Decarbonisation in Practice: A Cross-Functional Training for Bank Managers - Sustainable Finance

This one-day programme provides managers across front, middle, and back-office functions with practical knowledge and tools to support the bank’s decarbonization journey.

Participants will explore how sustainability goals translate into day-to-day operations, how to align departmental activities with regulatory expectations, and how their roles contribute to reducing the bank’s overall carbon footprint.

Through interactive discussions, case studies, and hands-on exercises, participants will strengthen their ability to collaborate across functions, identify operational improvements, and implement realistic decarbonization initiatives that drive measurable impact.

Programme Outline

Learning Objectives

By the end of the programme, participants will be able to:

Identify sources of carbon emissions across front, middle, and back-office operations
Evaluate practical decarbonisation strategies, tools, and processes relevant to their function
Develop feasible action steps to reduce emissions and support the bank’s broader sustainability goals

Programme Outline

Unit 1: ESG & Climate Risk – Implications for Front, Middle, and Back Office Operations
Overview of Malaysia’s climate commitment and banking’s role
What is ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance)?
How climate risk impact front & back-office functions
Understanding regulatory requirements
How regulations affect front & back-office operations in credit risk, compliance, operations, and data management
Unit 2: Understanding and Identifying Carbon Emissions
Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions explained
Why Scope 3 emissions matter for front & back office (e.g., vendor management, client portfolios, data centers)
Unit 3: Operationalising Decarbonisation in Front, Middle, and Back Office Functions
Role of front, middle and back-office in decarbonisation
Unit 4: Driving Team Engagement in Decarbonisation
Strategies for Engaging Teams in Decarbonisation
Overcoming Resistance to Change in ESG Transformation
Unit 5: Measuring Success – KPIs for Front, Middle, and Back Office Decarbonisation
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Decarbonization
Linking Decarbonization to Team Goals and Performance Metrics

Wrap-Up: Lessons Learned and Future Opportunities

METHODOLOGY

Lecturer, video, classroom interactive activities, case study discussion. Throughout the modules, participants will be provided with references, publications, and relevant databases to dive deeper into specific discussed topics.

Participant profile

Line Managers (Across function – mainly front and back office). This program is designed for line managers with some prior knowledge of ESG principles and sustainability practices.

Trainer

Sharon Liew Siu Wei

Senior Training Consultant, Commercial Banking, Asian Banking School

Found a programme that you think would be suitable for your organisation?

Many of our courses can be customised and delivered in-house. We also provide consultancy services to create tailor-made training programmes that are specifically aligned with your organisation’s strategic learning requirements. Contact us today to learn more about how we can support your team’s development by completing the In-House Request Form here or Emailing Us here.

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Sharon Liew Siu Wei

Senior Training Consultant, Commercial Banking, Asian Banking School

Sharon Liew is an experienced Sustainable Finance Trainer with over 17 years of expertise spanning central banking, auditing, consulting, education, and training.

She began her career at BDO, leading audits across various industries and government-linked entities. She later joined Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), where she supervised financial institutions and led thematic reviews on risk management control functions. In 2012, she represented BNM at the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s Banking Supervisory Training. Driven by a passion for teaching, Sharon transitioned to academia, where she taught banking and finance at Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (TARUC). She also taught foreign languages to corporate learners from diverse backgrounds, further enhancing her ability to connect with individuals from various cultures.

At ABS, Sharon designs, develops, and delivers sustainable finance programmes, including the Sustainable Finance Structured Learning Pathway, which covers foundational to advanced levels and is aligned with the Green Finance Advisor (GFA) certification. Her recent projects include collaborations with Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) on renewable energy policy focus groups and green finance training tailored to ASEAN-specific challenges.

Sharon has built strong academic partnerships with leading learning institutions in China, including Tsinghua University and the International Institute of Green Finance at Central University of Finance and Economics (IIGF-CUFE), focusing on, fintech, sustainable finance and AI integration in financial education. Her regional expertise is further demonstrated through her role as a judge at the I-CEE Student Case Competition at the International Business School-Beijing Foreign Studies University (IBS-BFSU) and her presentations at ASEAN+3 and RCEP conferences.

Sharon is a Chartered Accountant with the Malaysian Institute of Accountants, a Certified HRDF Accredited Trainer, a Certified Expert in Sustainable Finance from the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, and a holder of the Professional Certificate in Islamic Finance from INCEIF. She is also TESOL certified by the London Teacher Training College and certified in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (CTCSOL) by Hanban.