In less than a decade, the world has moved from questioning the value of corporate responsibility to demanding it, with consumers, media and civil society calling for a shift in business practices and the importance of holding power to account. This movement has created ever-growing pressure on companies around the globe to demonstrate that their operations and supply chains are responsible, and for governments and ruling bodies to implement supporting legislation.   

Given these developments, sustainability practices are being embedded in business practices at a fast pace, and professionals are faced with a challenging environment that calls for cross-function collaboration in all expertise areas.  

To meet this challenge, the Thomson Reuters Foundation will pilot a new training programme on 26, 27 & 28 June, to equip financial, legal and sustainability professionals to better measure and report on their “S” performance, prepare for upcoming ESG regulation and mandatory due diligence legislation relating to the “S” criteria, and adopt a “transparency mindset”. 

This hands-on training will combine carefully selected literature, in-depth sessions with experts, and practical case studies, to better understand how to strategically embed human rights social ("S") considerations and to create resilient operations and value chains.  

The closing date for applications is 23 April 2023. 

Apply here 

Course objectives:  

This training provides experienced professionals with: 

• A deeper understanding of key issues, social standards and regulatory trends in responsible business practices relating to human rights under the “S” in ESG; 
• An action plan to embed responsible business practices and an ESG lens in their day-to-day work, with a focus on human rights risk, reporting, disclosure and human rights due diligence; 
• An opportunity to collaborate and join Thomson Reuters Foundation's community of engaged professionals across sectors in the dynamic ESG regulatory and reporting landscape; 

• The development of practical skills to effectively address existing financial and reputational risk around the S in ESG, while building a forward-looking culture and practice that moves beyond compliance to keep pace with the changing ESG landscape. 

Benefits: 

• Access to a cross-functional interactive training programme, free of charge, designed to equip professionals with the most recent developments in the dynamic ESG landscape. 
• An opportunity to connect with a cohort of like-minded professionals, with access to insights from industry experts to help professionals embed the S in ESG with respect to their own operations, those of their subsidiaries, and those carried out by their business partners and clients.  

• Insights on cross-team collaboration for transparency and impact in accordance with the spirit of existing and upcoming ESG legislation. 
• A chance to help shape an ESG training course intended to deepen understanding of regulatory reporting frameworks and best practices for human rights due diligence and mandatory and voluntary disclosures and with the unique opportunity for cross-sector engagement to give you the competitive edge as an ESG leader. 
• A digital certificate of completion from the Thomson Reuters Foundation, validating your expertise. 
• Opportunity to engage with Thomson Reuters Foundation's wider community of like-minded professionals throughout the year, including a ticket to the Foundation’s flagship event, Trust Conference, on 19 & 20 October.  

This programme is for you if are: 

• A mid-career professional looking to progress your experience in embedding human rights into business strategies and reporting. 
• Experienced in one of the following: 

• • 8+ years working in ESG, procurement, human rights or sustainability roles working to advance corporate responsibility. 
  • 8+ years  with a legal practice that includes advising corporates on risk and compliance, whether in-house or private practice. 
  • 8+ years working in corporate finance and financial reporting roles, either in house or in a professional services firm.  

• Enthusiastic to drive the ESG agenda in your organisation and eager to understand how you can apply responsible practices and insights to your or your clients' businesses. 
• Looking to learn practical ways to embed the S in ESG within your work, understand best practices around disclosure and mandatory human rights due diligence, and learn from high-level experts, practitioners and NGOs using real case studies to ensure impact. 
• Able to travel to London on the on 26 & 27 June. Please note, attendance on 28 June is hybrid, with the option available to join remotely if preferred.  
• Available to digest the materials four weeks prior to the training and complete an assignment one week prior to the in-person training 
• Fluent in English  

Location 

In-person training will take place the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s office at 5 Canada Square, London, UK, E14 5AQ. 

Cost 

We are delighted to offer access to this training pilot free of charge. In return, professionals who attend will be asked to provide in-depth feedback that will ensure that we can iterate on the training programme to best address the needs of future attendees. Participants are expected to cover their own travel and accommodation expenses; the Foundation will provide lunch and refreshments.  

