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Career story: a vision for ethical and sustainable banking practices

Sana Shaukat Ali works for a leading Islamic bank. When she wanted to develop her understanding of sustainability and responsible business practices, she decided to study LIBF’s Executive Certificate in Sustainable Finance programme.

Sana sat down with us to discuss her educational journey, her ambitions to support positive societal and environmental practices and how the programme helped her turn these theories into practice in her day-to-day work life.

Moving towards sustainability 

Sana’s decision to study LIBF’s Executive Certificate in Sustainable Finance programme started with a passion for sustainable banking practices. “In a world where responsible finance is gaining momentum, it’s not just the right thing to do, it’s the smartest thing to do for longevity and success,” she says.

In her professional role, Sana was tasked with preparing sustainability reports and assessing the sustainability practices across banks. She identified two key questions to address her clients’ needs: what are the core principles of sustainable finance? and how will climate change affect the financial services industry?

While exploring online upskilling opportunities and courses, she decided LIBF MENA’s UK-accredited sustainable finance programme may have the answers.

Programme modules, practical skills and insights

“The LIBF programme has been instrumental in helping me navigate the complexities of sustainable finance” Sana says. In particular, she says that the opening module served as an ‘eyeopener’ to the risks posed by climate change, environmental degradation, and social issues. Through studying with LIBF, Sana also learned how sustainability frameworks are developed and the rationale behind specific regulations and policies.

“It has given me the knowledge and groundwork to identify the risks, understand the origins of climate change, and find ways to reduce environmental risks,” she says.

She also notes that the mentors on her course each provided valuable, real-world insights. “They helped me better understand how sustainability connects to finance and the science behind it, which made it easier to analyse climate-related risks in our investments.”

Learning to plan ahead and mitigate ESG related risks

“The course has equipped me with the essential skills and insights to recognise and address ESG risks,” Sana says. “For instance, we learned about The Network for Greening the Financial System (NFGS) scenario, which provided me with a reference point to assess the impacts of climate change on the economy and the financial system, and to identify feasible and effective mitigation strategies” she continues.

Having completed the course, Sana says she had a much better grasp of the importance of sustainable considerations in an organisation’s risk management framework and how this helps them to address potential long-term liabilities as well as to seize the opportunities of ESG to contribute to a greener more resilient financial system.

Looking to the future

Moving forward, Sana’s goal is to become a leader in sustainable finance and drive progress in sustainable banking products. She wants to provide customers with financial services that also help with climate-related risks and are environmentally friendly.

She adds that, as we face pressing environmental and social challenges, the banking and finance industry plays a huge role in shaping a more environmentally conscious and socially responsible global economy.  “The world around us is pushing for change, and if we don’t adapt, we risk becoming irrelevant,” she says.

Our Postgraduate Certificate Banking and Sustainable Finance enhances your knowledge of academic theories, practical needs, and key sustainable finance concepts.