FSDF e-Campus | Certified Expert in ESG and Impact Investing

Environment, social and governance (ESG) criteria and impact investing have gained a lot of traction in recent years and will become even more prominent as economies recover from the pandemic. Regulation now requires that investors are very transparent about the impact targeted as ESG metrics used in the industry are coming under greater scrutiny.

The EU's Green Deal and the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are good examples of how ESG criteria and impact investing have been incorporated into policy objectives. Strategies, metrics and evaluation of ESG and impact investing are therefore relevant for a wide range of investors such as private asset managers and institutional investors, family offices and philanthropic investors, as well as donors and development agencies. As a Frankfurt School Certified Expert in ESG and Impact Investing you will be in a position to translate best practices in the industry into investment projects that create impact and persuade asset owners.

What do we offer?

An interactive e-learning course including video lectures, PDF scripts, examples, practical exercises and online tests.
A set of detailed case studies simulating real-world ESG and impact investing.
The group assignment provides an opportunity to develop a real-world ESG and impacting investing ‘pitch’ developed with your peers in a live presentation to seasoned investment professionals
Extensive literature as a guide to further self-study.
A discussion forum for course related issues as well as for exchange of opinions and experiences with , tutors, peers or the FSDF e-Campus team.
Personalized support from your e-Campus team.
The possibility of attaining a Frankfurt School Certificate after passing the final exam or a confirmation of course completion after completing the course. After passing the final exam, you will earn 3 ECTS (academic credit points of the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System). The points can be credited to other academic learning programs. .

Tuition Fees*

E-Learning

Regular Tuition Fee: EUR 1,900

Early Bird Fee: EUR 1,600 (by January 15)

On-Campus

Regular Tuition Fee: EUR 1,600

Early Bird Fee: EUR 1,400 (by January 15)

Package (E-learning + On-Campus)

Regular Tuition Fee: EUR 3,100

Early Bird Fee: EUR 2,700 (by January 15)

Discounts:

10% group discount (for 2 or more participants working for the same institution, informed to us before by an email)
10% for FS Alumni
For company package discounts, please contact us.

Payment Options

Bank Transfer (bank fees to be covered by the participants)
Credit Card
PayPal

Payment in instalments is unfortunately not possible.

*subject to change

Target Audience

This six month online course is designed for professionals and executives working in private asset management and institutional investors, international development and donor organisations who want their investments to achieve positive impact and/or offer ESG compliant options to their clients. Rating agencies, technical assistance providers, as well as financial institutions in emerging and developing countries that are required to target non-financial objectives will also benefit from this course.

Workload

The course takes approx. 6 months assuming 4-6 hours of self-study per week. It consists of 7 mandatory units. The units need to be completed in a sequence. The next unit opens only if you complete the online test of the previous unit.

Dates

Course Start	Course End	Registration	Early Bird
Sept. 1	Feb. 29	Jun. 1 - Sept. 30	By Jul. 15
Mar. 1	Aug. 31	Dec. 1 - Mar. 31	By Jan. 15

Registration

Registration for the March intake is now open. Register by January 15 to take advantage of our early bird discount.

Register for E-learning

Register for On-Campus

Register for Blended

Course Details*

The course begins by providing students with an understanding of how ESG criteria and impact investing relate to traditional mainstream finance. It then familiarises participants with major stakeholders, initiatives, and approaches for integrating non-financial issues into the day-to-day activities of investing before exploring the historical and theoretical contexts.

Participants will be introduced to the techniques and tools that are relevant for each and learn how to choose the pathway that is most suitable for their needs or circumstances. Each of the strategic pathways for managing ESG and impact can be integrated at every stage of the investment process, from deal sourcing and due diligence through ongoing investment management to final exit or contract maturity.

During the course, participants learn about the key regulations and legal requirements that are currently in various stages of development, notably by the European Commission. The course also covers key trends, selected best practices, and challenges to help students navigate the various available ratings, labels, certifications, and evaluation methods.

Unit 1

Introduction and Overview: What are ESG Criteria and Impact Investing

This introductory unit provides you with an understanding of how ESG criteria and Impact Investing relate to traditional mainstream finance. It familiarises you with major stakeholders, initiatives, and approaches for integrating non-financial issues into the day-to-day activities of investing. Key concepts and themes are introduced, which establish foundations for a learning journey that will be expanded upon over the subsequent units.