Agenda 

 Overview: Four weeks prior to the in-person training, participants will receive a pre-training package with reading and podcast material, as well as an assignment to be completed one week prior to the in-person training.  All elements of the training will be held under the Chatham House Rule.  

Participants will meet in London on 26 & 27 June, with attendance on the third day, 28 June, being hybrid.  The programme will combine plenary sessions; participatory approaches bringing in perspectives from various stakeholders; and breakout sessions. There will be a focus on cross-functional collaboration to deliver effective solutions. The training will conclude with an assignment and an online session on what is needed to deliver change within their jobs.  

Following completion, participants will be asked to provide feedback to help shape the future programme. Following the training, participants will be invited to reconvene in the autumn for a virtual roundtable to share how they have been able to embed the learnings in their day–to-day work.    

Day 1 

The first day of the course will offer a variety of profession-specific and collaborative sessions that will include a panel debate, presentations, interactive discussions and a case study. Topics that will be covered include discussions over global drivers for the S in ESG and its business criticality in the face of new due diligence and reporting legislation. The sessions will provide participants with a deep dive into current legislation and standards, as well as concrete tools and approaches to embedding human rights due diligence and disclosure across business functions. Bespoke sessions for the financial reporting specialist will be developed and delivered by Mazars the international professional services firm. 

Day 2 

The second day of the course will include a combination of group working sessions, profession-specific interactive discussions, and assignments. The sessions will allow participants to engage with legislation and reporting standards for human rights-based remedy and stakeholder engagement, investor myths about S indicators in ESG, and the role of the board and good governance in relation to human rights risk. 

Day 3 

For the third and final half day, participants will be provided with a hybrid session, where they can attend in person or online according to their preference. Key learnings from the previous days’ training sessions will be revisited and reinforced with tangible advice that will enable them to apply immediate changes to their practices and ways of working on their return to the office. An additional session by Forum For The Future on futures and systems-wide thinking will prepare participants to be agile in the face of a rapidly changing ESG landscape.  Participants will be encouraged to demonstrate how they expect to be able to apply learnings in their daily work. 

Trainers: 

This programme was developed in partnership with experts Anna Triponel and Malin Helgesen, from Human Level, an expert advisory firm that empowers progressive companies to be human rights confident. 

Anna Triponel is an internationally renowned business, human rights and climate expert and founder of Human Level. Over the past decade, she has travelled around the globe to advise hundreds of companies – as well as their investors and lawyers – on what it means to take a people-centred approach to business. Anna advises companies on human rights strategies, weaving human rights into climate strategies and just transition, and ways to adapt business models to be future fit. 

Malin Helgesen has significant expertise in the business and human rights and ESG fields. Malin is specialised in advising clients on international standards and how the expanding business and human rights regulation interfaces with other sustainability areas. She has advised a wide range of business organisations at a range of levels (from corporate boards to local work sites) on a range of business and human rights matters, including from policy to practice; from internal risk management to external communication and handling of criticism and formal allegations of human rights abuse; from culture building to assurance processes.   

What they said: 
“The world’s lawyers, sustainability professionals and financial reporting specialists and the companies they serve are operating in, are rapidly changing. We all want to be the best professionals we can – but it can feel challenging to keep up with recent developments, and to know what they expect of us. We have co-created this course with the Thomson Reuters Foundation to help you break down silos between areas of specialty, and really dig into what it means to be a professional in your field today. Lots of learning and sharing ahead!” 

Apply by 23 April, 2023 

• The training capacity is 21 people in total, spread across the three functions, therefore preference will be given to one candidate per function per company.  
• The deadline to apply is by midnight (GMT) on Sunday 23 April 2023. 

• The Thomson Reuters Foundation will reach out to successful candidates on the week of 1 May 2023. 
• Successful applicants will be required to reconfirm their availability to participate in the training within a week. 
• There will be a waiting list in operation; applicants who are placed on the waiting list will also be notified on the week of 1 May and will receive further communication if an opening becomes available. 

If you have any questions, please reach out to our team: trf-inclusive-economies@thomsonreuters.com