ESG Integration Forum – Europe

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

Clifford Chance offices, London

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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: 2023

We will be announcing our 2024 agenda shortly. In the meantime please see below for our 2023 agenda.

Click here to view the 2023 agenda.

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

Jeroen Ouwehand, partner, Clifford Chance
09:00 AM
What 2024 has in store: ESG trends to prepare for

Our opening session takes a birds-eye view of the constantly evolving world of ESG, inviting our expert speakers to share their predictions for the year ahead. This session will situate the context for the forum and prepare delegates for a deeper dive into the current ESG landscape throughout the day.

• Reflect on the key ESG takeaways of 2023 including supply chain challenges, increased shareholder scrutiny, the impact of ESRS adoption and the future of AI integration
• Hear about the wider regulatory landscape, how it’s set to evolve over the coming year and how it will alter your disclosure requirements
• Learn where investor sentiment currently stands on ESG and which issues shareholders really want to know more about

Moderator: Hemma Visavadia, reporter, IR Magazine and Governance Intelligence
David Alfrey, lawyer, Clifford Chance
Justin Kew, senior ESG analyst, Balyasny Asset Management
Jan Sohlmann, senior management ESG investor engagement, Bayer
09:45 AM
ESG Compliance: Balancing priorities in a dynamic regulatory environment

The European Commission released its much-anticipated ESRS guidance in July and with the UK Sustainability Disclosure Standards and France’s Say on Climate Law, companies face a complex task when it comes to sustainability reporting and data collection. This panel will offer a high-level approach to understanding the myriad differing and converging regulatory standards that exist for public companies across Europe and how to navigate them. Join this session for an update on the latest changes and take a fresh look at how your IR team is balancing different compliance priorities

• Learn how to remain focused and consistent on your specific ESG narrative amid multiple varying frameworks
• Get to grips with what data your company needs to be collecting, synthesizing and sharing with stakeholders
• Learn how to navigate varying regulations such as ESRS, UK Sustainability Disclosure Standards and France’s Say on Climate Law

Moderator: Lauren McDonald, conference producer, IR Magazine and Governance Intelligence
Margot Fransen, general counsel sustainability, global general counsel oral care, Unilever
Simon O’Brien, investor sustainability, BAT
Nuno Teiga Vieira, head of investor relations, CTT
10:30 AM
Morning refreshments and networking break
11:00 AM
Crafting your ESG comms: How to decide on, distill and deliver your message

With sustainability reports growing exponentially, the question of what ESG information to share with stakeholders is a pressing one. This panel will discuss how to prioritize the right messaging and how to craft it into a simplified, yet persuasive narrative

• Learn how to select the most relevant and material ESG information for your stakeholders
• Discover which tools can help you distill your ESG information into a concise, clear, and consistent message
• Discuss when and how to deliver your ESG message to different stakeholder groups
• Learn how to measure and improve the effectiveness and impact of your ESG communications and how to address feedback and challenges

Moderator: Laurie Havelock, editor-at-large, IR Magazine and Governance Intelligence
Angela Catlin, head of investor relations, The Co-Operative Bank
Kim Dabbs, global vice president, ESG & social innovation, Steelcase
11:35 AM
Roundtables: Exchange ideas with your peers

How the roundtables work:

• Choose any of the following topics –the power is in your hands!
• Join the relevant roundtable and discuss with your peers
• At the end of the session, hear a quick roundup from each table on what was discussed

Topics:

• How do you manage ESG data within your supply chain?
• How do you communicate ESG to retail investors?
• How do you balance Environmental, Social and Governance factors in your reporting?
• How do you master your materiality assessment?

Meritxell Soler Farrés, head of retail shareholders relations, CaixaBank
Manuel Taverne, head of investor relations, Knaus Tabbert
Devin Weiss, ESG lead of the sustainability group, Loring, Wolcott & Coolidge Trust
12:10 PM
Lunch
13:05 PM
Roundtable recap
13:15 PM
Activism 101: How to spot the warning signs and prepare a robust response

With shareholders taking action on climate and making news headlines around the world, companies must recognize that ESG activism is not going away. In this session we will discuss how to spot the warning signs of a shareholder activist threat and how to respond effectively.

• Learn how to identify and assess the warning signs of shareholder activism
• Discover which factors could be making your company vulnerable to ESG activism
• Discuss how to prepare a vigorous response to ESG activism and how to keep your board and stakeholders appropriately informed

Moderator: Lauren McDonald, conference producer, IR Magazine and Governance Intelligence
Jana Jevcakova, managing director, head of ESG international, Morrow Sodali
Roger Leese, partner, Clifford Chance
14:00 PM
Ratings agencies and reporting frameworks: Understanding the Venn diagram of disclosure requirements

In this session, we will return to the regulatory changes of 2023 and consider how your company should approach reporting and disclosures within this ever-evolving landscape.

• Learn how to align your ESG metrics and indicators with the most relevant and influential ESG reporting frameworks and rating agencies
• Discover how to engage with these reporting standards to improve your ESG ratings and rankings
• Discuss how to communicate your ESG value proposition to your stakeholders through effective reporting and disclosure
• Hear how to benchmark your ESG performance within these frameworks against peers

Moderator: Laurence Taylor, senior conference producer, IR Magazine and Governance Intelligence
Enrico Filippi, ESG and planning director, Technogym
Punam Mehta, assistant general counsel, Mercer
Eva Pekárková, stakeholder dialogue expert, ČEZ Group
14:45 PM
AI and ESG: Game-changing opportunity or risk?

With constant developments in the capabilities of artificial intelligence, businesses globally are considering how and when to adopt AI-powered strategies into their IR programs. In this session, we will look at how to make this transition effective while safe-guarding against the ethical and legal risks inherent to this new technological frontier.

• Learn how AI can enhance your ESG strategy and performance, and how to adopt AI-powered solutions for your IR program, such as data analysis, reporting, engagement, and communication.
• Discover which AI applications and tools are most suitable and beneficial for your ESG goals and challenges, and how to evaluate and select them based on their features, functions and costs.
• Discuss when and how to use AI ethically and responsibly for your ESG activities, and how to safeguard against the potential risks and pitfalls of AI, such as bias, privacy, security, transparency, and accountability

Moderator: Steve Wade, head of content, IR Magazine and Governance Intelligence
Alex Tselentis, partner, Finex
15:30 PM
Group discussion: Overcoming today’s ESG challenges

Please join us for this highly interactive session where we will have an open conversation about the ESG challenges that people are facing and collaboratively work through solutions before we head into networking drinks.

We will be using Slido for this session so please do submit your biggest challenges to the word cloud and discover tips and advice from your peers.

Moderator: Steve Wade, head of content, IR Magazine and Governance Intelligence
16:15 PM
End of conference and networking drinks

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

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 on the button below to book your ticket. Book now to avoid disappointment. The rate will automatically increase once they’re gone!

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

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.

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