ESG Integration Forum – Europe

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

Clifford Chance offices, London

Book your place

HOW ESG PRIORITIES ARE CHANGING

As the momentum behind ESG continues to grow, so too does the challenge of keeping up to date with growing regulatory and market demands.

This year, in the context of global market volatility and continued supply chain disruption, companies in Europe need to respond to these demands in a way that also meets the short and medium term financial needs of their business.

The ESG Integration Forum – Europe 2024 is designed to provide you with the tools and knowledge to ensure you are ready to meet investors’ expectations and make ESG central to your business strategy.

Themes

With the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) now in force and new ESG rating agency regulations on the horizon, companies must navigate increased scrutiny and shifting regulatory landscapes effectively.

Our agenda provides actionable insights and proven strategies for companies of all sizes and stages in their ESG journeys. Join us to gain the essential knowledge you need to prioritize effectively and achieve your ESG goals in this evolving environment.

Some of the topics and themes we’ll be discussing during the conference include:

How to implement CSRD
The impact of ESG rating agency regulation
Compliance, Performance or Excellence: How to prioritize and achieve your sustainability aims
Fostering collaboration for sustainability success
What investors want and how to communicate with them
ESG communications best practices
Increasing efficiency and reducing fatigue

with AI and automation

Agenda: 2024

Click here to view the agenda as a pdf.

Timings on the agenda are shown in Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)

08:00 AM
Registration, breakfast and morning networking
08:50 AM
Welcome to the ESG Integration Forum – Europe

Steven Wade, head of content, IR Magazine & Corporate Secretary
Jeroen Ouwehand, partner, Clifford Chance
09:00 AM
How to implement CSRD

The deadline for implementing the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive is approaching, and preparing for implementation is a top priority for companies. Achieve compliance, increase investor confidence, attract investment and manage risks more effectively by learning how to successfully implement CSRD. This session will teach you about the new reporting requirements and provide examples of how early adopters have approached implementation.

• Explore what more is required in the areas of human rights, climate change mitigation, and natural capital
• Learn how to align CSRD with existing reporting frameworks and reduce fragmentation and data duplication
• Understand how to ensure your data is accurate and ready for independent assurance
• Hear guidance from early adopters on effective steps to implement CSRD reporting

Moderator: Steve Wade, head of content, IR Magazine and Governance Intelligence
09:45 AM
The future of ESG ratings: What it means for you

The European Union, the UK government, the International Organization of Securities Commissions and the International Capital Markets Association are pushing for enhanced oversight of ESG ratings agencies via voluntary codes of conduct and regulation.

ESG ratings agencies are relied upon as a valuable source of information to inform investment and ownership activities. In this discussion you will hear how this will impact investment decision-making and learn about how to adapt your approach to engaging and disclosing sustainability information.

• Learn about the risks and opportunities resulting from ESG rating agency regulation
• Understand how the legislation will impact the dissemination and quality of ESG information
• Hear how these structural changes will impact the way you engage with ESG ratings agencies and their users

Moderator: Steve Wade, head of content, IR Magazine and Governance Intelligence
10:30 AM
Networking break and morning refreshments
11:00 AM
Sustainability in a changing system – how to implement change in your company

As regulation, consumer behaviour, investor needs, new technologies and the macro-economic environment impact attitudes and expectations of companies and their ESG efforts, it is essential to orientate your business plan to set yourself up for the future. This session explores How to create, then embed your ESG strategy in a new era of ESG – particularly looking at going beyond compliance to implement change that benefits shareholders and stakeholders in the long-term.

• Strategic input: Learn how to structure meaningful and efficient approaches to sustainability
• Understand how to use sustainability reporting to identify opportunities for long-term growth
• Learn how to collaborate with employees across the business to achieve your business and sustainability goals

Moderator: Laurie Havelock, editor-at-large, IR Magazine and Governance Intelligence
Martha McPherson, sustainability director, Ever Sustainable
11:45 AM
Roundtables: Exchange ideas with your peers

How the roundtables work:

• Join a table and write your biggest challenge, or a question you have about ESG on the paper in front of you
• Discuss your question or challenge with others on your table and get advice on how to address your challenges
• Share experiences, concerns and other learnings from your peers’ questions
12:30 PM
Lunch
13:30 PM
AI & Automation in ESG – beyond reporting fatigue

GenAI and automation will transform all aspects of business through its ability to save time in data collection & analysis, information processing, templating documents and idea generation. Although not without its risks, you need to understand how to harness these rapidly evolving technologies to enhance your sustainability efforts. This session will share real life case studies featuring companies that are currently using technology to reduce reporting fatigue and add value in other areas of ESG.

