Strategic Sustainability Assessment
Identifying priorities, risks and opportunities for long-term organisational value.
Date
16 October 2026
Time
9am - 12 noon
Location
University of Surrey
Module aim
This module provides participants with a structured approach to assessing their organisation's sustainability maturity and identifying the issues that are most critical to long-term business success.
Using internationally recognised frameworks, including the the UN Global Compact framework alongside practical diagnostic tools, participants will explore how sustainability intersects with organisational strategy, governance, operations and stakeholder expectations.
By the end of the session, participants will have identified their organisation's priority sustainability challenges and opportunities and established a clear foundation for future strategic action.
Module content
Part 1: Strategic sustainability assessment
- Assessing organisational sustainability maturity
- Identifying internal and external drivers of sustainability, including regulation, investor expectations, customers, employees and supply chains
- Exploring the relationship between sustainability, resilience, innovation and long-term value creation.
Part 2: Materiality and gap analysis
- Identifying the sustainability issues that are most material to organisational success
- Assessing current organisational capabilities, governance arrangements and existing initiatives
- Identifying strategic gaps, business risks and opportunities
- Prioritising actions based on organisational impact, feasibility and strategic importance.
Learning outcomes
Participants will be able to:
- Assess the strategic sustainability landscape affecting their organisation
- Identify the environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues most material to business performance and long-term value creation
- Evaluate organisational strengths, gaps and emerging risks against industry expectations and stakeholder priorities
- Prioritise sustainability initiatives that support resilience, innovation, operational excellence and competitive advantage
- Develop a clear strategic roadmap for embedding sustainability across the organisation.
Executive deliverable
Participants will produce a strategic sustainability assessment comprising:
- A prioritised materiality matrix highlighting key sustainability issues
- A strategic gap analysis identifying risks and capability gaps
- A prioritised action roadmap outlining immediate, medium-term and longer-term priorities for embedding sustainability across the organisation.
Prices
| Organisation | Price |
|---|---|
| Small and medium enterprises | £40 (VAT exempt) We have two concession tickets available for local micro and small enterprises. Please email cifal@surrey.ac.uk to apply. |
| Large businesses | £80 (VAT exempt) |
We offer discounted packages for groups of three employees and above. Please email cifal@surrey.ac.uk to apply.