Program duration
Language of instruction
Next Intake
Tuition Fee
15 ECTS
Format
Lead Sustainability and Resilience in Operations-Intensive Industries
Designed for professionals who want to lead the sustainability and resilience agenda inside complex, operations-driven organizations. The Organizational Resilience certificate offers seats in the KLU Part-Time MBA specialization on Sustainability and Responsibility, taught alongside KLU MBA participants. You leave with a structured, research-grounded approach to designing supply chains, business models, and operational practices for a future shaped by climate, regulation, and changing stakeholder expectations.
The format is built for working professionals: monthly weekend blocks, KLU faculty and select external experts, applied learning tied to your own organization's challenges.
This Program Is For
- Professionals in procurement, logistics, or manufacturing seeking deeper sustainability competence.
- Supply chain and operations managers leading decarbonization, circular economy, or compliance initiatives.
- Sustainability officers seeking operational depth in supply chain decisions.
- Leaders driving CSR, circular economy, or decarbonization strategies.
Typical experience level: 3–8 years of professional experience, with flexibility for high-potential candidates with demonstrated leadership exposure.
From Operational Manager to Sustainability Leader
Drawn from the KLU MBA curriculum. Upon completion, you will be able to:
- Grasp the range and complexity of global sustainability challenges.
- Explain the difference between philanthropy, CSR, and corporate sustainability.
- Identify and assess sustainability hotspots in a supply chain.
- Analyze how a supply chain can be transformed towards closing the material loop.
- Explain the principles and concepts of sustainability as they relate to logistics and operations.
- Assess the impact of sustainability-focused regulations, taxes, and standards on logistics processes.
- Develop partnership and governance strategies to extend sustainability standards beyond firm boundaries.
- Reimagine products through circular design principles and align them with supporting business models.
- Apply theoretical frameworks to design communication strategies that encourage sustainable customer behavior.
What Makes This Program Different
KLU's Operations Mindset connects sustainability strategy to operational reality.
This program is built around four principles:
- Built for execution: frameworks and case work tied to applied delivery in your organization, not abstract theory
- Operations-intensive industry focus: logistics, manufacturing, procurement, and infrastructure as the default context
- Low disruption / high impact: monthly weekend blocks designed for working professionals
- Applied Impact Challenge: a real challenge from your own organization that you carry through the program and present at the Impact Festival alongside your MBA peers
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Program Overview
Duration: 12 months (December 2026 – November 2027)
Format: Part-time, 2 days per monthly weekend block (Friday–Monday, usually Sunday–Monday for these courses)
Note: Seats in the already running KLU Part-Time MBA specialization on Sustainability and Responsibility
Credits: 15 ECTS
Language: English
Location: KLU Campus, Hamburg
Optional: Study trip to Denmark (Path A — see below)
Completion credential: KLU Executive Education Certificate; credits transferable toward the KLU Part-Time MBA
How the 15 ECTS Are Earned
The certificate is 15 ECTS in total: 14 ECTS across the eight courses, plus 1 ECTS for the Applied Impact Challenge. The Applied Impact Challenge concludes with a presentation at the Impact Festival alongside KLU MBA peers.
Participants choose between two paths to develop their Applied Impact Challenge:
Path A — Study Trip (optional, recommended)
Join the cohort on the Denmark study trip (Jun 21–25, 2027). Engage with sustainability practice in Northern Europe through visits, case discussions, and faculty-led reflection. Insights from the trip directly feed your Applied Impact Challenge work.
Path B — Extended Applied Impact Challenge
For participants who can't travel or prefer a desk-based path, the Applied Impact Challenge can be deepened through additional applied research and reflection on your own organization's challenge. The festival presentation is required either way.
Both paths award the same 1 ECTS toward the certificate. Choose the path that fits your circumstances and learning goals.
Curriculum
Eight courses (14 ECTS) plus the Applied Impact Challenge (1 ECTS). Total: 15 ECTS.
| Course | Faculty | Dates (subject to change) | ECTS |
| Sustainability: The Big Picture | Norbert Taubken (External) | Dec 13–14, 2026 | 2 |
| Sustainable Business Models & Value Creation | Prof. Dr. Florian Lüdeke-Freund (External) | Feb 28 – Mar 1, 2027 | 2 |
| Circular Operations & Closed-Loop Supply Chains | Prof. Dr. Sandra Transchel | Apr 25–26, 2027 | 2 |
| Low-Carbon Logistics | Prof. Dr. Moritz Petersen | Jun 6–7, 2027 | 2 |
| Corporate Social Responsibility in SCM | Prof. Dr. Andreas Gernert | Sep 5–6, 2027 | 2 |
| Innovation & Sustainable New Product Development | Prof. Dr. Moritz Petersen | Oct 8–9, 2027 | 2 |
| Communicating Sustainability | Prof. Dr. Alexa Burmester | Nov 14, 2027 | 1 |
| Applied Impact Challenge (incl. Impact Festival) | Prof. Dr. Brooke Gazdag | Oct–Nov 2027 | 1 |
Optional: Study Trip Denmark — Jun 21–25, 2027 (Path A for the Applied Impact Challenge; alternative Path B is extended applied work without travel — see Program Overview).
Faculty
Faculty are KLU resident faculty and select external experts who teach in the corresponding MBA specialization.
