Masterclass "The New Paradigm for Business Excellence and Growth" by EXCELIA

THIS MASTERCLASS WILL BE DELIVERED ONLINE ON MS TEAMS

THIS WEBINAR IS ONLY OPEN TO MEMBERS OF:

مجلس الأعمال السعودي الفرنسي (CAFS)
CCI France Bahrain
CCI France Koweit
CCI France Liban
CCI France Qatar
CCI France UAE

This masterclass, titled “The New Paradigm for Business Excellence and Growth,” is organized by the Saudi French Business Council (CAFS) in collaboration with EXCELIA. It will take place on 30 April 2026 at 12:00 PM (Saudi time) via MS Teams.

Introduction

This masterclass explores ESG finance as a core leadership and decision-making capability shaping excellence and growth in today’s business landscape. The session will focus on how ESG considerations are embedded in strategic choices, capital allocation, financing structures, governance models, and growth trajectories—particularly in capital-intensive and transformation-driven economies.

The session will cover:

How ESG finance has redefined the criteria for business excellence, moving beyond short-term financial performance to include resilience, risk discipline, and capital efficiency
The integration of ESG factors into investment and expansion decisions, including project appraisal, prioritization, and redesign under ESG constraints
The impact of ESG considerations on financing strategy, including access to capital, funding structures, covenant design, and refinancing risk
Governance as a critical ESG lever, with implications for decision transparency, leadership accountability, and investor confidence
Executive management of ESG trade-offs in high-growth environments, balancing speed, scale, and credibility
Real-world decision scenarios from the energy, infrastructure, banking, and logistics sectors in Saudi Arabia and the GCC, where ESG finance directly affects capital access and growth expectations

Objectives

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

Reframe ESG finance as a strategic input to leadership and capital decisions, rather than a compliance obligation
Assess how ESG considerations affect growth options, financing flexibility, and long-term competitiveness
Understand how to integrate ESG factors into capital allocation and funding decisions while maintaining operational and strategic discipline
Strengthen governance practices to enhance predictability, risk management, and stakeholder confidence

Biography of speaker

Dr Mirza Nawazish Elahi is Professor of Finance at Excelia Business School, with extensive experience across financial markets, risk analysis, and investment management. He has held senior roles in multiple financial institutions, where he managed investment portfolios with nine-digit valuations across a range of asset classes and advised on credit ratings and risk assessment for banks, corporates, non-bank financial institutions, sovereigns, and structured financial instruments. He is a regular commentator in leading international media, including Bloomberg, CNBC, and Sky News. Professor Mirza serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Risk Finance, Sustainable Finance Review, and the Review of Accounting and Finance. His research focuses on the intersection of capital allocation, governance, and sustainability, with particular emphasis on how ESG considerations influence financing structures, investment decisions, and long-term value creation. With over 20 years of experience, his career spans three continents, integrating industry practice with academia.