Full program to be announced soon
The election of Donald Trump for a second term as US President has again raised the spectre of the anti-ESG movement gaining ground in the US. Join a panel of experts as they explore what Trump 2.0 means for US and global investors, how investors are responding to current rhetoric, politics and legal developments, and whether it really matters for responsible investors who occupy the White House.
Oil's rise as a source of energy in the early 1900s brought with it the rise of oil-producing regions of the Middle East, heralding a significant geopolitical shift that has lasted a century. As wind and solar gain ground over the next three decades, superseding coal and oil as the world's dominant energy sources, competition for resources is likely to shift towards the supply of critical minerals and metals. What geopolitical changes will this bring? What risks might this pose for assets? And what questions should responsible investors be asking as they consider investments in the energy transition that may impact human rights, governance obligations and environmental commitments?
Global challenges like catastrophic climate change, the destruction of nature and increasing inequality need global solutions that require investors to think holistically about portfolio construction and stewardship activities. We will explore how investors can identify systemic risks, how they can understand their influence on systems-level challenges that impact portfolios, and how investors can invest in a way that promotes the stability of the macro system on which markets rely.
Increased scrutiny of sustainable investment over the past two years has resulted in legal judgments on greenwashing, applying established legal obligations to sustainable finance. Australia's corporate regulator has been one of the most active in the world on greenwashing, bringing court action against funds seen to be overstating environmental and social commitments in product labels and marketing material. This session will bring together some of the best legal minds focused on greenwashing in the finance sector to examine recent court decisions and discuss how the consumer protection laws have been applied to ESG factors, tricky areas such as materiality thresholds and what actions and decisions can help or hinder in mitigating greenwashing risk.
Recent corporate scandals have shone a light on the importance of appropriate board oversight of organisational governance and accountable corporate performance of companies. Experts, including leading ASX Board Directors, will delve into how investors can know boards are doing their job. What does a successful board actually look like in an era of change, with issues like AI, cybersecurity and nature posing diverse risks? How can investors ensure board directors have the appropriate skills? What can investors expect from Boards in terms of scrutinising risk in their investee companies? And how can investors in turn apply an appropriate level of scrutiny over the boards themselves?
Human rights issues are widespread through operations and value chains across the globe. So, how can investors move beyond transparency to strengthen corporate responsibility and foster meaningful industry change whilst achieving positive returns on their products? This panel brings together leading industry experts to guide participants on how to identify and address human rights issues in their value chains. It will illuminate how organisations can leverage due diligence to prevent discrimination and safeguard human rights throughout their operations, as well as ensure ethical practices from sourcing to remediation. Brought to you by RIAA's Human Rights Working Group, we're pleased to launch the updated RIAA Human Rights and Value Chains Investor Toolkit in this session.
One of the key components of collaborating to halt and reverse nature loss is the need for clear and consistent metrics for reporting on nature and progressing towards collective nature positive goals. Indigenous leadership and perspectives are key to addressing environmental challenges, and investors need to understand the available tools, data and metrics to be able to act on nature. Join this session to gain practical insights on the state of data metrics and measurements globally, as well as how to leverage nature-related metrics to drive more sustainable and well-informed investment strategies to create long-term value. Hear from experts on how the industry can move forward with data that already exists and what is needed to work towards contributing to nature-positive outcomes.
With the rapid rise in demand for employees in the sustainability field, demand for ESG skills is outstripping supply. 77% of financial professionals report a sustainability skills shortage at their organisation. This session will bring together experts to help you understand how you can find the right people to fill ESG-related roles, how you can keep your team engaged in their work, and how you can master all-important staff retention in a competitive environment, where sustainability skills and experience is highly valued and organisations seek to remain future-focused.
The responsible investment industry is witnessing a proliferation of product labelling standards and guidelines. Even as standards-setters work to map their approaches and draw learnings from one another, full and complete alignment remains elusive. This session will discuss the practical consequences for investment managers operating across different jurisdictions, and what can be done to navigate this. What does it mean to 'interoperate'? Is there room to embrace difference? Are we on the right track? Or are we chasing a pipe dream? Join us as we delve into the 'who, what, why and where' of product labelling standards, and their implications for users.
How can investors design and plan stewardship activities in a dynamic world with shifting market trends, a world that throws curve-balls that require the rethinking of approaches, and a world which does not necessarily lend itself to thinking and planning long-term for real outcomes? This interactive workshop will help participants structure stewardship campaigns, covering how to react and reformulate based on dynamic responses and market conditions, shifting priorities and changing capabilities. It will help participants map potential allies, plan for the long-term through understanding and taking decisive actions, and navigate the complexities of sustainable finance. The workshop will draw on Altiorem's Observe, Orient, Decide, Act (OODA) loop expert guide, with the guide's authors as expert facilitators.
What constitutes best practice in human rights due diligence (HRDD)? Brought to you by the RIAA Human Rights Working Group, this interactive workshop will equip participants with better understanding of and guidance for HRDD, including heightened due diligence in situations of armed conflict. We live in a world where geopolitical conflict has increased by 40% in four years, mandatory due diligence legislation is expanding, and client demand for responsible stewardship continues to grow. Now more than ever, investors must be equipped to proactively manage severe and systemic risks to people, portfolio companies, and share value. This workshop will explore lessons learned and offer practical guidance regarding portfolio review, company engagement, and exclusionary screening, all through the lens of HRDD, including as it relates to geopolitical conflict and fragility. The workshop will draw on the guidance from the RIAA Human Rights and Armed Conflict Toolkit to help put it into action.
We'll also be delving into topics such as: