EY announces first graduates of EY Masters in Sustainability by Hult

• Nineteen EY people have successfully earned the EY Masters in Sustainability by Hult International Business School
• Graduates are based around the world and serve clients across EY service lines
• Curriculum designed to build the knowledge and strategy capabilities needed to help create long-term value for EY clients, people and society 

The EY organization today announces the first-ever graduates of the Masters in Sustainability by Hult.

The first cohort of 19 graduates includes client-serving professionals from across EY service lines: Assurance, Consulting, Strategy and Transactions as well as professionals from other functions who provide services and support for EY teams. Reflecting the global reach and importance of the program subject matter, the graduates represent EY teams based in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, India, Serbia, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Canada, the UK and the US and span a range of experiences and career stages. Graduates are being recognized and celebrated together with a ceremony in the metaverse.

Trent Henry, EY Global Vice Chair – Talent, says:

“The global transition to a sustainable future will require access to ‘green skills’ and knowledge to accelerate change. To deliver on their sustainability strategies, both now and in the future, organizations must be able to draw on a diverse workforce that is equipped with a broad range of skills – both technical and knowledge-related – so training is essential. This program was developed specifically with that goal in mind, and I am looking forward to following how the graduates apply their expanded skill set and deepened sustainability knowledge to client servicing, impact entrepreneurialism and beyond.”

The EY Masters in Sustainability by Hult was launched in 2022. As the first of its kind, the program provides higher education in a highly crucial skill-based area, at no cost to all full-time EY people across 150 different countries, regardless of rank, tenure or location. Learning is entirely virtual and candidates are able to study from anywhere in the world, at a pace that works for them.

As the transition to a net-zero economy brings major shifts in the labour landscape, some of the largest markets are experiencing a green skills gap. This gap can be attributed to a variety of reasons, including a lack of clear articulation of what skills are needed, a lack of green skill definitions across career levels, access to relevant learning, and scarcity of students moving through the education system with relevant knowledge. This widening skills gap requires workforces to upskill and reskill as they adapt to business model and job requirement changes. The goal of the degree is to significantly expand sustainability and climate literacy among EY people and help them translate those skills into new and innovative sustainability services for clients around the globe.

Candidates undertake learning across key sustainability themes, including creating long-term value through applying environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles, addressing climate change and the low carbon economy, ethical behaviour, and responsible and inclusive business. The program offers hands-on guidance in key skills, including systems thinking, stakeholder management, design thinking and project management. They then apply the power of impact entrepreneurship, and much more, including the growing field of sustainable finance. Candidates ultimately apply the learning to real-world challenges by participating in a collaborative Creating Long-Term Value Grand Challenge, and a final Sustainability Design Capstone for EY Ripples, the EY organization’s global corporate responsibility program. The degree is awarded by Hult International Business School, which is regularly ranked as one of the top business schools in the world.

Mona Dhillon, Executive Vice President and Provost, Hult International Business School, says:

“We congratulate these new graduates of the EY Masters in Sustainability by Hult. In addition to educating future leaders in our classrooms across the world, Hult is committed to helping existing workers upskill and adapt to ongoing changes in business. Understanding how to address sustainability has become an imperative for all organizations, and Hult is proud to provide the curriculum and applied learning that we’re known for, to help the EY organization transition to a greener and more sustainable future.”

EY Masters in Sustainability by Hult graduate Amy Brachio, EY Global Deputy Vice Chair, Sustainability, says:

“The EY Masters in Sustainability by Hult is an innovative offering and an important investment in EY people, allowing for skill development critical to the net zero economy, delivered through a well-rounded educational experience, blending independent virtual courses with team-based learning opportunities, as well as professor-led workshops. My fellow graduates were 18 of my EY colleagues, spanning different generations, career points and dimensions of EY services, all collaborating and contributing different perspectives and strengths to expand our own capabilities, contribute to the larger EY purpose, and help positively impact society.”

Sustainability is driving requirements for new jobs and skills across the globe, with opportunities for people to reskill and upskill. The EY Masters in Sustainability by Hult is core to the EY purpose of building a better, and more sustainable working world and builds on the organizations’ commitment to accelerating climate action through its carbon ambition, as well as the industry-leading, value-led sustainability services provided by practiced and knowledgeable EY teams to clients around the world.

For more information, please visit ey.com.

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About EY

EY exists to build a better working world, helping to create long-term value for clients, people and society and build trust in the capital markets.

Enabled by data and technology, diverse EY teams in over 150 countries provide trust through assurance and help clients grow, transform and operate.

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About Hult International Business School

Hult International Business School is a non-profit educational organisation and the first triple-accredited Business School in the US. Ranked by the Financial Times, The Economist, Forbes, and Bloomberg Businessweek, Hult offers programmes at undergraduate, post-graduate, and executive education levels and awards joint US and UK degrees across its global campus locations in Boston, London, San Francisco, and Dubai.

Founded by one of Europe's most successful entrepreneurs—Bertil Hult—the school offers an alternative to traditional, theory-based education and strives to be the world’s most relevant business school. Hult’s philosophy is that business skills can only truly be learned by doing. By immersing students from all over the world in practical, hands-on experiences from day one, Hult programs develop the skills employers and entrepreneurs need most. This fresh approach to education is creating a global community of confident, capable graduates, ready to tackle the challenges of tomorrow.