Deloitte launches Green & Sustainable Finance Certificate

From left: Eric Luk, Program Director, Certificate in Green and Sustainable Finance (GSF) Program, Deloitte China, Dr. Aries Wong, Associate Director of Centre for Sustainable Development Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University, Edward Au, Southern Region Managing Partner, Deloitte China, Karen Choi, Partnership Development Lead, Shared Value Initiative Hong Kong and Krates Chan, Southern Region Assurance Leader, Deloitte China.

Deloitte launched its Green & Sustainable Finance (GSF) Certificate to narrow Hong Kong’s GSF talent gap by developing a new generation of professionals with future-ready skills, knowledge, and practical experience.

The GSF Certificate, run by Deloitte with Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) School of Business and Shared Value Initiative Hong Kong (SVIHK) as program partners, provides participants with essential skillsets including a deep knowledge of GSF principles and concepts, trends, and the tools, products, and abilities needed to specialize in climate and sustainability risk management. It will also reinforce Hong Kong’s status as a GSF hub and help drive China towards its "3060" goals of peak CO2 emissions before 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060.

The Core Professional and Advanced Professional courses (see Appendix 1) are eligible programs under the Hong Kong’s Pilot Green and Sustainable Finance Capacity Building Support Scheme and participants may claim relevant subsidies of up to HKD10,000 (certain conditions apply). Each participant who passes both courses will be accredited by Deloitte as a Certified GSF Professional, and Deloitte will also offer credential verification.

“With China’s “3060” goals and Hong Kong’s Climate Action Plan 2050, we expect a boom in the country’s green financing market over the next few decades, which will drive a huge increase in demand for GSF talent,” says Edward Au, Deloitte China Southern Region Managing Partner. “Hong Kong, with its established and diverse market for green and sustainable finance products, is well-positioned to become a global GSF hub by leveraging opportunities arising from the green transition.”

“Sustainability and empowering green finance in Hong Kong is an integral part of Deloitte’s INspire HK strategy, and the GSF Certificate with our program partners exemplifies our support for Government efforts to enhance Hong Kong’s GSF talent pool by contributing our resources, experience, and expertise.”

The GSF Certificate, with its program partners HKBU School of Business and SVIHK, gives participants opportunities to learn from and network with theoretical and practical specialists in nature capital, biodiversity, climate-related risks, global sustainable finance, and sustainability governance.

“Strategic cooperation between business, academia, and the public sector is essential to developing GSF talent and we are delighted to work with Deloitte and SVIHK in providing the GSF Certificate,” says Dr Aries Wong, Associate Director of Centre for Sustainable Development Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University.

“The course modules offer a combination of theoretical and practical learning through interactive lectures, case studies, and exercises. This is ideal for existing and aspiring GSF practitioners who want to hone their knowledge yet might not have the time or resources to study the latest theories and developments on their own.”

Karen Choi, Partnership Development Lead, Shared Value Initiative Hong Kong, adds, “We look forward to supporting GSF Certificate participants with access to our interactive Climate Fresk workshop. This will enable them to not only understand the challenges and solutions to climate change through a scientific approach, but also establish connections with the wider GSF community for potential future opportunities.”

Appendix 1: GSF Certificate Overview

Participants will engage critically with systems and theories in sustainable finance and investment, including green and sustainable financial products; reporting and disclosures for financial institutions and the regional regulatory and policy landscape; green standards and taxonomies and net-zero strategies for banks; climate and sustainability risk management; and financed emissions accounting.

These topics will be covered in different levels of detail across the Certificate’s Core Professional and Advanced Professional level:

Core Professional

• Module 1 - Introduction to Sustainability & GSF
• Module 2 - Sustainability in the financial services industry (FSI)
• Module 3 - GSF Applications & Use-Cases
• Equips participants with knowledge and skills to initiate and grow a career as a GSF professional from a minimal starting point to achieving a broad understanding of the GSF landscape.
• Offers finance sector professionals a refresher course in GSF with an up-to-date syllabus.
• Includes 12 hours of on-site lectures and workshops and 5 hours of suggested coached self-study.

Advanced Professional

• Module 1 - Developing Sustainability Strategies for Banks
• Module 2 - The Importance of Nature: Mobilizing Capital for Nature-based Solutions & Blue Finance
• Module 3 - Carbon Accounting & Risk Management Deep-dive
• Gives core professionals a deeper understanding of GSF to build focused skills and handle the more complex practical aspects of GSF work alongside GSF capability-building.
• Includes 13 hours of on-site lectures and workshops and 10 hours of suggested coached self-study.

Please click here for more details about the GSF Certificate.