• Understand how companies are using AI and automation to reduce reporting and survey fatigue
• Learn about the immediately available tools companies are using in their ESG activities and hear about future developments allowing you to create a multi-year plan to integrate AI into your sustainability practices
• Hear how to use AI to enhance your materiality analysis and identify unseen risks and opportunities

Moderator: Steve Wade, head of content, IR Magazine and Governance Intelligence
14:15 PM
Engaging stakeholders and telling your sustainability story

Effectively formulating and communicating your sustainability strategy requires a higher emphasis on stakeholder engagement. This session examines how to conduct effective engagement throughout your company and externally with shareholders, suppliers, customers and beyond. We will then explore how best to communicate your ESG aims, strategy and progress both inside-and-outside of your company.

• Hear how to engage stakeholders across your business to ensure buy-in from junior employees to the C-suite
• Hear processes companies use to conduct stakeholder engagement and strengthen their materiality assessment
• Learn where investors are looking for information about your company and what metrics they’re looking for
• Understand how to communicate ESG digitally, from your website to social media and beyond
• Discuss how AI and automation tools will impact the dissemination of ESG information and how you need to adapt

Moderator: Steve Wade, head of content, IR Magazine and Governance Intelligence
15:00 PM
Developments in ESG activism and preparedness

Activist shareholders are increasingly focusing on ESG issues, however the topic divides opinion. The majority of activists demanding more ambitious climate targets, progress on DE&I and action on human rights. On the other hand, an increasing minority of while some investors perceive a focus on ESG to be a distraction, or even destructive to value.

In the face of changing tactics and attitudes around ESG activism, this session will provide insight into the future trends for ESG activism and how you need to adapt to ensure you can deter activists and successfully navigate a campaign should it arise

• Learn how ESG activism has changed in recent years
• Debate the impact of ‘Anti-Woke’ activism
• Discover how to identify potential activist shareholders in your register and strengthen your position
• Hear how to adapt your action plan to better defend your position against activists

Moderator: Steve Wade, head of content, IR Magazine and Governance Intelligence
Roger Leese, partner, Clifford Chance
15:30 PM
Know your investors: How to target ESG funds & respond to shareholder expectations

Learn how investors analyze your performance against ESG factors. In our final session, we explore ways to understand the ESG issues that are a top priority for your shareholders and how to use ESG to target investors. You will learn which metrics impact investor decision making, how to inform them about your ESG story, and how to increase your chances of being included in sustainability indexes.

• Explore how to use shareholder ID and analysis to further your understanding of your shareholders’ ESG priorities
• Learn about the metrics and disclosures are most helpful to active long-term investors
• Hear top tips on how to increase your chances of index inclusion
• Take it to the next level: Discover how to run a successful ESG roadshow

Moderator: Steve Wade, head of content, IR Magazine and Governance Intelligence
16:15 PM
Conference summary

Steve Wade, head of content, IR Magazine and Governance Intelligence
16:30 PM
Networking drinks reception

Who attends our events

Our attendees are leading governance, IR and sustainability practitioners with an established track record and strategic governance or IR role within their company.

Below is a sample of some of our past attendees:

Job title	Company	Job title	Company
Assistant general counsel	Mercer	Head of ESG transformation	Upfield
Associate general counsel	AvePoint	Head of IR	Barry Callebaut
CEO, founder	Competent Boards	Head of IR	Plus500
CFO	Enteq Technologies	Head of IR	Rubis
Chief ESG officer	Non-Standard Finance	Head of legal, company secretary	Ten Lifestyle Group
Climate change specialist	Robeco	IR	Seplat energy
Company secretarial assistant	Henry Boot	IR manager	Atenor
Corporate analyst	Kooth	IR, ESG manager	Rolls-Royce
Director business compliance	Serco Group	Managing director, legal group	Accenture
Director, IR	Babcock International	NED, company secretary	Sirius Petroleum
ESG engagement manager	Kingfisher	Senior IR, ESG manager	BAT
ESG governance	HSBC Holdings	Stakeholder dialogue specialist	CEZ Group
Group head, sustainability	Entain	Sustainability finance manager	Burberry
Group M&A legal counsel	ArcelorMittal	Sustainability officer	Arion Bank
Head of capital markets	AEDAS Homes	VP, general counsel EU and Asia	ICL Group

Request full attendee list

Become a partner

Why partner with us?

The ESG Integration Forum – Europe brings together some of the most influential people in the IR and governance communities.

The event offers an effective approach to targeting clients when they are exploring how they can improve their ESG practice. Through our unrivalled knowledge of the subject matters and commitment to in-depth agenda research, our events are guaranteed to attract a qualified audience.

