2023-24 FY BrightTalk webinars

Speakers include:
• Flora Gaber, Manager ESG Analysis, AP7
• Basile van Harve, Co-chair for the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Open-Ended Working Group
• Peter Mennie, Chief Sustainable Investment Officer, Private Markets, Manulife Investment Management
• Nicolas Poolen, Senior Manager, Finance Engagement, WFF International
• Diane Roissard, ESG Quantitative Analyst, La Banque Postale Asset Management
• Moderator: Sylvaine Rols, Senior Specialist, PRI

As biodiversity loss reaches unprecedented rates, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework provides a framework for bold action and policy alignment, with a clear call to align public and private financial flows with its goal to “halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030”. This webinar will explore actions that leading investors are undertaking to contribute to this goal and discuss how investors look to support both climate and nature goals.

Confirmed speakers:
• Steve Corrin, Senior Executive Officer, Emirates NBD Asset Management
• Kim Farrant, General Manager, Responsible Investment, HESTA
• Hitoshi Matsushita, Deputy General Manager ESG Investment Strategy Office, Nippon Life Insurance Company
• Michelle Xian, Senior Vice President of Sustainable Research & Investment, Co-head of Impact Strategy, Southern Asset Management
• Moderator: Toby Belsom, Director, Investment Practices, PRI

This session will examine the journey signatories face when transferring RI policies and ambitions into practical actions resulting in real world impacts. Most PRI signatories already have RI policies, this session will provide some guidance on how signatories put these into practice, explore the process of reviewing those policies and outline how ambitions can be transferred into investment policy and stewardship activities. This session is targeted at smaller asset managers, asset owners and service providers.

Confirmed speakers:
• Dr Urs Bitterling, Chief Sustainability Officer, Cubera Private Equity
• Claudia Bolli, Head of Responsible Investing, Swiss Re Management Ltd
• Emily Lawrence, Director, Sustainable Investing Client Engagement North America, Northern Trust Asset Management
• Moderator: Michal Bartek, Senior Lead, Listed Equity, Investment Practices, PRI

The session will explore the next, post-target setting stage of net zero investing. It will contrast the key approaches taken by listed & private equity investors. It will highlight the commonalities and explore the differences in the issues faced by the two groups of investors - such as the role of asset managers in helping companies decarbonise, the use of carbon offsets and the ways of tackling data availability challenges.

Confirmed speakers:
• Jan Berthold, Emerging Markets Senior Sovereign Analyst, Fidelity International
• Peter Elwin, Director of Fixed Income, Head of Food & Land Use and Textiles Programmes, Planet Tracker
• Simona Kramer, Portfolio Manager Socially Responsible Investing, Pensioenfonds Rail & Openbaar Vervoer
• Samuel Mary, Senior Vice President, ESG Research Analyst, PIMCO
• Sylvaine Rols, Senior Specialist, Nature, PRI
• Moderator: Sixtine Dubost, Senior Associate, Investment Practices, PRI

Many PRI signatories are beginning to consider the risks associated with biodiversity loss, along with the opportunities that arise from nature-positive solutions. This webinar will explore where and how to start incorporating biodiversity considerations in the analysis of fixed income assets. This session is aimed at various stakeholders of the investment chain, including fixed income investors (asset owners and investment managers), credit rating agencies and debt issuers.

Confirmed speakers:
• Phil Davis, Director of ESG, Helios Investment Partners
• Anna Follér, Head of Sustainability, Sixth Swedish National Pension Fund (AP6)
• Yadaira Orsini, Associate Director, Control Risks
• Moderator: Simon Whistler, Head of Real Assets, Investment Practices, PRI

This session will examine the different approaches private markets investors are taking to human rights due diligence. It will look at actions that investors can take to implement the different elements of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, from effective stakeholder engagement to preventing and mitigating human rights impacts. Participants will hear practical insights and examples from their peers to support their own progress on this increasingly important issue.

Confirmed speakers:
• Jo-Ann Gamble, General Manager, Sustainability, Lendlease
• Ryuichi Horie, CEO, CSR Design Green Investment Advisory
• Liza McDonald, Head of Responsible Investments, Aware Super
• Moderator: Simon Whistler, Head of Real Assets, PRI

This session will explore the updated due diligence questions that investors in real estate should ask their investment managers during selection, appointment and monitoring. Real estate investment provides a good opportunity to directly influence positive sustainability outcomes and this session will provide guidance for investors on evaluating the ability and readiness of investment managers. The session will also explore a recently published report mapping out the ESG landscape for real estate; outlining and comparing the most important frameworks, standards and certifications to help investors interpret which may be applicable for their different reporting and disclosure requirements and for which stakeholders.

Speakers include:
- Andreas Kusche, Investor Relations Manager ESG, Mercedes-Benz Group
- Rosalind Share, Principal, Sustainability, Financial Reporting & Assurance Standards Canada
- Eszter Vitorino Fuleky, Lead Expert, Sustainability Advisory, Van Lanschot Kempen
- Moderator: Adams Koshy, Senior Specialist, Sustainable Reporting and Driving Meaningful Data, PRI

Investors require data to be decision-useful, in order to inform their investment process and (increasingly) their disclosure. Given the diversity in responsible investors, a key question for regulators, standard setters, investors and many others is: how do you decide what is decision-useful data? The session will consider this question from multiple perspectives and outline the PRI’s thinking through its forthcoming research on Investor Data Needs. Participants will leave the session with an overview of how the market is working to untangle responsible investors’ data needs and how they can engage with the PRI on its work.

Speakers include:
- Carol Adams, Chair of the Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB)
- Sue Lloyd, Vice-Chair of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB)
- Nathan Fabian, Chief Responsible Investment Officer, PRI

This session will explore the work of the ISSB and the GSSB, and their implications for responsible investors. Participants will gain insight into the timeline and key decisions underlying the first set of IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards, the ISSB’s and GSSB’s future agenda and their cooperation, and how investors can support the adoption of corporate sustainability and sustainability-related reporting.

Speakers include:
Lisa Robinson, Head of IT Applications and Software Development, PRI
Marcus Messenger, Associate Product Support, PRI

This session will introduce the Reporting Tool for the 2023 reporting cycle, including how to access the tool via the Permissions System, demonstrate its key functionalities, and summarise the available guidance.

Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions during a moderated Q&A session towards the end of the webinar. To learn more about the 2023 Reporting Framework, please refer to the 'How to prepare for the 2023 PRI reporting cycle' webinar hosted earlier in the year: https://bit.ly/2023reporting

Please also see R&A Updates for the latest information on the 2023 reporting cycle: https://www.unpri.org/signatories/reporting-and-assessment/randa-updates

Speakers include:
- Lisa Beauvilain, Global Head of Sustainability & Stewardship, Impax Asset Management
- Gabriel Presler, Global Head of Enterprise Sustainability for Morningstar and Interim Chair of the Net Zero Financial Service Providers Alliance (NZFSPA)
- Rory Sullivan, CEO, Chronos Sustainability
- Moderator: Rene Van Merrienboer, Director, Sustainable Systems, PRI

This session will focus on the PRI’s upcoming report on climate data. It will offer insights on what data are needed by investors to support their net zero commitments and the gaps between investors’ data needs and what is provided by the market. Participants will leave the session with an understanding of what actions can be taken by investors, data and service providers, and other stakeholders to build a data ecosystem that supports the transition to a net-zero economy.

Speakers include:
- Jason Eis, Executive Director, Vivid Economics
- Kathrin Wartmann, Associate Director, Climate Research, Sustainable Fitch
- Brian Hensley, Partner, Kaya Advisory
- Lily Burge, Senior Policy Research Analyst, Climate Bonds Initiative
- Catherine Higham, Policy Fellow, Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change, LSE
- Moderated by: Daniel Gallagher, Head of Climate Technical Guidance, PRI

This second webinar in the Quarterly Briefing series for 2023 will provide PRI signatories with the latest insights from the Inevitable Policy Response (IPR) and up-to-date analysis of global climate progress and trends in Q2 2023 so far.

