As ESG rapidly shifts from a compliance requirement to a core driver of business performance, organisations face increasing pressure to move beyond disclosures and deliver measurable impact. Regulatory mandates, investor expectations, and global market forces are converging, making sustainability critical to competitiveness, capital access, and long-term resilience. Yet, most organisations struggle to translate ESG ambition into execution. Gaps in strategy integration, data systems, climate risk assessment, and value chain implementation continue to limit progress.
The GSA Masterclass Series is designed to bridge this gap through a 3-day, practitioner-led learning experience. Covering ESG frameworks, climate risk, reporting, finance, and execution, the program provides an end-to-end view of how sustainability can be embedded into core business decision-making.
Practitioner-led masterclass on real-world ESG implementation
Covering frameworks, reporting, climate risk, finance & execution
Turning ESG into a driver of business performance
Bridging gaps in strategy, data systems & value chains
Speaker: Prof Sourav Mukherji, Chair and Professor of Excellence, Organizational Behavior, IIM Bangalore
This session sets the strategic context for ESG, exploring how global shifts, regulatory evolution, and stakeholder expectations are reshaping business priorities in India and beyond.
Key Takeaways:
Decode global vs India ESG trends and regulatory direction
Speaker: Dr Aditi Halder, Director, South Asia, Global Reporting Initiative
With increasing scrutiny from global investors, ESG reporting has become business critical. This session focuses on how investors evaluate ESG performance through disclosures, materiality, and reporting frameworks, with practical insights on building credible and audit-ready reports.
Key Takeaways:
Conduct effective materiality and define ESG KPIs
Framework
Speaker: Pankaj Bhatia, Director, GHG Protocol, World Resource Institute
A deep dive into advanced carbon accounting, addressing Scope 1, 2, and 3 complexities and introducing the GHG Protocol’s Multi-Statement Framework for accurate, future-ready emissions reporting.
Key Takeaways:
Build credible, investor-grade carbon disclosures aligned with evolving standards
Speaker: Pavi Jain, Partner, ESG, KHAITAN and co
Climate risk is now a regulatory and legal priority. This session examines the legal and regulatory landscape shaping climate disclosures, highlighting compliance expectations, governance responsibilities, and emerging risks for organisations.
Key Takeaways:
Identify legal risks, liabilities, and board-level accountability
Speakers:
A real-world case on implementing ESG reporting, highlighting practical challenges, data management, and alignment with investor expectations, followed by an interactive discussion.
Speaker: Prof. Ankit Kumar, Economics Group; Expertise in climate finance, ESG analytics, IIM Calcutta
Explores how organisations can leverage data, analytics, and AI to improve ESG reporting accuracy, enable real-time monitoring, and drive better decision-making.
Key Takeaways:
Improve data quality, validation, and reporting efficiency
(Speaker: TBC)
This session combines strategic insights with a hands-on workshop to help organisations translate ESG ambition into actionable Net Zero pathways. Participants will learn how to embed sustainability into core business strategy and develop practical, implementation-ready roadmaps tailored to their organisations.
Key Takeaways:
Apply frameworks to real business scenarios and prioritise implementation actions
Speaker: Dhruba Purkayastha, Sustainable Development and Climate Finance Expert (Former Director, CPI)
Explores how ESG performance influences capital allocation, valuation, and investor perception, along with key sustainable finance instruments.
Key Takeaways:
Build strong business cases for sustainability investments
(Speaker: TBC)
Addresses the execution challenges on how to implement ESG across operations, supply chains, and governance systems to deliver measurable outcomes.
Key Takeaways:
Strengthen governance, accountability, and impact measurement
An immersive experience showcasing ESG implementation in real-world environments, from decarbonisation initiatives to sustainable infrastructure and operations.
Key Takeaways:
Gain insights into scalable sustainability practices
Sustainability is no longer a peripheral agenda—it is reshaping how businesses operate, compete, and create long-term value. Yet many organisations still treat ESG as a compliance requirement rather than a strategic imperative, which leads to missed opportunities and reactive decision-making.
As regulatory pressures, investor expectations, and global market dynamics evolve, companies must understand the broader context of ESG and climate change within their business strategy. This module sets the foundation for the masterclass by unpacking how sustainability has transitioned from voluntary initiatives to a core business priority, offering clear insights into global and Indian ESG developments and why ESG is now central to competitiveness, risk management, and growth.
Global investors are increasingly excluding companies that fail to disclose credible ESG data, making transparency and reporting a business-critical function. However, many organisations struggle with fragmented data, unclear materiality, and constantly evolving disclosure requirements.
As ESG reporting becomes more complex, companies must navigate a dynamic landscape of frameworks and standards. This module explores the practical challenges in ESG disclosure, with a focus on India’s BRSR while comparing it to global standards such as GRI, ISSB, and TCFD. It brings clarity to materiality, reporting metrics, and assurance requirements, enabling organisations to build credible, audit-ready disclosures aligned with their overall business strategy.
As climate risk moves firmly into the domain of regulation and legal accountability, organisations face increasing scrutiny over how they assess, disclose, and govern climate-related impacts. What was once voluntary is now rapidly becoming mandatory, with clear implications for boards, leadership teams, and corporate reputation.
This session brings a legal and regulatory lens to climate risk, helping organisations decode evolving frameworks in India and globally, and understand the consequences of non-compliance. It equips leaders with the clarity needed to strengthen disclosures, anticipate regulatory expectations, and mitigate emerging legal risks.
Organisations across sectors are setting Net Zero targets, yet many lack clear pathways to achieve them. Without a structured strategy, sustainability initiatives often remain fragmented and fail to deliver measurable impact.
This module focuses on translating ambition into actionable strategy. It explores how organisations can embed ESG into core business decision-making, design credible Net Zero pathways, and align sustainability initiatives with long-term growth and competitiveness. Participants will gain practical insights into building transition plans that are both realistic and aligned with global expectations.
Capital is increasingly flowing toward sustainable businesses, making ESG performance a key determinant of valuation, investment, and growth. Organisations that fail to align with this shift risk losing access to capital and market opportunities.
This module explores the intersection of sustainability and finance, helping participants understand how ESG influences financial decision-making, capital allocation, and investor perception. It also provides insights into sustainable finance instruments and demonstrates how organisations can build strong business cases for sustainability initiatives.
While strategy and reporting are critical, the real challenge lies in implementation across operations and value chains. Organisations often struggle to translate ESG commitments into measurable action on the ground.
This module brings together the environmental, social, and governance dimensions of ESG, focusing on how organisations can operationalise sustainability across functions. It explores how companies can move beyond managing emissions to enabling climate solutions, while addressing challenges in emissions management, supply chain engagement, governance structures, and stakeholder accountability.
As ESG reporting and management become more complex, organisations are increasingly relying on technology to drive accuracy, efficiency, and scalability. However, many still lack the systems and tools required to manage ESG data effectively.
This module explores how digital tools, data systems, and analytics are transforming ESG implementation. It highlights how organisations can leverage technology to improve reporting, enable real-time decision-making, and strengthen overall ESG performance.
Understanding ESG concepts is critical, but seeing them implemented in real-world settings provides unmatched clarity and impact. Organisations often struggle to translate frameworks and strategies into practical execution, making experiential learning a key differentiator.
The masterclass culminates in an immersive field visit, offering participants firsthand exposure to sustainability initiatives in action. Through guided walkthroughs and expert interactions, participants will gain practical insights into how organisations implement ESG across operations, infrastructure, and value chains.
