Laurence Taylor, senior conference producer, IR Magazine & Corporate Secretary

Our opening panel will look at how ESG priorities are changing in the context of so much macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty. Have ESG commitments been put on the back burner whilst companies focus on the financial health of their businesses, or is the momentum behind ESG continuing to grow in spite of (or even because of) current crises?

• Understand the key ESG issues facing European companies this year
• Assess the impact of inflation, energy scarcity and the war in Ukraine on ESG priorities
• Align your ESG and financial strategies in the context of global uncertainty

Moderator: Laurence Taylor, senior conference producer, IR Magazine & Corporate Secretary
Mika Leskinen, chief investment officer, S-Bank
Emmanuelle Palikuca, managing director, head of sustainability advisory, Alliance Advisors
Carla Stent, independent NED and board chair, Marex Group

Regulators worldwide are increasing pressure on public companies to disclose more ESG information. Still, they scrutinize the reliability and accuracy of what is already being reported. In Europe alone, the CSRD – finally published this year on January 5 – seeks to bring sustainability reporting on par with financial reporting, and the impact of the SFDR on investors continues to trickle down to issuers. Here we will discuss:

• Where are we now? Recap the current ESG regulatory environment and imminent developments
• Best practices for disclosing climate-related financial information in a way that aligns with investor needs
• How to be proactive and prepare for future reporting and disclosure requirements

Moderator: Steve Wade, head of event content, IR Magazine & Corporate Secretary
Mark Babington, executive director of regulatory standards, FRC

When it comes to ESG, we are increasingly moving away from a ‘tell me’ environment to a ‘show me’ environment.

Investors and other stakeholders want accurate, transparent and comparable data on an organization’s carbon footprint, diversity and equity performance, executive compensation and more. As the expectations around what, how and where to disclose evolve, our panellists will examine:

• Different approaches to ESG data collection: how to identify and report on material issues
• Discuss the value of third-party verification and assurance in relation to ESG data
• Understand what data investors are looking for and how it is integrated into investment decisions
• Reporting and communicating ESG information in an accessible and standardised way
• Future developments and trends in ESG data: estimating and reporting avoided emissions

Moderator: Hemma Visavadia, reporter, IR Magazine
Elly Irving, director of stewardship, sustainable investing, Lazard Asset Management
Jasmine Mehta, VP, ESG & climate corporate sales, MSCI
Íñigo Olaizola, Head of planning, analysis and reporting of non-financial information, Iberdrola

As with any transformational process, the culture, governance and incentives around ESG must be aligned to be successful. In this panel, we’ll discuss the board’s role in ensuring ESG is embedded across the business’ objectives, how governance teams can support the board in overseeing ESG processes properly and how IR teams can communicate these efforts to investors.

• Support your board to provide effective oversight of ESG issues
• Take a company-specific approach to ESG: which governance model is right for your business
• Respond to new investor and regulator expectations around governance factors

Moderator: Steve Wade, head of event content, IR Magazine & Corporate Secretary
James Beasley, head of board advisory EMEA, Nasdaq
Liana Logiurato, NED Intesa Sanpaolo, Board Advisor

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

Topics:

• Communicating your ESG story to a range of stakeholders
• Leading and developing more effective ESG teams
• Preparing for ESG activism in 2023
• Prioritising your efforts with ESG ratings agencies

Carl Franklin, head of investor relations, Seplat Energy

The ‘S’ of ESG is expected to play a significant role in 2023, with rising living costs, labour shortages, employee engagement and growing momentum behind DE&I issues shining a light on companies’ social – as well as environmental – impact. We are also seeing increasing pressure from stakeholders on integrating social goals into executive compensation and renumeration plans.

• Assess emerging human capital risks and opportunities in 2023 
• Overcome the challenge of collecting and reporting social data effectively 
• Understand investor expectations around the role of management on social issues 

Moderator: Laurence Taylor, senior conference producer, IR Magazine & Corporate Secretary
Asad Butt, investment stewardship specialist, HSBC Global Asset Management
Angela Gordon, company secretary, Tokio Marine Kiln

Last year’s COP15 saw a historic commitment to protect biodiversity, with over 200 countries signed up.

However, many believe this doesn’t go far enough and continue to pressure public companies to develop their commitments to biodiversity and integrate nature into decision-making.  

Market-led initiatives like the TNFD and nature-based targets help guide companies in the right direction, but things are still developing. In this panel, we will discuss:

• An update the new pressures around biodiversity facing public companies in 2023 and how they relate to climate
• Understand the role and goals of the TNFD, its relationship with the TCFD, and what it means for your business
• Integrate nature into your decision making and reporting on material issues

Moderator: Steve Wade, head of event content, IR Magazine & Corporate Secretary
Edit Kiss, chief investment officer, Revalue Nature
Sarah Woodfield, active ownership manager, Schroders

Our panel of investors will answer any questions you have about how investors are integrating ESG into their investment decisions in 2023.

How are market conditions impacting their approach, and how can IROs leverage their company’s ESG performance to better connect with existing and potential shareholders?

• Understand investor ESG priorities in 2023 and how they are changing
• Discuss the red and green flags investors have when it comes to ESG messaging and reporting
• Learn how investors engage with ratings agencies and how your score is integrated into their investment approach
• What’s next? Hear investor forecasts on ESG trends beyond 2023

Moderator: Steve Wade, head of event content, IR Magazine & Corporate Secretary
John Cox, ESG integration manager, Schroders
Lennart Herman, environmental research director, Osmosis Investment Management
Gervais Williams, head of equities, Premier Miton Group

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
• Enjoy a glass of champagne or non-alcoholic beverage

Topics:

• How to get started with your ESG journey
• Managing an accelerating transition towards a net zero economy
• Taking a proactive approach to data security and privacy
• Navigating and communicating supply chain pressures in the context of the war in Ukraine

Irina Logutenkova, head of investor relations, Getech 
Abraham Mertens, assistant general counsel, Arista Networks 
Benoit Ribaud, ESG investor relations manager, TotalEnergies 

Laurence Taylor, senior conference producer, IR Magazine & Corporate Secretary