ESG Summit: Embracing a green and sustainable recovery

• The opportunity to watch the UN 75^th anniversary’s film

This movie depicts the Sustainable Development Goals and promotes a better and more sustainable future for all. It presents global challenges such as poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice.

• Networking
• Technical help

Welcome and introduction

Peter Swabey, Policy Director, The Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland

Keynote: UN global compact

Steve Kenzie, Executive Director, UN Global compact network UK

Beyond the Paris Agreement

The Paris Agreement was written in response to climate change. A survey had then revealed that businesses were ‘supportive of an ambitious, legally binding global agreement to keep global warming to below [one and a half] degrees’. As COP26 approaches, experts, governments, and companies will review the Agreement's impact on businesses worldwide. Through best practice examples, they will discuss the effectiveness of different frameworks and legislation supporting the agreement, and how they utilised them to build long term strategies for their companies.

Moderator:
Ioannis Ioannou, Associate Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship, London Business School and ESG advisory Board Member, DWS Group (London, UK)

Speakers:

Case study: Desolenator, a net-zero enabler

Clean water is our most critical challenge, and without adaptation today, businesses and governments face steep costs to ensure reliable supply. Desolenator is the world’s first water purification technology powered by Photo Voltaic-Thermal (PV-T) panels. This is a technology to redesign the water landscape, and enable net-zero water production, in decentralised systems which are resilient to the impacts of climate change. Madeleine will talk about her company’s flagship projects with the Dubai Government and Carlsberg.

Speaker:
Madeleine Bell, Strategy and Special Projects, Desolenator
Louise Bleach, Development and Impact Lead, Desolenator

Networking break

Breakout sessions

Option 1 - Climate change reporting, the UK regulation

In November 2020, the FRC published its thematic on the integration of climate-related issues into governance, reporting, audit, professional oversight and investor considerations. Climate change is a challenge for everyone as we grapple with what our future economies and societies will look like – particularly in the lead up to COP26 in November this year, when many governments may be making new announcements about their ambitions. How can boards ensure the company’s consideration of climate-related issues aligns with the financial risks, strategies and opportunities? What information is required, and how can it be presented? In this session, our expert will deploy her experience, so delegates can better understand regulatory expectations and best practice.

Speaker:

Hannah Armitage, Project Manager - Financial Reporting Lab at the Financial Reporting Council

Option 2 - Integrated reporting, the future of corporate reporting

Cross-jurisdictions’ climate change reporting requirements, combined with diverse thinktanks frameworks, have made reporting a tedious task for governance professionals worldwide. Rather than a box-ticking exercise, integrated reporting can be utilised as a flexible framework to regenerate and give a clearer vision on the company’s short, medium and long-term strategies. From TCFD, taxonomy to UN principals, our experts discuss the common denominators and the pillars of good reporting. They explore what it means for shareholders and investors expectations worldwide. We will examine how governance professionals can turn to integrated reporting while combining local obligations without duplicating.

Moderator:

Susanne Stormer, Member of Project Task force, European Financial Reporting Advisory Group and Partner, Head of Sustainability, PwC (Copenhagen, Denmark)

Speakers:

Tjeerd Krumpelman, Global head of advisory, reporting & engagement / Group Sustainability, ABN AMBO Bank N.V and Co-Chair of Integrated Thinking & Strategy Special Interest Group, International Integrating Reporting Council (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
Kim Bundegaard, Senior Vice president, Novo Nordisk

Developing a green and sustainable recovery

As ESG issues are significantly growing, structural shifts in economies and business models elevate companies' value. Various stakeholders are assessing organisations on global challenges such as inequality, climate change, loss of nature in strategies, investment, and operations. In this session, our experts discuss how companies address these issues and how they are being assessed. They will reflect on what it means for companies, societies and economies.

Moderator:

Jake Reynolds, Executive Director, Sustainable Economy, Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (Cambridge, UK)

Speakers:

Marta Jankovic, Director Investment Stewardship EMEA, Blackrock (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
Mark Jenkins, Company Secretary, Halma Plc (London, UK)

Networking session and first morning closes