Henley Leading Sustainable Organisations Programme

The era of business as usual is over. We live in an age of crises – political, social and environmental. They’re accelerating uncertainty and increasing volatility, while posing existential risks to our prosperity. The numbers tell an urgent story: climate impacts are set to strip $38 trillion from the global economy by 2050. AI is rewriting the rules of work, with the potential to wipe out 30% of white-collar roles. These aren't distant scenarios to plan for; they're disrupting supply chains, raising costs, and shaking markets right now.

These crises raise critical questions: How do you drive sustainable growth when resources are finite? How do you balance this quarter's numbers with building something that lasts? How do you lead exhausted teams through constant change?

Here's the truth: the disruptions aren't the problem. Our response to them is.

Too many organisations are applying 20th-century frameworks to 21st-century challenges. The future belongs to leaders who see, think and act differently. They see the whole system, not just their corner of it. They create organisations that learn and adapt. They don't try to eliminate complexity; they navigate through it with purpose. They catalyse the creative potential of their people and build resilience into the fabric of their organisations and beyond.

This six-day course equips you to become that leader. You'll develop the capabilities to lead through uncertainty, navigate crises with clarity, and build organisations that don't just survive disruption, they evolve with it because the greatest risk your business faces isn't external threats. It's the failure to transform how you lead in response to them.

Want to learn more about this programme? Please contact our team: [email protected]

The course begins with a 3-day in-person workshop focused on the key mindsets and skills sustainability leaders need to address complex challenges. Over the following six weeks, you'll apply the tools you’ve learned to a real-world challenge, supported by two online surgeries, where you’ll receive hands-on advice and coaching.

You’ll then rejoin your peers for a 3-day design sprint, using cutting-edge innovation and creativity techniques to design and test new solutions to your challenge. Two additional online sessions will support you as you implement your experiments in your organisation.

We explore the complex, interconnected crises shaping 21st-century business. We'll examine the risks and opportunities they present for organisations, and the unique role business can play in creating innovative, systemic solutions. We’ll arm you with the information you need to make a compelling business case for action.

We’ll delve into the fundamental mindset shifts that leaders need to embrace to make sense of complexity and respond effectively to increasing volatility and uncertainty in their business landscape. Participants will clarify their unique role in driving sustainable change, cultivating the inner awareness required to adopt a systemic perspective, spark creativity, build shared purpose, and inspire collective action to tackle systemic challenges.

We’ll explore the evolution of sustainable business approaches—from ‘do less harm’ to fully ‘regenerative’ models. Through real-life case studies, we’ll examine what it means to embed sustainability across your business strategy, product development, technology, operations, people, and your broader stakeholder ecosystem. You’ll also gain valuable insights from Unilever VP, Manfred Aben and regenerative entrepreneur, Jane Ní Dhulchaointigh, who will share their experiences of leading sustainable transformation and building sustainable businesses from the ground up.

You’ll leave this module with a clear understanding of what’s most important and relevant for your business on your sustainability journey, including your goals, key challenges, and the best approach for your organisation. You’ll draw on our expert faculty to refine the scope of your ambition and reflect on what you need to succeed. You’ll clarify where you’re uniquely positioned to lead, connecting with the passion that will sustain your efforts as you drive transformation within your organisation and beyond.

Most sustainability challenges, like reducing carbon emissions, shifting to clean energy, or transforming supply chains, are inherently complex. They have no single owner, multiple root causes, and often evolve faster than we can respond. Critically, there are no silver-bullet solutions. In this module, we’ll introduce cutting-edge theory and practice from systems thinking and complexity science to help you understand your sustainability challenges in a whole new way. Most importantly, you’ll learn principles for working holistically with systems to drive meaningful, lasting transformation.

In this hands-on session, you will begin mapping a sustainability challenge within your organisation using systems thinking tools. You'll apply these tools to sketch an initial map that captures the complex facets of the issue, uncovering hidden root causes and identifying the dynamic relationships between stakeholders. This session will help you plan your next steps as you prepare to deepen your understanding of these challenges back in your workplace.

Every system has leverage points, those key spots where a small shift can make a big, lasting difference. In this module, you’ll come back together after six weeks of digging into your chosen challenge and gathering insights from people across your business ecosystem. This session will help you make sense of what you’ve found, spotting leverage points, identifying influencers, and recognising what’s driving or blocking change. You'll walk away knowing where to focus your efforts to drive transformation.

Now that you’ve identified the hot spots in the system where you can intervene, this session dives into how to work with systems to spark real, lasting change. Systems are messy and unpredictable; there’s no straight line from A to B, and no quick fixes. We’ll explore what makes systems tick, how to intervene in smart and effective ways, and bring it all to life with practical examples from real sustainability challenges, like transforming supply chains, designing circular products, or shifting to clean energy.

In this module, you’ll learn how to tackle your sustainability challenges through bold, creative problem-solving. Using tried-and-tested innovation tools, you’ll tap into brainstorming techniques and design thinking methods to reframe problems and spark fresh ideas. We’ll draw on both theory and real-world practice to help you move from insight to action, generating breakthrough solutions that are practical, impactful, and ready to drive change.

In this module, you’ll build the skills to bring diverse groups together and unlock the power of co-creation and radical collaboration. You’ll practise facilitation techniques that foster shared purpose, collaboration, surface different perspectives, and build shared ownership of solutions. Through hands-on activities and real-world scenarios, you’ll learn how to guide groups through structured, inclusive processes that drive creativity, alignment, and meaningful action, especially in the face of complex sustainability challenges.

In this module, you’ll learn how to work in rapid, iterative cycles to test your ideas, learn quickly, and adapt on the go. You’ll practise techniques to prototype solutions, gather feedback, and pivot when things don’t go as planned, embracing failure as a key part of the innovation process. This hands-on approach will help you refine your ideas and develop an experiment ready to test back on the job.

In this module, you’ll step back and reflect on everything you’ve learned throughout the course. You’ll revisit the key insights, tools, and mindsets you’ve developed, and consider what they mean for your role as a leader driving transformation. This is your chance to connect the dots, identify the next steps on your journey, and create a clear, practical action plan to take forward and apply in your organisation.

The Online Application Surgeries are crafted to help you gain a comprehensive view of your sustainability challenges from the perspectives of key stakeholders both within and beyond your organisation. After our in-person workshop, the first two application surgeries will deepen your self-awareness, enhance your leadership skills, and provide you with invaluable, practical advice.

By the end of these two surgeries, you'll have a clear grasp of the issues at hand and be prepared to start designing impactful solutions. The final two surgeries, which will follow the design sprint, will offer a collaborative space for you to share your insights with peers and receive actionable guidance on advancing your next steps.

Modules or course content marked as optional are indicative and may be subject to change. Please note, constraints in timetable scheduling may mean you are unable to take some optional modules at the same time as others.

Understand the social and environmental crises reshaping the business landscape and the compelling business case for transformative change.

Develop a comprehensive overview of the latest sustainable and regenerative business models.

Recognise the opportunity to reflect on your role and goals in leading a sustainable organisation, while enhancing your capacity for creativity, innovation and risk-taking.

Develop practical tools and frameworks to analyse complex sustainability challenges and identify the most effective leverage points for change.

Learn the skills to build multi-stakeholder coalitions for change and facilitate the co-creation of innovative solutions.

Equip your leaders with the tools to develop your sustainability strategy, manage change and inspire others.

Understand how sustainability can help identify and mitigate environmental and social risks for your organisation.

Enhance brand reputation - a strong sustainability agenda will enhance brand value and customer loyalty.

Retain and attract talent by building a sustainable organisation.