Name: ESG fund labelling: ‘friend or foe’ of the sustainability transition?
Start: 2022-02-24T14:00:00Z
End: 2022-02-24T14:01:00.000Z
Location: BrightTALK
Rating: 4.7

From the publishers of responsible-investor.com, the RI Webinars channel focuses on responsible investing, ESG and sustainable finance for institutional investors and companies. We also produce a number of industry leading in-person events including: RI Europe, RI Canada, RI USA, RI Japan and RI Asia.

Asset managers are increasingly under pressure to communicate and prove to investors and other stakeholders how effective their stewardship activities are. Many are challenged with tracking progress and documenting hundreds and sometimes thousands of annual engagements, often needing to work with investment teams to do so.

Join this webinar to learn how investors & responsible investing teams are evolving and improving their processes for tracking engagements. We’ll discuss some of the hard realities of engagement activities and evidencing outcomes. Speakers will dig into the details of their stewardship efforts as well as how they’re improving analysis, showing progress, and communicating with clients.

Speakers: 
Will Keuper, GM - Software - Verity
Trista Chen, Head of Investment Stewardship Asia - LGIM
Matt Crossman, Stewardship Director - Rathbones 
Eugenia Unanyants-Jackson, Global Head of ESG - PGIM

Moderated by: Elza Holmstedt Pell, Deputy Editor - Responsible Investor

Tracking engagements: What’s actually working for responsible investing teams?

Climate investing has a key role to play in driving capital to transition away from fossil fuels and ramp up renewable energy and other low-carbon solutions. But despite strong long-term drivers, climate investing strategies have faced challenges in the past couple years.

This webinar will look at how the climate investing landscape is evolving, and what investors want and need to shift capital towards the low-carbon transition. It comes at a critical time as a raft of asset managers and owners have their own interim goals to invest more in climate-related investments as part of their net-zero commitments – some of which are due to be met already next year.

Speakers:
Hortense Bioy, Head of Sustainable Investing Research, Morningstar Sustainalytics
Thomas Kuh, Head of ESG Strategy, Morningstar Indexes
James Price, Investment Consultant, Willis Towers Watson

Moderator: 
Elza Holmstedt Pell, Deputy Editor, Responsible Investor

The evolution of climate investing: what are investors looking for?

The transition to net zero is crucial if we are to reverse the effects of climate change and deliver on the Paris Agreement goals. Therefore, investors are under increasing pressure to prioritise net-zero strategies. But how much progress has been made so far and what are the best pathways to net zero?
 
This webinar will analyse the latest research from the Transition Pathway Initiative (TPI) and its implications for the global investor community. The State of Transition Report 2024, produced by the TPI dedicated centre at the London School of Economics, reviews the progress being made by over 1,000 of the world’s highest-emitting public companies in their response to climate change. 
 
Speakers:
Aled Jones, Head of Sustainable Investment Solutions, FTSE Russell
David Russell, Chair, Transition Pathway Initiative - TPI
Professor Simon Dietz, Research Director, TPI Centre, London School of Economics
Elena Philipova, Director, Sustainable Finance & Investment, LSEG Data & Analytics

Moderated by: 
Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker, Editor, Responsible Investor

State of the transition: Analysing the pathways to net zero

Expectations around engagement on ESG issues are expanding and reporting requirements are becoming increasingly granular. Asset managers are facing increased scrutiny both from asset owner clients and regulators on stewardship, alongside other ESG disclosure requirements.

The increased pressure on investors to prove and disclose the outcomes of their engagements comes at a time when stewardship teams are often stretched and under-resourced. This webinar will look at what “good” engagement looks like, analyse where investors often fall short and discuss how asset managers can tackle the challenges they face around engagement reporting.

Speakers:
Will Keuper, Head of ESG, Europe - Verity
Carlota Garcia-Manas, Head of Climate Transition and Engagement - Royal London Asset Management
Bruce Duguid, Head of Stewardship - Federated Hermes


Moderated by:
Elza Holmstedt Pell, Deputy Editor - Responsible Investor

ESG engagement: What does ‘good’ look like?

The introduction of the TNFD’s new framework to improve standards in nature-based disclosure presents a pivotal moment in the journey towards halting and ultimately reversing nature loss by providing organisations with a way to report and act on evolving nature-related risks.  With the framework’s implementation now on the horizon, can a new approach to measuring biodiversity impact unlock potential for sustainable business? And how can such an approach drive efforts towards net-zero? 

In this webinar, a panel of experts convened by Responsible Investor will discuss key questions including:
- Why does nature matter in the fight against climate change?
- What is the imperative for the private sector in protecting and restoring biodiversity in supply chains?
- How has the TNFD engaged with corporates to build a framework that’s decision-useful?
- What are the challenges in implementing the TNFD framework?
- What are the learnings from TCFD?

