Program ⇽ RI AUSTRALIA 2021 | Responsible Investment Association Australasia on Glue Up

This is a past event. Registration is closed. View other Responsible Investment Association Australasia events.

Friday, May 7, 2021 08:00 to 18:20

08:00 - 08:45

Registration open

08:45 - 09:00

Welcome to Country

Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council

09:00 - 09:10

RIAA Welcome
Simon O'Connor

Simon O'Connor
CEO of Responsible Investment Association Australasia

09:10 - 09:45

"oi oi oi oi ngala pitja kulila tjumaku!" • A call to action to responsible investors: what do you know about Aboriginal Australia?
Kado Muir

On 24 May 2020, Rio Tinto destroyed a site that represented 46,000 years of culture and history for the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura (PKKP) peoples of the Pilbara in Western Australia. The blast devastated a place of personal, community, national and international significance. Investors and the broader community responded with outrage. What do we mean by cultural heritage protection? What is Free, Prior and Informed Consent? How do we, as responsible investors, ensure we’re using a rights-based framework when we engage with First Nations Peoples and their expanding Indigenous estate? Join us for this very special opening keynote with traditional owner, Ngalia cultural custodian, Native Title holder and expert anthropologist, linguist and archaeologist, Kado Muir.

Kado Muir

09:45 - 10:25

Is it time to bite the hand that feeds us? How we can use our power as investors and address structural inequality
Anand Giridharadas

Is the responsible investment community complicit in the charade of working to change the world only in ways that don’t jeopardise individuals’ own standing? Anand Giridharadas, author of the New York Times bestseller Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World, challenges responsible, ethical and impact investors to think about what they stop doing and start doing to help achieve equality and systemic change.

Anand Giridharadas
Author

10:25 - 10:45

Morning tea

10:45 - 11:20

Where the rubber hits the road: showcasing real world outcomes being delivered by responsible investors
Duncan Paterson•Jack Nelson•Matthew Tominc•Alison Chan

Responsible investors are increasingly under the spotlight to demonstrate how they are not just avoiding harm, but contributing to addressing challenging social and environmental issues. In this session we showcase some of the positive real world outcomes investors are helping generate.

Duncan Paterson
Global Head of ESG Thought Leadership Program at ISS Australia Pty Ltd
Jack Nelson
Portfolio Manager at Stewart Investors
Matthew Tominc
Chief Investment Officer at Conscious Investment Management Pty Ltd
Alison Chan
Director, Sustainable Finance of National Australia Bank

11:25 - 12:00

One year on: what the destruction of Juukan Gorge means for responsible investors
Kado Muir•Leah Armstrong•Alan Dayeh•Mary Delahunty•Danielle Welsh-Rose

As highlighted by the Senate Inquiry, Never Again, the devastation of culture and history at Juukan Gorge occurred within a system of failings. What actions have investors taken in collaboration with First Nations peoples to ensure this does not happen again? How do investors ensure the Free, Prior and Informed Consent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, in line with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Australian Sustainable Finance Initiative? Join this panel of experts as we unpack the challenges and opportunities.

Kado Muir
Leah Armstrong
Managing Director of First Australians Capital
Alan Dayeh
Managing Principal at Point Advisory Pty Ltd
Mary Delahunty
Head of Impact at HESTA
Danielle Welsh-Rose
ESG Investment Director - Asia Pacific of Aberdeen Standard Investments Australia Ltd

12:05 - 12:35

PE & VC: Impact hiding in plain sight
Damian Cottier•Cassandra Williams•Alan YU•Alexandra Clunies-Ross

How is private equity changing the impact landscape? We will explore some of the investments in private equity and venture capital and how these investments are making their way into super funds and multi-asset funds. What are the managers looking for in early stage venture capital and what does the future hold? Is this the impact that we are all looking for, hiding in plain sight?

Damian Cottier
Portfolio Manager Perennial Better Future Trust at Perennial Better Future Strategies
Cassandra Williams
Certification and Ratings Manager at Responsible Investment Association Australasia
Alan YU
Co-Founder & Chief Investment Officer of Providence Asset Group
Alexandra Clunies-Ross
Portfolio Manager at Artesian Invest

12:35 - 13:30

Lunch

13:30 - 14:20

A pathway to a sustainable financial system • tracking a decade of action
Jacki Johnson•Rachel Alembakis•Kristian Fok•Dr Graham Sinden•Simon O'Connor

An update from the Australian Sustainable Finance Initiative (ASFI) on the progress to deliver a sustainable financial system in this critical decade of action. How are we tracking, and what can we expect next?

Jacki Johnson
Co-Chair at ASFI
Rachel Alembakis
Managing Editor at FS Sustainability
Kristian Fok
Chief Investment Officer at United Super Pty Ltd as Trustee for Cbus
Dr Graham Sinden
Head of Climate Risk at APRA
Simon O'Connor
CEO of Responsible Investment Association Australasia

14:25 - 15:00

ESG Research Australia Awards
Simon O'Connor•Emma Pringle

Join us for the presentation of the 11th Annual ESG Research Australia Awards. The Awards aim to support the delivery of high quality ESG broker research by recognising leading brokers and research pieces that were completed in the last year. In conjunction with the Awards, RIAA will also be announcing the best non-broker investor-relevant ESG research award.

Simon O'Connor
CEO of Responsible Investment Association Australasia
Emma Pringle
Head of ESG at Maple-Brown Abbott

15:00 - 15:20

Afternoon tea

15:20 - 16:00

The international policies shaping how Australian investors and advisers operate
Nathan Fabian•Nicolette Boele•Rui (Grace) GUAN•Mary Leung•Jo Saleeba

If the EU's Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation can fuel domestic concern about industry greenwashing, then how shall the US headquartered CFA Institute's draft ESG Disclosure Standards assist with this? What does Freshfields say about where impact fits into the remit of the 21st century fiduciary and what other international developments are shaping how we will need to act in our local market?

Nathan Fabian
Chief Responsible Investment Officer at UNPRI
Nicolette Boele
Executive Manager Policy, Research & Standards at Responsible Investment Association Australasia
Rui (Grace) GUAN
Deputy General Manager at SynTao Green Finance
Mary Leung
Head, Advocacy, Asia Pacific at CFA Institute
Jo Saleeba
Head of Sustainable Investment, Australia and New Zealand at FTSE Russell

16:00 - 16:15

Biodiversity matters • by protecting nature we are protecting our investments • keynote
Jane Ambachtsheer

Investors are awakening to the critical role nature plays in underpinning the healthy functioning of our economy. How are leading global investors tackling this most complex of problems?

Jane Ambachtsheer
Global Head of Sustainability at BNP Paribas Asset Management

16:15 - 17:05

Biodiversity matters • panel session
Jane Ambachtsheer•Sarah Barker•Carl Obst•Zoe Whitton

Over half of the world’s GDP is generated in industries either highly or moderately dependent on nature and its services. Yet nature loss due to human activity is, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF), one of the top five global risks over the next ten years. Increasingly, and rapidly, financial institutions will need to respond to nature-related financial risks and opportunities; akin to the precedent set by climate change. This session is a critical conversation within the Australian finance sector on the materiality of relevant nature-related liability risks, as well as opportunities, in our unique context.

Jane Ambachtsheer
Global Head of Sustainability at BNP Paribas Asset Management
Sarah Barker
Partner, Head of Climate Risk Governance at MinterEllison
Carl Obst
Director of Institute for the Development of Environmental-Economic Accounting (IDEEA)
Zoe Whitton
Executive Director of Pollination Group

17:05 - 17:20

Conference wrap up
Ross Piper

Ross Piper
Deputy Chair at Responsible Investment Association Australasia

17:20 - 18:20

Networking drinks

Friday, May 7, 2021 08:00 to 15:55

10:45 - 11:20

Energy: Clean, green and an investor’s dream – Insights from RI Certified products
Cassandra Williams•Alex Ramsey•Stephen Panizza•Scott Bennett

What are some of the renewable energy investments that are making their way into RIAA's Certified funds’ portfolios? This session will cover real insights from Certified funds, exploring trends in listed vs unlisted investments, the different renewable energy options available, and how funds are transitioning to low carbon.