Unit 2

Historical and Theoretical Context

ESG and Impact Investing are orientated within different operational contexts: from asset management through direct investment to advisory services, etc. This unit helps you understand what is relevant for your context, whilst also making you aware of other requirements you may encounter in adjacent parts of the industry. It contextualises the historical evolution and theoretical development of ESG and Impact Investing to show how they complement each other, and to demystify why some narratives about managing non-financial factors appear to be fragmented and conflicting. Conceptual structures are presented that help you apply theory to praxis via a unified framework.

Unit 3

A Quality Assurance Approach to Managing ESG Issues and Impact

There are different strategic pathways available to manage ESG and impact factors. Each pathway represents a different level of methodological intensity. You will be introduced to the techniques and tools that are relevant for each, and learn how to choose the pathway that is most suitable for your needs or circumstances. This unit also clarifies how these strategic pathways align with operational mind-sets such as compliance, risk management, as well as proactively managing performance against non-financial goals.

Unit 4

Integrating ESG and Impact Management in the Investment Process

Each of the strategic pathways for managing ESG and impact can be integrated at every stage of the investment process: from deal sourcing and due diligence, through ongoing investment management, to final exit or contract maturity. These all follow the same high-level process that aligns with the Deming quality management cycle. This is applied with different levels of intensity and granularity depending on the strategic pathway being followed. You will learn how this process can be deployed across all asset classes, across publicly traded securities and private over-the-counter transactions, and by retail investors as well as institutional investors.

Unit 5

Integration of ESG & Impact Features into Financial Instruments

This unit starts with an introduction of traditional asset classes and financial instruments (a refresher for anyone familiar with both investing and philanthropy). You will learn how ESG and impact features are incorporated into financial instruments. This can be achieved either by enhancing traditional instruments with additional requirements and obligations, such as with Green Bonds; or by developing innovative instruments and hybrid models that introduce new contractual and financial arrangements, such as Social Impact Incentives.

Unit 6

Disclosure and Reporting of ESG & Impact

There are currently no universally accepted standards for reporting non-financial information, although there are several voluntary frameworks and norms established by industry initiatives. You will learn about the key regulations and legal requirements that are currently in various stages of development, notably by the European Commission. The unit also covers key trends, selected best practice, and challenges to help you navigate the various ratings, labels, certifications, and evaluation methods that are available. The challenges and opportunities in data collection are outlined, which explains why information from different providers of data and ratings is often weakly correlated.

Course Details On-Campus Training

15-16 May 2025

The e-learning course units are complemented by two elective on-campus training days at Frankfurt School in Frankfurt, Germany. These days provide the opportunity for participants and trainers to meet in real life for reflection, discussions, deep dives into current trends, and tailored training sessions.

The next classroom training will occur from 15-16 May 2025 at the Frankfurt School Campus (Frankfurt, Germany). The on-campus training will be held in English.

Training Approach

The flexibility of our courses offers you the opportunity to follow your own schedule and to combine daily work with professional development.

The high quality offered will immediately improve your daily job performance as well as the performance of your institution.

This program is flexible and self-paced. It offers some online live sessions, such as introduction and final exam preparation sessions. These sessions will be recorded for those who cannot attend live.

Training Material

Video Lectures

Introvideos: After viewing the lectures, participants will have a basic understanding of each topic and will be able to classify importance and relevance of different techniques and aspects in a broader context.
Web-based Presentations: Web based presentation complement the scripts and give additional input on important topics.

Online Tests

Each unit ends with an online test comprising a set of 10 - 15 multiple choice questions. Only after having successfully completed an online test you will gain access to the next unit.

Reading Material

A PDF script is for most of our courses the main studying material. This reading material provides basic concepts and principles applicable to the subject of each unit.

Assignments

The key to successful learning is the immediate use of newly acquired knowledge and the transfer of theory into practice. Our online courses are therefore supplemented by mandatory assignments.

Discussion Forum

A course discussion forum enables the interaction between participants and trainers and facilitates the exchange of experiences as well as possibilities to ask questions or get clarifications.

Suggestions & Recommendations

This course gives you the flexibility to decide on timing and pace of your learning experience. However, we will provide you with recommendations for you to take as much as possible from this course.

Your Schedule: We will provide you a course schedule including voluntary and mandatory deadlines. The course schedule serves as guideline for your personal learning schedule and will help you to complete the programme within the given time frame.