Expert panelists will discuss the implications of these insights for investors and look ahead to the rest of 2023, assessing trends against the IPR Forecast Policy Scenario (FPS), a detailed assessment of climate policy acceleration in energy, carbon pricing, transport, land use and agriculture, driven by multiple factors including the coming COP 2023 Global Stocktake and 2025 Ratchet.

Speakers include:
Rory Cardy, Product Manager – Accountability Initiatives, PRI
Aditya Vikram, Head of Accountability and Product Communications, PRI

This session will provide an introduction to the PRI’s minimum requirements for investor signatories reporting in 2023. The presenters will provide an overview of the background to the PRI’s minimum requirements and explain what the PRI expects of its signatories to meet them. Participants will learn how to identify the minimum requirements when reporting and leave the session with an understanding of how PRI engages with signatories that do not meet them.

We will also host a moderated Q&A session, where participants can ask questions about the PRI’s minimum requirements.

A recording of this session will be available afterwards.

Speaker include:
- Isabella Coin, Specialist, Stewardship (Nature), PRI
- Bonnie Groves, Specialist, Stewardship, PRI
- Chloe Horne, Specialist, Stewardship (Advance), PRI
- Clara Melot, Specialist, System Stewardship, PRI
- Jude Otaibi, Stewardship Analyst, Climate Action 100+, PRI

Are the tides changing? This session will focus on the key takeaways from this year’s proxy season and what this could mean for 2024. Participants will also leave this session equipped with the tools and guidance PRI offers to support investors throughout the proxy cycle.

There is an increasing regulatory and societal expectations for investors to conduct human rights due diligence. In this session, we will bring together different voices to discuss how investors should, in practice, identify and act on human rights risks. What systematic approaches are being taken by investors? What challenges and limitations exist, and how can they be addressed?

Plastic pollution is a global challenge and systemic issue, exposing financial institutions to a range of material financial risks. Every year we produce 300 million tonnes of plastic waste (more than the weight of the entire human population) and only 9% of this is recycled.

International action has been increasing. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (target 7), calls for the reduction of pollution risks from all sources by 2030, including ‘preventing, reducing, and working towards eliminating plastic pollution’ as part of this.

Additionally, last year saw the adoption of a resolution at the UN Environment Assembly, to end plastic pollution and create an international, legally binding agreement on plastics. This resolution was supported by 175 nations and is currently under development between now and 2024. Although policies and regulations on plastic use have risen dramatically in recent years, this agreement has the potential to make a substantive difference by harmonising goals and action from policymakers worldwide.

Ahead of the upcoming third round of negotiations in November to develop this agreement, this webinar explores:

Why plastic waste and pollution is a risk to financial institutions, including the opportunities of a circular economy for plastics to address climate and biodiversity risks;
How financial institutions can take action to address this issue; and
How financial institutions can engage with the UN global agreement currently under development.

The flagship Forecast Policy Scenario models the impact of climate policy acceleration forecast by IPR on the real economy up to 2050+. It analyses detailed effects on carbon & clean energy, transport, industry, buildings, land use, agriculture & NBS.

Net Zero prospects, carbon pricing & carbon removals are also included in the multiple sector & national based assessments.

In this Deep Dive, expert panelists will outline for signatories the major FPS conclusions & outlook to 2030 and 2050 & discuss short and long term transition, opportunity & volatility implications.

Speakers:
Lily Burge, Senior Policy Research Analyst, Climate Bonds Initiative
Sophie Coutaux, ESG Lead for Corporate Ratings, Fitch Ratings
Jason Eis, Executive Director, Vivid Economics
Jakob Thomae, Project Director, IPR

Moderated by:
Daniel Gallagher, Head of Climate Technical Guidance, PRI

The recently released Inevitable Policy Response (IPR) 2023 Forecast sees Direct Air Capture (DAC) emerging as an important negative emissions technology later this century, following delays in government action on climate and a breach of the 1.5C of warming limit in the 2030s. In this event, invited speakers will explore the rationale behind IPR’s expectation that DAC will rise in importance, and review the engineering challenges, policy considerations, and financing opportunities for the responsible investment community in the coming decades.