Cassandra Williams
Certification and Ratings Manager at Responsible Investment Association Australasia
Alex Ramsey
Chief Operating Officer at Infradebt
Stephen Panizza
Head of Renewables at Federation Asset Management Pty Ltd
Scott Bennett
Head of Quantitative Research and Client Solutions, Australasia at Northern Trust Asset Management

11:25 - 12:05

Need a new anchor? Sustainability must be the default
Pablo Berrutti•Abby Wild•Saul Wodak•Desiree Lucchese

The hidden message of sustainable investment not being the ‘default’ option in benchmarks, pension schemes and other pooled assets is that it is higher risk. Behavioural and cultural barriers from short-termism to herding to a misconception about financial risks, and a lack of diversity in the industry, are holding back more rapid action. If in responding to COVID-19, investors allocate capital to old economy assets believing they are ‘safe’, they risk losing money while sowing the seeds of the next crisis. Understanding and overcoming these behavioural barriers has never been more urgent.

Pablo Berrutti
Founder of Altiorem Limited
Abby Wild
Research Fellow at BehaviourWorks at Monash University
Saul Wodak
Associate Advisor at Behavioural Insights Team
Desiree Lucchese
Ethics and Impact Manager at U Ethical

12:05 - 12:40

From conversation to action: integrating responsible investing into the client interview process
Alexandra Brown•Joshua Edmunds•Rachel Etherington•Mike Josephson

This session will help advisers explore the growing demand for responsible investment and gain practical insights into the client interview process so that you can feel confident to start having effective and consistent conversations with your clients about their responsible investment preferences.

Alexandra Brown
Founder of Invest with Ethics
Joshua Edmunds
Manager of Operations and Member Services at Responsible Investment Association Australasia
Rachel Etherington
Sustainable Investment Adviser at Crestone Wealth Management
Mike Josephson
Senior Financial Adviser at Ethinvest

14:25 - 15:00

Impact and advice: are we ready to democratise impact?
Susheela Peres da Costa•Farren Williams•Vinnie Wadhera•Kylie Charlton

Is it possible to achieve real impact through retail investing? We look at the challenges and opportunities of recommending impact investment products and unpack if it is solely the domain of the high-net-wealth or fit for a broader audience. What are the challenges and the benefits of incorporating impact advice into a client's portfolio? What products are on market and how can you measure the impact that is being made?

Susheela Peres da Costa
Chair of RIAA Board & Head of Advisory at Regnan
Farren Williams
Adviser and Partner at Koda Capital
Vinnie Wadhera
Executive Director – Institutional & Adviser Business of BetaShares
Kylie Charlton
Managing Director and Investment Committee Member of Australian Impact Investments

15:00 - 15:20

Afternoon tea

15:20 - 15:55

Investing for the SDGs beyond our backyard. What are the obstacles to overcoming our domestic bias and and greater impact investing in our region?
Tim Macready•Jeff Thomson•Kristy Graham•Carly Hammond

COVID-19 has brought greater urgency to fast-tracking the transformations necessary to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. In this session we explore the opportunities and challenges impact investors face in investing in the Asia-Pacific region.

Tim Macready
Chief Investment Officer at Brightlight Group
Jeff Thomson
Portfolio Manager at Alphinity Investment Management
Kristy Graham
Director of Private Finance for Development at Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Carly Hammond
Impact Investment Forum Program Manager at Responsible Investment Association Australasia

Program

Simon O'Connor

Kado Muir

Anand Giridharadas

Duncan Paterson

Jack Nelson

Matthew Tominc

Alison Chan

Kado Muir

Leah Armstrong

Alan Dayeh

Mary Delahunty

Danielle Welsh-Rose

Damian Cottier

Cassandra Williams

Alan YU

Alexandra Clunies-Ross

Jacki Johnson

Rachel Alembakis

Kristian Fok

Dr Graham Sinden

Simon O'Connor

Simon O'Connor

Emma Pringle

Nathan Fabian

Nicolette Boele

Rui (Grace) GUAN

Mary Leung

Jo Saleeba

Jane Ambachtsheer

Jane Ambachtsheer

Sarah Barker

Carl Obst

Zoe Whitton

Ross Piper

Cassandra Williams

Alex Ramsey

Stephen Panizza

Scott Bennett

Pablo Berrutti

Abby Wild

Saul Wodak

Desiree Lucchese

Alexandra Brown

Joshua Edmunds

Rachel Etherington

Mike Josephson

Susheela Peres da Costa

Farren Williams

Vinnie Wadhera

Kylie Charlton

Tim Macready

Jeff Thomson

Kristy Graham

Carly Hammond

This is a past event

Responsible Investment Association Australasia might have other events you're interested in.