How do the programmes developed with NatWest differ from custom executive education that schools might typically deliver for corporate clients? “NatWest Group’s climate ambition is to be a leading UK bank in addressing the climate challenge. To achieve this, it had to empower and equip its colleagues with knowledge to understand how the climate crisis could affect the organisation and its clients, as well as the necessary skills needed to take positive actions. “The custom executive education programmes we co-designed with NatWest focused on practical, actionable activities rather than abstract or purely conceptual content. These activities ranged from devising agenda items that had to be added to team meetings, to deploying tools that could be used to analyse an investment decision and developing skills to support client meetings. This focus on practical action drove much of the emergent work and connections that followed, building a sense of momentum and energy. “One of the strengths of the partnership model more broadly – as opposed to traditional procurement of learning and development, which is typically more rigid and defined upfront – was the ability to adapt our approach as changes unfolded within the bank and the external landscape.”
The partnership has produced three programmes aimed at different NatWest Group employees. What were the reasons for this three-pronged approach? “The programme portfolio, broadly speaking, targeted different levels of the organisation. The three tiers could be described as follows: . Working with senior leaders to create the conditions for positive change and alignment with the bank’s strategic objectives • Collaborating with frontline specialists, initially a cohort of 1,000 climate-facing roles which was expanded to 16,000 frontline roles over the course of the three years and spanning a broad range of topics and learning pathways • A bank-wide initiative to create mandated learning that supported the development of a common understanding of the bank’s relationship with climate change, the action it was taking and fundamentally, the connection that had to the individual’s role, wherever they were in the business. “By connecting these different levels, we were able to create the conditions for positive change, building commitment, confidence and motivation to act.” The partnership’s Climate Change Fundamentals programme was completed by more than 63,000 of the banking group’s colleagues (99.9 per cent of NatWest Group employees) in a year. How was such a remarkable reach achieved? “This achievement was an outcome that began with NatWest’s bold decision that everyone within the organisation should be on the same page with regards to climate change. Once the materials for the programme were created, we were able to help the bank disseminate them through their own learning platforms, removing the barriers of registering on a university system or ring-fencing who was, or was not, able to access the resources. “Our initial leap from an in-person class of 30 to an online cohort of 1,000 in the early days of the partnership (just as Covid-19 was taking hold) was a useful lesson that gave us the confidence to say ‘63,000? Sure, why not?’ We then built the scope and reach of the programme from there, together with the advocacy and support of senior leaders at the bank.” The relationship with NatWest Group extends beyond executive education. Can you tell me about any ways in which ongoing collaborations benefit current postgraduate students at the school? “This collaboration has benefited our postgraduate students in several direct and indirect ways. These encompass the supervision of PhD students in this topic area, integrating insights from climate education and research into our teaching and learning (including on student treks and student consultancy projects for organisations), or through public events and lectures that draw together academics, students, alumni, the business community, policymakers and civic society organisations to foster dialogue and exchange knowledge for mutual benefit.”
26 Ambition • ISSUE 3 • 2025
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