Speakers:
- David Croft, Global Head of Sustainability at Reckitt
- Dr Cecile Girardin, Director at Nature-Based Insetting
- Tony Goldner, Executive Director at Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosure (TNFD)

Moderated by Lucy Fitzgeorge Parker, Editor, Responsible Investor

Biodiversity and TNFD development: building corporate engagement on biodiversity

The Artificial Intelligence revolution is already having transformative effects across many sectors of the economy. But how can financial institutions and corporates use AI to better measure and manage their Environment, Social and Governance risks and impacts?

In this webinar, we explore the role of AI in addressing the gaps in ESG data availability and data quality, as well as making regulatory compliance and corporate reporting more streamlined and transparent.

Key themes to be discussed in the webinar include the role of AI in democratising access to ESG data; the integration of ESG data into investment decisions; and the possibilities that come with being able to process ESG data at greater speed and scale.

Speakers:
• Borja Cadenato, Director of ESG Products, Clarity AI
• Robert Smith, Director of Machine Learning Engineering, Clarity AI
• David Klausner, ESG Specialist, PGIM Fixed Income
• Nick Pelosi, Associate Director of Engagement, Federated Hermes

Moderated by Ben Payton, Special Projects Editor at Responsible Investor

Trusting ESG: can AI measure more and better?

As the price of ignoring nature becomes clear, investors are scrambling to understand both the risks posed to their portfolios by biodiversity loss and their impact on nature.

Data is a crucial tool – but is it fit for purpose? What innovation is needed? And what role will the upcoming TNFD framework play?

Speakers:

Arne Klug, Biodiversity Research Director at MSCI Inc
Vian Sharif, Head of Sustainability at FNZ and Founder of NatureAlpha
Steve Freedman, Head of Research and Sustainability, Thematic Equities at Pictet Asset Management

Moderated by Gina Gambetta, Reporter, Responsible Investor

The role of data in understanding biodiversity risk and impact

The proliferation of net zero commitments by financial institutions over the past two years has created a unique data collection challenge. With the first interim targets fast approaching, do investors have the data they need to deliver on their pledges?

In this webinar, a panel of experts convened by Responsible Investor will discuss key areas including:
- Where are the main hurdles in data collection and what are firms doing to overcome them?
- How do net zero data and disclosure requirements fit with those imposed by regulators?
- What does the industry-wide nature of the net zero project mean for data collection?

Speakers:
- Thomas Kuh, PhD, Head of ESG Strategy, Indexes, Morningstar
- Pratima Divgi, Head of Capital Markets, North America, CDP 
- Julien Grolée, Investor Practices Programme Manager, Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change 

Moderated by Lucy Fitzgeorge Parker, Editor, Responsible Investor

Net zero: Data collection challenges and solutions

The onrush of new sustainability disclosure standards and regulation in major markets suggest that more raw data than ever before will soon be as accessible. This session will explore how attention will shift to focus on providers that can identify future data gaps/holes and leverage AI to solve them. It will also consider what new regulations could be on the horizon, and how the industry will respond to the developments.

How will regulation shift the ESG data industry?

As companies respond to demand for sustainable business practice, there’s been a steady rise in net zero target setting. Yet there is no standardization in how these targets are set - making it hard for investors to assess their credibility.

In this webinar, in partnership with ICE, our expert panel will address net zero challenges, and discuss how tools and datasets can help.


Topics:
- How are companies setting net-zero targets and strategies to achieve net zero?
- How can a company’s net zero plan and targets be analysed?
- What roles do tools and data play in making net zero analysis more efficient? 
- What is the role of regulations like the SFDR and EU Taxonomy in supporting net zero implementation?

Speakers:

Girish Narula
Head of Climate Transition Finance
ICE

Annie Chor Joyce
Head of ESG
Amundi US

Moderated by Mina Tümay, Assistant Editor, PEI Media

Net-zero in practice: analysing and implementing net zero

An average of US$711bn per year until 2030 is needed to finance global biodiversity conservation projects. Nature-based Solutions will be crucial to reversing the decline in biodiversity and nature.

Over 80% of investments in NbS are from the public and philanthropic funders. However, these financial flows alone cannot meet the current investment need. A report published by South Pole and WWF, through the Climate Solutions Partnership, highlights common success factors that have been key in the design of nature-based solutions to secured commercial investment.

While private and institutional investors are showing interest in the opportunities that NbS represent, investments remain limited due to a lack of bankable opportunities. Reflecting post-UN Climate Conference COP27, and in the run-up to UN Biodiversity Conference COP15, it is increasingly important that we leverage lessons learnt from solutions already achieving positive biodiversity, human wellbeing outcomes, and financial returns to build a robust pipeline of NbS investments.

