Ground-breaking Climate Program for Corporate Boards

Top Schools Partner with Competent Boards to Educate Directors on Climate Issues Ahead of COP26

TORONTO,Aug. 10,2021 --With climate issues demanding ever more attention from corporate boards,Competent Boards and three top business schools and universities have launched a new program to help directors navigate the complexities of climate change and its impact on their businesses.

Top Schools Partner with Competent Boards to Educate Directors on Climate Issues Ahead of COP26

The Climate Competent Boards Certificate Program is offered by Competent Boards in partnership with the University of Oxford Saïd Business School,the Thunderbird School of Global Management and Arizona State University's Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Lab.

The program is designed to give board members,senior executives,business professionals and investors an in-depth understanding of the fast-evolving threats and opportunities that climate change presents for companies around the world,large and small.

Those who enroll now can complete the 6-module online program before the start of the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow on November 1.

The race to a net-zero carbon economy,new climate regulations,and the recent catastrophic weather events in various parts of the world are just some of the issues now forcing their way onto board agendas.

Helle Bank Jorgensen,Competent Boards' chief executive,said: "Many companies,and therefore their boards of directors,have more influence and power to enforce climate-related decisions than many governments. The latest IPCC report (UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) makes it crystal clear that we don't have any time to waste when it comes to climate action. Boards ignore such warnings at their peril."

The new certificate program features advice from dozens of global experts. Among them:

Curtis Ravenel - senior advisor to former Bank of England governor Mark Carney and to the COP26 private finance hub.

Johan Rockström – director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.

Liu Fuzhong - director of the Shenzhen stock exchange's international department.

Claudia Sender – director of Telefonica S.A,LafargeHolcim,Gerdau and Embraer.

The Hon. James Shaw – New Zealand's minister of climate change.

Matthew Vahidi – lead advisor of Nasdaq ESG Advisory.

Miranda Ballentine – chief executive of the Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance (REBA).

Participants in the program will be introduced to a range of tools and approaches,including scenario analysis,disclosure expectations,adaptation,mitigation,and transition strategies.

Bank Jorgensen added: "All senior executives need to ask themselves whether their business and board are adequately prepared,and whether they are asking the right questions to ensure that their current business model can adapt to the risks created by climate change."

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What the partners say about the Certificate Program:

"We are thrilled to be working with such esteemed institutions to bring our world-leading scientificinsight to business leaders." - Peter Schlosser,vice-president and vice-provost,Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory,Arizona State University

"ThunderbirdSchool of Global Management is a global force for good and the Climate Competent Boards certificate program will help elevate leadership around the world." - Sanjeev Khagram,director-general and dean,Thunderbird School of Global Management

"The Climate Competent Boards certificate program will help prepare business leaders for the complex challenges and opportunities presented by climate change." - Richard Barker,professor of accounting and deputy dean,Saïd Business School,University of Oxford

More information on the program can be found here. https://programs.competentboards.com/pages/climate-competent-boards

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About Competent Boards

ESG Competent Boards provides professional development and advisory services focused on bringing ESG,climate and sustainability insight to boards,investors,and executives globally. The faculty delivering the highly praised online ESG Competent Boards certificate program consists of over 100 of the world's leading board members,C-suite executives,and experts. For more information on Competent Boards training programs visit competentboards.com.

For further information,or to set up an interview with Helle Bank Jorgensen,contact: Nancy Wright,Competent Boards,nw@competentboards.com,Tel: +1 (604) 202 5959