Imperial College London Sustainability Leadership Programme

Maya Haddad, Senior Sustainability Manager at Ajman University, has successfully completed the prestigious Sustainability Leadership Programme at Imperial College London, earning a perfect final score of 100/100. The achievement underscores her commitment to advancing global environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards and reinforces her position as a leading climate advocate in the UAE.

Delivered by Imperial College Business School Executive Education in partnership with global education provider Emeritus, the highly competitive programme equips senior leaders with the frameworks needed to move beyond basic regulatory compliance toward climate-positive innovation.

The curriculum covered systemic decarbonization, including the formulation of climate-positive strategies and the transition toward net-zero impact; data-driven impact metrics, using the Leonardo Centre’s proprietary data tracking and the “GOLDEN dataset” to measure and monetize actual environmental impact beyond corporate activities; and organizational change management, integrating stakeholder needs directly into governance structures to foster sustainable cultural shifts.

A standout element of Haddad’s experience was the practical application of advanced innovation methodologies such as TRIZ, the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving. Using these structured frameworks, she explored how institutions can systematically eliminate carbon creation at the strategy phase rather than merely mitigating existing emissions.

Haddad, completed the rigorous training to integrate these advanced methodologies into higher education frameworks. Under her sustainability leadership, Ajman University has already reached significant milestones, including ranking #1 in the UAE for UN Sustainable Development Goal 13: Climate Action and #6 globally for SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals.

In addition to her responsibilities at the university, Haddad serves as Head of Operations for the UAE Universities Climate Network, which drives youth engagement and academic collaboration across the region’s top institutions.

Her latest academic milestone at Imperial College London is expected to bring cutting-edge decarbonization methodologies and sustainable operational models directly to the UAE’s academic ecosystem, supporting the nation’s broader Net Zero targets.