In this event, a panel comprised of the report writers, an investor, and a representative from a NbS project that has attracted private capital will discuss perspectives on the importance of the success factors outlined in the report by providing real-world examples and experiences. 

Speakers:

Gaetan Hinojosa, Associate Director, Climate Policy, Finance and Carbon Markets Advisory at South Pole
William Baldwin-Cantello, Director of NbS at WWF UK
Megan Reilly Cayten, Senior Investment Manager at Climate Asset Management
Nicolas Pascal, Executive Director & Co-Founder of Blue Finance


Moderated by Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker, Editor, Responsible Investor

Success factors for attracting investment for critical Nature-based Solutions

Nature works for us – for free. Without nature, the global economy could not function and reaching net-zero emissions would be impossible. The production of everything from food and clothing to medicines and computer chips depends on natural resources in one way or another. At the same time, forests, mangroves, wetlands and other natural ecosystems remove carbon from the atmosphere and remain critical to the development of high-quality credits for offsetting emissions. 

Nature is becoming a priority area for the investment community. But there is still much uncertainty about how nature-based investing works in practice. How are investors confronting and accounting for nature-related risks in their portfolios? How can they measure the impact of their investments on nature? How can they make investment sense of the multi-faceted aspects of preserving biodiversity? How could the TNFD framework help investors and stakeholders address the looming loss of biodiversity? And with COP15 in Montreal just around the corner, what are some of the key developments to expect?  

In this webinar, we look at why biodiversity warrants investor attention, the key challenges for investors to tackle the biodiversity crisis and examine emerging initiatives and tools that can help the financial community rise to the challenge.

Speakers:
- Vian Sharif, Founder of NatureAlpha
- Alexis Gazzo, Europe West Sustainability Co-Leader at EY
- Liudmila Strakodonskaya, ESG Analyst, Biodiversity Lead, AXA Investment Managers
- Arne Klug, Director of Biodiversity Research at MSCI

Moderated by Ben Payton, Special Projects Editor at Responsible Investor

Nature-Based Investing: The Role of Biodiversity and Nature Capital

The world is seeing a rise in the collective commitment to net zero, and financial institutions worldwide are faced with a growing list of sustainability disclosure requirements from regulators. At the same time, public opinion is watching them and is expecting more ambitious and clear plans to act on their pledges and commitments.

All members of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) from all sectors across the financial industry have committed to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, while providing transparent reporting and accounting on progress towards interim targets along the way.

With heightened pressure from society and regulators, financial institutions are only missing one big part of it: accurate and reliable data to plan, track and execute toward a truly sustainable economy.

In this webinar in partnership with Clarity AI, our expert panel will address the challenges investors face on the road to net zero, discussing the obstacles surrounding access to accurate and reliable data as well as providing insight into navigating the regulations.


Some topics that will be covered during the webinar:

•     What is the main blocker in the race to net zero? 
•     How feasible is it to achieve a net zero economy by 2050? What else is needed besides net zero alliances and actionable data?
•     Why is it so hard to get Scope 3 data and why has it been overlooked for so long?
•     How can financial institutions assess the suitability of a data provider? What should they look out for?
•     Are regulations really helping in taking the right steps towards decarbonization, or are they getting in the way of effective planning and execution of net zero strategies?

Speakers:
Julien Grolée, Investor Practices Programme Manager, IIGCC
Patricia Pina, Head of Product Research & Innovation, Clarity AI
Daisy Streatfeild, Sustainability Director, Ninety One


Moderated by Mina Tümay, Assistant Editor, PEI Media

Net Zero: Sourcing Reliable Data to Accelerate Progress

Climate risk was long characterised as a ‘Black Swan’: distant, improbable and intangible. Increasingly, it is now seen as a ‘Grey Rhino’: obvious, dangerous and probable. Recent heatwaves, floods and drought around the world have raised the stakes in public consciousness. For investors, in an ever-changing ESG landscape, climate risk is increasingly seen as a fundamental bedrock of measurability. And the stakes are indeed high. According to S&P Global Sustainable1 analysis, 92 percent of the world’s largest companies have at least one asset at high exposure (score >75 out of 100) to a climate change physical hazard by the 2050s, rising to 98 percent by the 2090s under a Business-as-Usual scenario. So, are investors making changes fast enough? In this webinar, we will explore best practices with climate physical risk analysis, including:

- What climate science says and why climate physical risk is material to investors;
- How data intelligence is developing to manage physical climate risk across multi-asset portfolios; 
- What industry leaders are doing and how to learn for it;
- What quantifying climate physical risk in financial term requires; and
- How data can be used for reporting, screening, risk analytics, and everyday decision making

Speakers:
- Therese Feng, Vice President of Research at S&P Global Sustainable1
- Chris Goolgasian, Director of Climate Research at Wellington Management
- Tim Hall, Senior Scientist, The Climate Service, an S&P Global Company

Moderated by Ben Payton, Special Projects Editor at Responsible Investor

Spotting the Grey Rhino: Climate perils and opportunities for investors

Impact investing aims to identify innovative companies whose core products and services address major social and environmental challenges. Many developing countries have large-scale social and environmental needs that are unmet by government spending alone, but paradoxically, however, less than a third of impact capital is allocated to funds that focus on emerging markets, according to the International Finance Corporation. In this webinar, sponsored by Wellington Management, we look at opportunities available in emerging markets for impact investors, with a focus on perspectives from end users in their local communities, as well as the research process for evaluating and measuring impact investments through a strong Impact Measurement and Management (IMM) practice.