Associate Professor of Applied Quantitative Methods, Academic Director Business Administration & Business Foundation Program
Associate Professor of Management & Academic Director of Executive Education
Associate Professor of Sustainable Operations
Professor of Corporate Sustainability at ESCP Business School
Associate Professor of Sustainable Supply Chain Practice, Director Center for Sustainable Logistics and Supply Chains
Partner at Scholz & Friends; Guest Lecturer in Sustainability for Supervisory Board Education at ESMT Berlin
Professor of Supply Chain and Operations Management
Note: Final faculty allocation and module sequencing may vary by cohort, calendar, and program customization.
How to Apply
Admissions
Eligibility Criteria
Recommended Profile:
Strong English proficiency. 3–8 years of professional experience, ideally with leadership exposure or sustainability-related responsibility. Bachelor's degree typically expected; demonstrated leadership trajectory may compensate.
Application Process
- 1. Submit Registration: Complete the online registration form, including a short motivation statement and CV.
- 2. Get-to-know call: Conversation with the Program Manager and/or Academic Director about goals, fit, and program expectations.
- 3. Confirmation: You receive your seat confirmation, onboarding pack, and access to the participant Moodle module.
- 4. Program Onboarding: Pre-program reading, introduction to the Applied Impact Challenge, and welcome to the cohort.
Tuition Fee
13.400 EUR
What’s included:
- All course materials and readings
- KLU Executive Education Certificate (15 ECTS)
- Applied Impact Challenge mentoring and Impact Festival presentation
- Group coaching support across the program
- Refreshments during course days
- Welcome reception and graduation ceremony
- Library access
- Inclusion in the KLU Executive Education alumni network
What you organize (and pay separately) :
- Accommodation in Hamburg
- Meals outside provided refreshments
- Travel to and from KLU campus
- Optional Denmark study trip (Path A): travel, accommodation, and program contribution payable separately
Return on Investment
For Participants
- Build a structured, research-grounded approach to sustainability and resilience challenges.
- Develop the confidence to lead conversations on ESG, circular economy, and decarbonization.
- Sharpen judgment on regulation, supplier governance, and circular design.
- Gain a holistic perspective across operations, business models, and stakeholder communication.
- Take the KLU Operations Mindset edge into your career.
For Organizations
- Immediate application: each participant carries a real challenge from your organization.
- Roadmap delivery: Applied Impact Challenge presentation gives you a structured proposal.
- Team alignment: develops a shared sustainability and resilience vocabulary across leaders.
- Leader development: prepares mid-career professionals for cross-functional sustainability leadership.
- Capability building with minimal disruption: weekend format protects work delivery.
Company Sponsors
Many participants attend with full or partial company sponsorship. KLU works with employers to make participation straightforward and impactful.
Corporate options:
- Individual enrollment with employer billing and coordinated invoicing
- Group bookings with options for tailored content extensions
- Company-specific cohorts for organizations sending multiple participants
For corporate inquiries, contact: professional@klu.org
Your Road to MBA
The Organizational Resilience certificate awards 15 ECTS as part of the KLU Executive Education Certificate. The Applied Impact Challenge is a deliverable you carry forward — a real organizational proposal you've worked on alongside MBA peers, scoped to your own operational context.
Credits earned through the certificate are transferable toward the KLU Part-Time MBA, subject to academic approval. As an alum of the program, you also have access to the KLU Executive Education alumni network — a community of practitioners across logistics, supply chain, and operations leadership.
Many of our certificate participants continue their journey through the MBA. The certificate is both a standalone credential and a structured first step.
FAQ
The Organizational Resilience certificate is a 15 ECTS credential earned in 12 months, focused on the sustainability and resilience track of our MBA. The MBA is a 60 ECTS degree completed over 18 months covering the full management portfolio. Credits from this certificate can transfer toward the MBA if you decide to continue.
Every participant works on a real challenge from their own organization throughout the program and presents it at the Impact Festival alongside MBA peers. The 1 ECTS for this can be earned through one of two paths: (a) joining the optional Denmark study trip, where you engage with sustainability practice in Northern Europe and apply insights to your challenge; or (b) extended applied research and reflection on your own organization's challenge without traveling. Both paths conclude with the festival presentation. Both award the same 1 ECTS.
Yes. The program is delivered in monthly weekend blocks (Friday–Monday, usually Sunday–Monday), specifically designed for working professionals. Most participants take 6–8 vacation days across the program; participants choosing the Denmark trip add one week.
We typically look for 3–8 years of professional experience with leadership exposure or sustainability-related responsibility. Strong candidates outside that range are considered case by case.
No. The program welcomes professionals from procurement, logistics, manufacturing, and operations who want to build sustainability competence. Existing sustainability practitioners deepen their operational and supply chain depth.
All instruction is in English. Group discussion is bilingual where helpful, and German business context is integrated where relevant.
Yes. We work directly with sponsoring organizations on billing, support materials, and group bookings.
A KLU Executive Education Certificate worth 15 ECTS, transferable toward the KLU Part-Time MBA subject to academic approval.
You study alongside KLU MBA participants in the sustainability specialization, plus other certificate participants. Cohorts span industries (logistics, manufacturing, retail, energy, consulting) and roles (supply chain, sustainability officers, operations leaders).
Yes — campus visits are welcome. Please contact the Program Manager to arrange.
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