Written By, Namsai Sethpornpong, MiM2024
As a Masters in Management student and a junior officer on the Student Association’s (SA) ESG pillar (formed 2 years ago), I’m proud of be a part of the movement towards sustainable and responsible business practices. At LBS, the emphasis on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles is integrated beyond the classroom. While this blog post provides a broad overview of the ESG-related opportunities on campus, we are committed to the constant expansion of our ESG activities, something we hope every member of the LBS community becomes a part of.
To start, I’d like to highlight our work as the Student Association’s ESG Pillar so far:
- We’ve collaborated with LBS clubs and sports teams to improve the diversity of roles within their executive committees.
- We conduct an annual ESG climate survey to gather students’ perspectives on the current state of ESG at campus, and to explore how the Student Association, alongside the clubs and LBS administration, can hold ourselves accountable and continually improve our commitment to ESG.
- We implement green initiatives at school-wide events, such as Sundowners.
Looking forward, we are working with FLII (First-Generation, Low or Intermediate Income) Club to ensure financial inclusivity for extra-curricular activities such as international treks, Tattoo, and other ticketed events.
Programmes:
- Executive Education: Impact Investing Course (for professionals with a strong interest in in sustainable and responsible investing)
- Social Impact Concentration on the MBA
- Specialism in Impact and Sustainability for Graduate Masters students opting to take a 4th term.
Courses:
Though electives vary from year to year, examples of 2023 electives include Managing and Investing in Responsible Business, Energy Markets: Transitions to Sustainability, Growing Social Enterprises, Finance and Sustainability, Sustainable Business Model Experiments: Ideation to Prototyping.
Faculty:
One of LBS’s greatest assets is the quality of our faculty, and we have some of the brightest minds in ESG. Here are two:
Professor Alex Edmans is renowned for his pioneering research and practical expertise in ESG investing and has been cited in numerous top-tier academic and industry journals. He is also frequently cited in leading financial media outlets, including the Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and Bloomberg.
Professor Ioannis Ioannou is an esteemed Associate Professor at London Business School, renowned for his award-winning research on sustainability leadership and corporate responsibility, with numerous publications in top-tier journals such as the Strategic Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, and Management Science, and frequent citations in major media outlets like Forbes and Harvard Business Review
Beyond the classroom, there are several opportunities to get involved in ESG.
Student Activities:
- The Energy and Environment Club – aims to connect students with industry leading companies, thought leaders, and innovators in the sector.
- Global Energy Summit – LBS Energy Club’s annual flagship event that provides a form for political, academic, and business thought leaders to explore, debate, and exchange ideas on the future of the energy industry. Click here for our 2023 fall Summit.
- Clean Tech Challenge – an interdisciplinary clean technology hackathon run by the LBS and UCL’s E&E clubs, the CleanTech Challenge began in 2011 to bring together science and business students to compete in a global competition. Finalists undergo training from industry experts from the environmental, entrepreneurial, and science sectors, and Bootcamp finals are where finalists present their pitch.
- Annual treks Energy & Environment treks to visit relevant organisations. Locations have included Berlin and Copenhagen.
- Speaker Series — speakers include business professionals, scholars, and thought leaders.
- Internship and Job opportunities tracker and shared spreadsheet with list of Alumni in the industry as well as deadline dates
- E&E Club’s Podcast
- Impact Consulting Club: Sponsored by Bain and Co., the ICC is one of the largest growing student groups at LBS, where students have the opportunity to work for pro-bono consulting projects with clients (e.g., NHS, Pret, Art4Refugees) across Europe and Globally. Highlights include: 10-week long term projects, IMPACTathon, a 5-day long idea generation event in the Spring, and the ICC Speaker Series (throughout the year) with hosts from top consultancies.
- Social Impact Club: four main areas ranging from impact investing (SIIF), sustainability, social entrepreneurship, and foundations/nonprofit initiatives. Highlights: Impact Investing Skill Building Series, Database for Employers and Jobs in Social Impact Sector, and Climate Fresk Workshop – which teaches participants how to make impact in climate action
Competitions:
- CleanTech Challenge
- The Turner MIINT Competition – MBA Impact Investing, Network and Training (a global competition among the world’s top business and graduate school students to secure investment in their designed social enterprise).
- SIIF – Student Impact Investing Fund
- Social Impact Club Hackathons
Experiential Learning:
- Stockholm Global Experience:
- Project Aasha: a student-led initiative for Graduate Masters students that creates social impact in India through pro-bono, student-led consulting projects.
Research
- The Wheeler Institute for Business Development: The Wheeler Institute is a research body that focuses on addressing the world’s most pressing social and economic challenges. It aims to leverage business insights, research, and practices to create positive social impact, especially in developing economies. The Institute facilitates interdisciplinary research, hosts events and discussions, and collaborates with global leaders and organisations to promote sustainable development and inclusive growth. As a student, you can get involved by joining Wheeler’s internship cohort, including part-time project work during the school year and full-time summer internships.
LBS’s commitment to ESG principles extends beyond academics, permeating student activities, faculty research, and institutional initiatives. While I am proud of the many ESG initiatives and programmes on campus, I also recognise that there is much more to be done. It is up to us to shape and expand ESG efforts on campus, and ultimately create a culture that is even more inclusive, more engaged, and more environmentally conscious. Let’s work together to lead by example and make a significant impact.