openings specifically for ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) investors.”
Lank notes that the definition of sustainability has expanded in recent years."Sustainable investments are not just about the environment anymore. They can also be geared to make a social contribution. They are "win-win" propositions, designed to give something back."
The program has attracted working professionals, and a few graduate students. Program Coordinator Andrew Ross says it provides skills which people in finance currently need. "There are many professionals who realize they need these skills, but they don't have the education or the background. They need to acquire the skills to meet the needs of clients who want to invest in a sustainable way. I think this program will give the investment professionals a very good career advantage."
And the demand for expertise in sustainability will only grow."I think this program is necessary now because the finance industry has already gone about as far as it can go," Ross notes. "The industry needs more long-term thinking, so sustainability is really the only option."
The DOCSE is planning to launch more specialized courses stemming from the SIPC program in the future, for example on sustainable accounting and corporate social responsibility.
"In the past, corporations could cut corners," Lank points out, "but today there is much greater transparency. So companies of all kinds have no choice but to practice corporate social responsibility and environmental awareness. They need people on their side who know how to implement these types of policies."
The SIPC is composed of several modules; topics covered include business ethics, governance and environmental policies. Contributing professors include Paul Shrivastava, DOCSE director; former JMSB dean Sanjay Sharma; and management professors Janis Riven and Frank Crooks. Students are given one year to complete the 70- to 80-hour program, at their own pace.
The program is based at the DOCSE, and was designed in collaboration with the Finance and Sustainability Initiative, a not-for-profit group dedicated to helping the finance industry find ways to integrate sustainability into the traditional business model.
Find out more about this and other sustainability initiatives at the university by attending the first Open to Question event of the 2011-12 year. DOCSE director Shrivastava will make a presentation, “Exploring Sustainability at Concordia,“ and will then open the floor to audience questions.
When: Wednesday, September 28 from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Where: Room H-767, Henry F. Hall Building (1455 De Maisonneuve Blvd. W.)
Participants are welcome to bring a lunch.
Related links
• SIPC program
• Apply to SIPC
• Finance and Sustainability Initiative
• Sustainable Enterprise Blog Project
• DOCSE