The unique buzz we create at our in-person events – a far cry from a traditional conference – makes them multi-faceted and highly interactive with great engagement in particular from heads of IR and governance teams. This allows our partners to have meaningful conversations with corporates who are deciding which parts of their ESG program to invest in, which service providers to engage and which consultants to retain. By partnering with us on an event, you can generate leads, showcase your thought leadership and position yourselves as the partner of choice to the IR and governance communities.

We’d love to have a chat with you about how you can get in front of a truly engaged and motivated audience. Get in touch with Henry Wright or call on +44 20 8004 5337.

Inquire about partnership

Partners

Ever Sustainable

Ever Sustainable

Forum Partners

Ever Sustainable is an impact consultancy that helps businesses harness the value generation multiplier of sustainability. By joining the dots between sustainability and growth, Ever endeavours to move sustainability beyond risk reduction to uncover new commercial opportunities. We strive to bring bold ideas into the boardroom to inform both day-to-day decision-making and long-term transformation.

Our expertise ranges from robust research and double materiality assessments, to defining and implementing sustainability strategies that are underpinned by decision-useful KPIs. We’re also passionate communicators who excel in distilling urgent ideas into clear messages that clients can deliver to stakeholders with confidence.

For more information, please visit: www.eversustainable.co.uk
Inspired PLC

Inspired PLC

Forum Partners

Inspired PLC provides market-leading commercial energy and sustainability advisory services to help our clients achieve net-zero and thrive in the future low carbon global economy.

Every business faces a unique set of challenges and over 3,500 organisations have partnered with Inspired to find the best solutions for them.

We focus on helping our clients control costs, reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions and remain compliant in the regulatory landscape.

We call these challenges the “4Cs,” and offer a full range of practical solutions through our four divisions to tackle them:
• Energy assurance services
• Energy optimisation services
• ESG strategy, disclosure, and impact services
• Software solutions

Inspired has held its position in the Cornwall Insight ranking as the leading energy advisor for industrial and commercial consumers since 2018. Our 700+ energy and sustainability experts form the backbone of our entire organisation, and it’s their commitment and hard work that have led us to our success today.

We value our role in meeting the UK’s net-zero target, and we will be net-zero ourselves before 2050. The steps we’ve taken on our own decarbonisation journey mean we’re ready to lead others towards adapting to a net zero economy.

Today’s partner for a better tomorrow.

For more information, please visit: www.inspiredplc.co.uk
ISS-Corporate

ISS-Corporate

Forum Partners

Companies turn to ISS-Corporate for expertise in designing and managing governance, compensation, sustainability, and cyber risk programs that align with company goals, reduce risk, and manage the needs of a diverse shareholder base by delivering data, tools, and advisory services. ISS-Corporate’s global client base extends across North America, Europe, and Asia, as well as other established and emerging markets worldwide.

For more information, please visit our website here.

What our attendees say

"Relevant topics, great speakers, active participants (questions from the audience and slido), overall good organization. "

CEZ

"I liked the range of topics - the sessions felt current and relevant. Good mix of panelists with different backgrounds."

YouGov

"Good collection of corporates and some really interesting topics discussed"

Mondi Group

"It was a good mix of listening and learning and meeting and talking. The quality of the speakers, chairs and facilitators was high and the venue good too."

Bladonmore

"There was a good vibe and energy, and panel discussions were insightful and useful."

Aramco

"Good learning and networking opportunity, well run and impressive venue."

BAT Group

Venue

Clifford Chance
10 Upper Bank St,
London E14 5JJ

For transport options and directions to the venue, please click here.

Accommodation:
IR Magazine and Governance Intelligence have arranged for discounted rates at nearby hotels located a short distance away from the venue. Click here to view the hotels and rates.

Book your place

Click below to book a ticket. We have 10 corporate tickets left at our first release rate before they rise to the second release rate of £295.

Book now to avoid disappointment. The rate will automatically increase once they’re gone!

The corporate rate is reserved for in-house IR, communication and governance professionals, employed directly by a corporation listed on a public stock exchange ONLY.

SOLD OUT: Non-corporate tickets

We have now sold out of non-corporate tickets for this event. If you do not fall under the corporate rate and would like to get involved please email Henry Wright at [email protected].

Please note all prices are subject to 20% VAT. The price shown below is exclusive of VAT.

To protect customers from fraud, your card provider may require you to complete further authentication checks which might include authentication using the mobile banking app, one-time passcode via text, one-time passcode using a card reader, one-time passcode via a landline or one-time passcode via email.

If you have any questions, please contact Thomas Williams at [email protected] or +44 208 090 2156.