Yuliya Yakupbayeva: ESG Is Not Just a Trend — It Is a New Philosophy

The session “Integrating ESG into Management Education” was held as part of the international conference “New Trends and Opportunities in Business Education: Eurasia, BRICS and the World,” organized by the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA). The session was moderated by Evgenia Pashkevich, Deputy Dean of the Institute of Business Studies at RANEPA.

The question of integrating ESG into educational standards and curricula is becoming increasingly relevant. Business schools face a major challenge: how to encourage faculty to reflect ESG principles and sustainable development issues in their courses, and how to seamlessly integrate this new knowledge into existing programs. The conference session focused on precisely these questions:

• How are ESG principles and the SDGs integrated into the curricula and research of business schools in rapidly developing societies?
• What are the features of teaching and practicing sustainable development in the BRICS countries and the Eurasian region?
• How can implementing ESG help companies gain a competitive advantage?

“Sustainable development and ESG issues are transforming cities and becoming a driver of change across industries. It is therefore obvious that training future professionals at universities and business schools must cover these new trends. There are already a considerable number of universities in Europe and Asia actively embedding the ESG agenda into their educational modules and campuses.

Research shows that Generation Z is different — they place a high priority on environmental responsibility and digitalization. For them, sustainable development is becoming a new philosophy that guides both their purchasing decisions and their choice of employer,” noted Yuliya Yakupbayeva, co-founder of the ESG Club and partner at GPI Group, in her remarks.

Other speakers echoed her view:

“A new concept of ‘sustainable thinking’ has emerged, aimed at integrating management ethics, entrepreneurship, and environmental studies into the paradigms of thinking (knowledge), being (values), and action (competencies),” noted Evgenia Pashkevich, Deputy Dean of the Institute of Business Studies at RANEPA.

All speakers agreed that quality modern education is impossible without integrating ESG into curricula, which in turn will produce new professionals able to apply their knowledge in real sectors of the economy. Education is a key component of transformation, and we are delighted that ESG topics are being discussed and are already being introduced into the educational environment.

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Speakers at the session included:

Yuliya Yakupbayeva — co-founder of the National ESG Club, partner at GPI Group;

Andrei Margolin — Vice-Rector of RANEPA;

Dr. Cao Huanwei — Director of the Center for Responsible and Sustainable Business Education, Suzhou International Business School;

Pavana Kiranmayi Chepuri — Head of Innovation, Woxsen University;

and Aigerim Kaumenova — Chair of the Eurasian Chapter of UN PRME.