IR Magazine
ESG Integration Forum – Europe

ESG Integration Forum – Europe

Thursday, March 2, 2023

In-person: Leonardo Royal Hotel Tower Bridge, London

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 2023 is designed to provide you with the tools and knowledge to ensure you’re ready to meet investors’ expectations and make ESG central to your business strategy.

Agenda: 2023

Timings are in GMT

Click here to see the 2023 agenda as a PDF

  • 08:00 AM
    Registration, breakfast and morning networking

  • 08:50 AM
    Welcome to the ESG Integration Forum – Europe

  • 09:00 AM
    Keynote address: ESG priorities in 2023

    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

  • 09:45 AM
    Navigate Europe’s changing regulatory environment and preparing for the year ahead

    Regulators around the world are increasing pressure on public companies to disclose more ESG information, but they are also placing more scrutiny on 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

  • 10:15 AM
    Morning refreshments and networking break

  • 10:45 AM
    Ensure the quality, reliability and accessibility of ESG data

    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

  • 11:30 AM
    Get the board on board: effective ESG leadership

    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.

    • Supporting your board provide effective oversight and governance of ESG issues
    • Getting the right people around the table: taking a specialist vs a generalist approach
    • Asking the right questions: enabling your board to deal effectively with ESG risks

  • 12:15 PM
    Roundtables: Exchange ideas with your peers in group discussions

    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

  • 13:00 PM
    Lunch

  • 14:00 PM
    Human capital management in 2023: human rights, labour shortages and taking a stand

    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. Increasingly, we are also seeing new scrutiny around companies’ role in society.

    Where does your organization stand on sensitive political issues, what are the risks of taking or not taking a stand, and how best to balance conflicting stakeholder pressures?

    • Assess emerging human capital risks and opportunities in 2023
    • Overcome the challenge of imperfect social data: measure and report progress effectively
    • Understand investor expectations around the role of management on social issues
    • Learn how to balance conflicting stakeholder demands on complex social issues

  • 14:30 PM
    Get ahead of the curve on natural capital and biodiversity

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

    However, many believe that this doesn’t go far enough, and are continuing to pressure public companies to develop their own commitments to biodiversity and better integrate nature into decision making.

    Market lead initiatives like the TNFD and nature-based targets help guide companies in the right direction, but things are still in development. 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

  • 15:00 PM
    Investor Q&A: Bridging the gap between public companies and investors

    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

  • 15:30 PM
    Champagne Roundtables: Exchange ideas with sector 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
    • 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

  • 16:15 PM
    End of conference and networking drinks

Speakers: 2023

To inquire about speaking opportunities, please contact [email protected]

What our attendees say

"What I liked about the event was that you provided so many different perspectives on ESG matters due to the large variety of speakers."

Vonovia

"It was superbly organized and everyone on the IR Magazine team was incredibly helpful, proactive and professional."

Anonymous

"The conference was extremely useful and well organized."

EnPlus

"The diversity of speakers and the quality of the information and the discussion were great"

Hestia Global

"Very well organised with a great range of speakers."

Oxford Brookes University

"High quality event with a great selection of speakers."

S IMMO

Attendees

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
Associate director, IR & comms Liminal BioSciences Head, ESG integration Schroders
CEO Ellinghorst IR Head, IR discoverIE Group
CFO Spectris Head, IR Mister Spex
Director Instinctif Partners Head, IR TT Eletctronics
Director, capital markets & ESG CRH Head, IR Caverion Corporation
Director, investor relations and sustainability Galata Wind Managing director, legal group Accenture
Director, ESG Micro Focus MD Rothschild & Co
Director, investment stewardship research Morningstar Partner Deloitte
ESG director Zabka Polska Partner, head of research WHEB Asset Management
Financial comms & IR VP Imerys SVP and head of investor relations Iron Mountain
Head, climate and biodiversity AXA Group VP, finance Seplat Energy
Head, corporate responsibility Ascential VP, IR & ESG Hexagon Composites
Head, environmental transaction services Tetra Tech VP, sustainability strategist Blackrock Systematic

 

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 Ross Ingram or call on +44 78265 38072.

Inquire about partnership

Partners

Venue

Leonardo Royal Hotel Tower Bridge
45 Prescot Street
London
E1 8GP

Please be aware that two Leonardo Royal Hotels are within close proximity to one another, so we suggest that you plan your journey ahead of time. You can view the exact location of the Leonardo Royal Hotel Tower Bridge on the map below. Click the link here for transport options and directions to the venue.

Accommodation:
The organizers 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 in-person ticket.

The early bird rate expires on February 10, 2023. After this date, the price will increase to the standard rate of £245.

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 Mona Stanica at [email protected] or +44 20 8090 0391. 

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