The Academy by Search with purpose
Business and leadership capability development for the next generation of sustainability leaders. Close the gap between technical expertise and commercial effectiveness.
Board-level confidence
Commercial fluency
Influence where it counts
Lead and embed change
Ambition is high. Delivery is hard. The constraint is not technical knowledge, it's wider business and leadership skills.
Most organisations have set sustainability strategies, but few are capturing the full potential value. The bottleneck isn't technical ability, it's the broader business, leadership and commercial skills to translate strategy into action. The Academy exists to change that.
Built for future sustainability leaders.
Designed by Fern Freeman, executive search consultant and founder of Search With Purpose.
With over 15 years of experience placing CSOs and ESG leaders across FTSE companies and private equity, Fern created The Academy to bridge the leadership gap she saw again and again.
This is what we hear all the time:
“My sustainability leader has the technical knowledge, but not the business and leadership skills to implement them effectively.”
“Our CSO needs to influence C-suite & work with investors more effectively”
“We need our sustainability leader to put an investment case to our CFO, but they need support.”
“Our Global Head of Sustainability is excellent, but we’re worried they might burn out.”
Sound familiar? You’re not alone.
We see it in the data.
5–20%
of EBITDA at stake from sustainability across industries~70%
of transformation programmes fail to deliver full value8%
of sustainability professionals say technical skills are the most important skill set62%
of sustainability professionals report burnoutSustainability leadership has evolved faster than the capability infrastructure around it.
Today’s sustainability leaders are expected to influence the entire business, shape strategy, drive transformation and deliver commercial value, often without the benefit of direct reporting lines and under intense scrutiny.
And yet they often receive little training and support to step into a highly complex, nuanced role, where their success rests on being seen as a peer to other functional leaders.
The Academy exists to close the gap between technical sustainability expertise and the broader business and leadership capabilities required to be truly effective.
The Academy: Designed by an expert in sustainability talent. Delivered by proven operators at the top of their field.
The Curriculum
We have interviewed, assessed and placed hundreds of sustainability leaders over the last decade. The Academy curriculum is designed around the capabilities that consistently differentiate the most effective CSOs from the rest.
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Most sustainability leaders can articulate the environmental case. Fewer can connect it to a balance sheet, defend it to a CFO, or build an investment case that gets funded. This module closes that gap:
Understand what a CFO and investors need from a CSO.
Structure a commercial case for sustainability investment.
Position sustainability as value add rather than cost.
Interpret sustainability through a finance lens
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You can have the best sustainability strategy in the sector and still fail to move the organisation. This module is about the human skills that translate strategy into action — persuasion, narrative and relationship.
Build a sustainability story that speaks the language of the boardroom
Adapt your message to tap into the concerns / motivations of key stakeholders
Present with authority in board rooms, ExCo meetings and investor calls
How to communicate with the precision that protects you while still building momentum
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Sustainability leadership is uniquely demanding. You are asking an organisation to change, often without the authority to force it, while carrying the emotional weight of global environmental challenges. This module gives you the tools to stay effective
Evidence-based techniques to identify and interrupt unhelpful thinking patterns
Neuroscience-backed behavioural tools to construct daily habits that protect energy, focus and mental health over the long term.
Practical skills to manage emotional responses under pressure
Recognise the early signs of stress and burnout, in yourself and your team, and intervene
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The CSO rarely directly controls the functions that deliver sustainability change. What they have instead is something equally powerful: the opportunity to be the network architect, to deliberately design the relationships, coalitions and structural conditions that make change happen without them needing to be in every room.
How to lead without a reporting line
Identify and harness the real drivers of change
Get sustainability embedded into the systems that govern behaviour
Recruit and mobilise allies, set aspirational but realistic targets & block unnecessary risk
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Your business is already exposed to the disruption of the sustainable transition. The question is whether a sustainability leader can distinguish between quick-return incremental plays and longer-arc transformational bets, and make a credible case for both.
Identify macro trends and spot and harness the opportunites for innovation the create
How to take an idea from post-it to MVP to product launch
Different approaches required from short term , incremental improvement to longer-term, transformational innovation
Assess the viability of a idea and maximise your efforts
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AI is reshaping every function and sustainability is no exception. This module covers both the tactical opportunity (tools that make your work faster and sharper today, and the strategic opportunity created by the AI revolution.
Cut through the noise and understand which AI tools are genuinely useful for sustainability professionals today, and which are hype.
Use AI to accelerate data collection, gap analysis and narrative generation
How to position sustainability as essential input to the corporate AI agenda, not a downstream recipient of it
Navigate the risks of AI-generated content
Meet Our Faculty of Expert Practioners
Financial Acumen
Coming Soon…
This CFO leads the finance funtion of a UK headquatered consumer business, where she has redefined the CFO role to sit at the intersection of commercial rigour and sustainability leadership. They began their career in a big-4 auditor and are ACA-qualified. This CFO brings rare credibility in both directions: speaks the language of the finance function and the sustainability agenda with equal fluency.
Communication & Influencing
Miguel Veiga-Pestana
Former Corporate Affairs Director & CSO of Drax and of Reckitt
Miguel brings over 30 years of expertise in corporate affairs, communications and reputation management across global corporations and the not-for-profit sector. A trusted strategic advisor to boards and C-suites, he previously served as Chief Sustainability and Communications Officer at Drax Group, Head of Corporate Affairs and Chief Sustainability Officer at Reckitt, Chief Communications Officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and VP of Global External Affairs and Sustainability at Unilever.