 
Join this discussion with Portfolio Manager, Liliana Castillo Dearth, and Impact Measurement and Management Practice leader, Oyin Oduya.

Impact in Emerging Markets: Grassroots research and IMM Practice

In this session our panel of ESG experts will explore key circular economy concepts and principles and how investment professionals can consider circularity in their investment decision-making process. The panel will also provide concrete examples of how investors can incorporate circularity in company-level ESG analyses across different industries.

Integrating Circular Economy Concepts into the Investment Process

Amid multiple global crises, ranging from covid, to climate change, to the war in Ukraine, the UN recently warned that progress towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals is ‘in jeopardy’. Urgent solutions are required to direct global financial flows towards investments that tackle poverty, improve health, strengthen education, and protect the environment. In this webinar, sponsored by NASDAQ, we will explore the role of sustainable bonds – sometimes presented as ‘SDG bonds’ – in mobilising private capital to tackle the world’s most pressing development challenges. 

Join our discussion to learn more about how sustainable bonds can help impact-focused investors achieve alignment with the SDGs, and how the challenges in catalysing investor interest can be overcome.

Speakers:
- Ann-Charlotte Eliasson, Head of European Debt Listings and Sustainable Bonds at NASDAQ
- Fabienne Michaux, Director of UNDP SDG Impact 
- David Uzsoki, Senior Advisor & Lead for Sustainable Finance at the International Institute for Sustainable Development

Moderated by Ben Payton, Special Projects Editor at Responsible Investor

The role of sustainable bonds in reaching the SDGs

The ESG and Impact universe has proliferated in recent years. As asset owners increasingly commit to reaching net zero emissions and contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, managers have raced to provide investment products that offer ‘ESG’ or ‘Impact’. In practice, however, these terms are often vaguely defined and poorly understood. Moreover, measuring impact remains a key challenge. With asset owners becoming more sophisticated in their approach, the time has come for investors to have access to tools that allow them to ensure that their specific social and environmental priorities and values are reflected in the construction of their portfolios. Join our discussion to learn more about how investors can navigate the complex Impact landscape.

Speakers:

Max Shillalies, Senior Business Developer, Clarity AI
Ángel Agudo, VP of Product, Clarity AI
Justin Rockefeller, Head of Impact, Addepar

Moderated by Ben Payton, Special Projects Editor, Responsible Investor

Achieving Values Alignment in ESG and Impact Strategies

Sustainable investing (SI) fund labels have gained significant prominence in recent years as tools to provide transparency and drive capital towards the sustainability transition. Belgium’s Towards Sustainability label, Germany and France’s SRI and Greenfin labels are just some examples from a long list that continues to proliferate. At the same time, the labels form a highly divergent and fragmented landscape, potentially causing major drawbacks for both investors and the SI agenda at large. 

A recent publication by Qontigo’s sustainable investment team examines the criteria used in the 12 most important frameworks setting standards for SI products in Europe, where most of the effort has been concentrated to date. The study provides a like-for-like comparison of exclusionary criteria and portfolio-construction techniques as applied in each individual label.

On February 24, 2022, we are bringing together a panel representing regulatory and standard-setting authorities and investment management experts to discuss the following topics:

-What are the existing labels’ aims? Which criteria are aligned with each other and where do they diverge?
-Is it feasible to design a financial product that aligns with all labels? What are the implications for the scalability of SI products?
-What are the pros and cons of attempting to limit the number of labels to the bare minimum through standardization, as opposed to encouraging divergence on the grounds that there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to SI?
-What does this all mean for the ultimate goal of transitioning to a more sustainable economy?

Featuring: 

Markus Zellmann
Regulatory Advisor/Senior Vice President, Deutsche Börse Group

Tom Van den Berghe
Director Sustainable Finance, Febelfin

Nicolas Redon
Green Finance Expert, Novethic

Moderated by:
Anna Georgieva
Associate Principal, Sustainable Investment, Qontigo

ESG fund labelling: ‘friend or foe’ of the sustainability transition?

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ESG fund labelling: ‘friend or foe’ of the sustainability transition?

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