Exercises: Even though the exercises in the script are not mandatory we strongly advise that you use them as an opportunity to check your knowledge and to prepare yourself for the final exam.

Networking opportunities: Use the forum to introduce yourself to your peer participants and start interesting discussions.

Final Exam

Passing a final examination is a requirement for obtaining your certificate.

Location: The final exam takes place online
Duration: The final exam takes 2 hours.
Costs: An additional final exam fee will be charged for the second and third final exam attempt.
Certificate: Your digital certificate will be available upon passing the final examination.

If you do not wish to take the final exam, you will receive a confirmation of course participation after completing the course.

Course Tutors

Prof. Dr. Zacharias Sautner

Zacharias Sautner is Professor of Finance at Frankfurt School of Finance & Management. He was previously Associate Professor of Finance at the University of Amsterdam and Research Fellow in Finance at the Saïd Business School of the University of Oxford. Zacharias Sautner works in the area of empirical corporate finance and focuses on ESG, climate finance, and corporate governance. His research was published in leading international journals such as the Journal of Finance, Review of Financial Studies, Management Science or Review of Finance and he has presented at conferences such as the AFA, WFA, and EFA. He was ranked #2 in Germany in Business Administration (#1 in Finance) based on A+ publications (age of 40 or below) by Forschungsmonitoring.org (February 2019). He teaches corporate finance, valuation, and corporate governance and has won different research and teaching awards.

Zacharias Sautner holds a PhD in Finance from the University of Mannheim and studied at University of York and University of Cooperative Education Stuttgart.

Karl H. Richter

Co-founder of EngagedX, which is a consultancy specialising in impact investing, thought leadership, data and tech development, advocacy and policy work. Karl works internationally across private, public, and social sectors. He lectures at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management.

Karl's previous experiences include a 12 month assignment as Head of Research and Knowledge for the UNDP SDG Impact Finance initiative (UNSIF), where he led research to improve the analytical framework for social impact investing; membership of Groupe d'Experts de la Commission sur l'Entrepreneuriat Social (GECES) of the European Commission to advise on its Social Business Initiative; part of the OECD expert group on social impact investing. Karl is currently Senior Fellow of the Finance Innovation Lab; and adviser to several organisations, including the China Alliance for Social Value Investment.

David Wilton

David is an experienced investor with an exceptional track record in investing with a double-bottom-line. He has successfully pioneered investment programs in Sustainable Investing (incorporating SRI, ESG, Thematic and Impact) and Emerging Market Private Equity.

David advises clients on incorporating sustainable investing (including Socially Responsible Investing, ESG, Thematic and Impact) into both individual strategies and the broader firm business model. He also helps clients to screen both investments with a sustainable lens and investments in the emerging markets.

David is currently a member of the IFC’s AIMM panel which rates the impact of fund investments, a Board and IC member of Lumis Partners and an Advisor to Jupiter Impact, Time Partners and several private equity funds under development.

Dina Lorentz

Dina Lorentz studied economic law focusing on finance and started her career as a consultant and investment banker specialized in the acquisition and respective valuation of financial institutions. She now works as a Business Development Manager Regulatory.

In addition, she is specialized in Impact Investing topics having worked for a Swiss Impact Investment Fund the last years in Lima, Peru. Underlying her dedicated work within Impact Investing she is a member of the Board of SA Oikocredit North Germany, a support association of Oikocredit International

Course Contributions to UN SDGs

The SWA offers professional and executive courses dedicated to the advancement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This course will enhance your knowledge in all SDGs:

Beyond your Certificate

Master of Leadership in Sustainable Finance

The Certified Expert in ESG and Impact Investing is an Elective Module of the Master of Leadership in Sustainable Finance. Join our Master programme after completing the CEII course and waive one elective module. Also, the amount you paid for the course will be deducted from the final tuition fee of the Master programme.

Frankfurt School Summer Academy

Expand your skills and knowledge in digital finance with the Frankfurt School Summer Academy. This one-week, on-campus programme allows participants to choose from a selection of specialised technical tracks.

Read more about our ESG & Impact Investing Track here.

Diploma in Green Finance

The Certified Expert in ESG and Impact Investing is part of the curriculum of our Diploma in Green Finance. Enroll to our Diploma after completing the CEII course and waive one module. Also, the amount you paid for the course will be deducted from the final tuition fee of the Diploma.