Change Management
Andy Wales
Former Group Chief Sustainability Officer of BT and SAB Miller
Andy Wales is one of the most experienced Chief Sustainability Officers in the Europe. He has led strategies for growth, with sustainability and tech at their core, for global ESG leaders such as the telco BT, brewers SABMiller and ABInBev, water utility Severn Trent and textiles firm Interface Inc. Most recently he led Global Sustainability Solutions for Accenture as they scaled up their multi-billion dollar sustainability consulting practice. He is currently Operating Advisor at Advent International.
Resilience and Mental Fitness
Dr Laura Haigh
Chartered Clinical Psychologist, Cognitive Behavioural Therapist and executive coach
Dr Laura Haigh is a Chartered Clinical Psychologist, Cognitive Behavioural Therapist and coach with extensive experience across private practice and the NHS. She works with individuals on a wide range of psychological difficulties, including anxiety, depression, stress and low self-esteem. Alongside her clinical work, she supports business leaders and professional services partners to achieve meaningful personal and professional change through evidence based, practical coaching. Dr Haigh holds a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from UCL and is accredited by the BPS, BABCP and HCPC.
Innovation for Growth
Håkan Nordkvist
Former Head of Sustainability Innovation for the IKEA Group. CEO of the Net Zero Company
Håkan Nordkvist is the former Head of Sustainability Innovation at IKEA, where he spent two decades building some of the company's most significant sustainability initiatives, including the IKEA Clean Energy Service, now active in 13 countries, and circular models such as IKEA Second Hand and Furniture as a Service. He is currently CEO of the Net Zero Company, Chair of Launch Nordic, and a Board Advisor to CISL. A compelling speaker on innovation, circularity and leadership, Håkan brings rare credibility in translating sustainability ambition into commercial reality.
Unlocking the Value of AI
Justin Keeble
Former Managing Director at Google Cloud. Founder of Nyamira Labs.
Justin Keeble is a sustainability and technology leader with over 25 years’ experience advising global organisations on strategy and transformation. He was formerly Managing Director of Global Sustainability Services at Accenture and Managing Director for Global Sustainability at Google Cloud. His work focuses on the intersection of AI, digital technology and sustainability to drive commercial value and resilience.
Two Formats. One Mission.
Corporate Edition:
6 modules over 5 months
Cross-sector peer cohort of ambitious sustainability leaders
Create a lasting professional network beyond the programme
Built specifically for sustainability leaders, not adapted from generic leadership training
Practical tools, frameworks and learnings that participants can apply immediately inside their organisations
Focused on real-world implementation within complex, matrixed organisations
Learn how to drive change and implement your technical knowledge
Private Equity Edition:
Efficient delivery over 2 intensive days
Create a shared sustainability language across the portfolio
Confidential peer learning within your own ecosystem
Tailored to your portfolio’s maturity and priorities
Reduce dependence on the central ESG function
Grounded in PE value creation, not generic ESG theory
Build stronger, more commercially effective sustainability leaders at scale
In-person in London, small groups of 15-18 - optimised for group learning
Facilitated by experts in their field. Learn from the best. Harness the power of interdisciplinary learning
Built around peer discussion, real-world case studies, and practical tools
How is the Academy different?
Making sustainability more effective by learning from leaders in other functions.
Tailored for real-world leadership, not academic theory
Built by an expert in what it takes to land and grow in senior sustainability roles
Trusted by private equity firms, FTSE-listed companies, and senior advisors
Built specifically for sustainability and not generic leadership roles
Measuring Progress
Every participant completes a capstone project at the end of the programme, applying the learning to a real challenge inside their organisation.
Each submission is personally reviewed by Fern Freeman, drawing a decade of assessing and placing sustainability leaders across global, matrixed, publicaly and private equity-owned businesses. The assessment focuses on how participants think commercially, influence stakeholders, navigate complexity and translate sustainability ambition into practical organisational change.
Participants receive detailed written feedback designed to support their continued development as leaders. The process is intentionally developmental rather than academic, helping individuals better understand their strengths, growth areas and long-term leadership potential.
A summary assessment can also be shared with the sponsoring organisation on request, providing additional insight into participant progression and future capability.
This is for you if:
You’re preparing for a CSO or ESG leadership role
You’ve recently stepped into a CSO or sustainability leadership role
You’re reporting into a CSO and want to develop business and leadership skills
You’re leading sustainability for a PE portfolio company
Join Our Waiting List
Keen to join? Applications are open for our Corporate Edition, starting in September. Places will be limited to 18 participants.
PE Edition is available on request.
Programme Fees
Corporate Edition
£10,000 + VAT per person
£8,500 + VAT per person if more than one person from the same organistion enrolls
(15% saving on standard price) 
Private Equity Edition
Realise the value opportunity of your scale
£150,000 + VAT per class (up to 20 participants)
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£7,500 + VAT per person (based on class of 20)
What participants leave with:
The confidence to operate at ExCo level
Stronger commercial and financial fluency
Practical tools to drive enterprise-wide change
The resilience, confidence and strategic perspective required to lead in complex organisations