Social Enterprise Management and Transition
How to support the transition of all companies towards strong sustainability business models? How to manage social, ecological, and positive impact businesses? Join us and become an actor of this Transition!
Increasingly, businesses are engaging in ecological and social transition. Facing challenges like global warming and the depletion of natural resources, they play a key role by transforming their business models to reduce negative impacts and enhance sustainable value creation.
See ULiege course program
Upon completion of the specialization, students will be able to:
- Understand key economic concepts to grasp the global challenges of ecological and social transition.
- Understand the different business models of strong sustainability, their specifics, and the challenges of their deployment.
- Analyze and anticipate the challenges faced by social and sustainable businesses in a complex and rapidly evolving environment.
- Know the various development processes and management tools tailored to social and sustainable businesses (social innovation, overall performance, sustainability financing, decarbonization, impact analysis, extra-financial reporting, etc.)
- Develop professional, effective, and appropriate management for social and sustainable businesses and transition projects.
- Contribute to operational and strategic projects of partner companies to support their professionalization or scaling-up and to help evolve their models toward stronger sustainability.
- Understand the ecosystem in which social and sustainable businesses operate, as well as the opportunities and constraints associated with this ecosystem.
Career opportunities:
- Strategic roles related to the steering of business model transitions and corporate social or environmental responsibility projects within various companies.
- (Co-)Creation of a business with significant societal or environmental impact.
- Senior positions in social enterprises, sustainable businesses, or businesses transitioning towards sustainability, in various sectors.
- Consultant in supporting the sustainable transition of businesses.
- Expert in a study or research center, both in the public and private sectors, on topics such as social economy, social entrepreneurship, transition, sustainable management, and corporate social responsibility.
Double Degree Opportunity:
Canada (HEC Montreal)
Good to know
This specialization has been led since 2010 by the Center for Social Economy of HEC Liège (www.ces.uliege.be), a research and teaching center that has been conducting its projects and work for 30 years with a focus on analyzing and accrediting the specific roles and growing importance of social enterprises. It is integrated into an international community of researchers and experts through the EMES Network (International Research Network on Social Enterprises), of which the Center for Social Economy of HEC Liège is a founding pillar. And if you later wish to further deepen your knowledge in social economy, HEC Liège and UCLouvain jointly offer a unique program: a 60-credit specialization master's in Social Economy: www.hec.uliege.be/economie-sociale
As an Investment Manager, my main role is to develop and manage a portfolio of companies in which W.Alter, a public company at the service of entrepreneurs who want to invest in a sustainable and human-centered economy, intervenes in the form of equity investments or loans. In addition to financial support, we challenge and network project leaders.
During this master's degree, I was able to discover the multiple facets of the social economy. The meetings with social entrepreneurs, the concrete case studies and the field trip abroad bring a real plus to the program. This master's degree really helped me to know which type of organization I wanted to turn to for my professional career. At the end of my studies, I was convinced that I wanted to work in an organization related to the social economy.
Learn more about this specialization
Finality Pilot
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Virginie XHAUFLAIR Professor - Management |
updated on 7/16/25