Speakers:

Jakob Thomae, Project Director, IPR
Jennifer Anderson, Managing Director, Co-Head of Sustainable Investment and ESG, Lazard Asset Management
Mark Fulton, Founder, IPR
Peter Webb, Visiting Fellow Oxford Institute for Energy Studies
Moderator: Dr Ben Allen, Director, ESG Issues, PRI

This session, co-organised by the PRI and ICGN, will outline practical resources and examples to help investors ensure that their managers’ approach to stewardship and sustainability are aligned with their own objectives.

Confirmed speakers
Caroline Escott, Senior Investment Manager, Active Ownership, Railpen
Lucas Schoeppner, Manager, Sustainable Investment Strategies, Wespath
Carol Nolan Drake, Senior Policy Manager, ICGN
Tom Attwooll, Senior Specialist, Asset Owners, PRI

The worldwide deterioration of nature is a source of material risk for institutional investors, as long-term value creation is dependent on a wide range of ecosystem services. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework has provided governments and non-state actors with a framework for action. During this webinar, speakers will provide an update on Spring, PRI’s stewardship initiative for nature that convenes institutional investors to use their influence to halt and reverse biodiversity loss across the globe by 2030. They will discuss the initiative’s company selection framework, reflect on its focus companies and provide detailed information about the opportunities for PRI signatories to participate in Spring.

Confirmed speakers:

Ben Wilmot, Co-founder and Managing Director, Canbury Insights
Pooja Daftary, ESG Analyst, MFS Investment Management
Shipra Gupta, Investment Stewardship Lead, Scottish Widows
Moderated by: Tim Steinweg, Head, Nature, PRI

This session will explore trends from the 2023 proxy season and how these are shaping 2024 AGMs. PRI specialists will introduce the resources we offer investors to help keep you up to date throughout proxy season. PRI signatories will present their focus areas and approaches. Join to ask questions and find out how to use PRI tools to support and strengthen your stewardship efforts.

Confirmed speakers:
Emma Henningsson, Manager Active Ownership, AP7
Sachi Suzuki, Senior Manager - Investment Stewardship, HSBC Asset Management
Moderated by: Bonnie Groves, Specialist, Collaboration Platform, PRI

This webinar will explore how investors can craft effective responsible investment policies that drive real-world change. We will discuss common gaps in current policies and how asset owners and investment managers can bridge these, while meeting fiduciary duties. The session will also cover evolving stakeholder expectations and best practices for updating responsible investment policies to meet new standards and regulations.

Topics covered will include:

• how to consider governance processes when writing or updating a responsible investment policy;
• how sustainability targets and priority areas can inform policies and how their success can be monitored;
• how to implement responsible investment policies that drive real-world change;
• how policies can increase alignment between asset owners, investment managers and other stakeholders; and
• which future focus areas investors could incorporate into their policies.

This webinar will explore how investors can craft effective responsible investment policies that drive real-world change. We will discuss common gaps in current policies and how asset owners and investment managers can bridge these, while meeting fiduciary duties. The session will also cover evolving stakeholder expectations and best practices for updating responsible investment policies to meet new standards and regulations.

Topics covered will include:

• how to consider governance processes when writing or updating a responsible investment policy;
• how sustainability targets and priority areas can inform policies and how their success can be monitored;
• how to implement responsible investment policies that drive real-world change;
• how policies can increase alignment between asset owners, investment managers and other stakeholders; and
• which future focus areas investors could incorporate into their policies.

In this webinar, we will explore how to effectively incorporate ESG factors into multi-asset portfolio construction and design. Expert panellists will examine the importance of identifying, analysing, and incorporating material ESG factors across asset classes – thinking about macro themes, thematic opportunities, and strategic asset allocation. Practical examples will be used to showcase different approaches.

Topics covered will include:

• which asset allocation approaches are being used;
• how ESG considerations are evolving in strategic asset allocation; and
• how private markets and sustainability outcomes can be considered in the asset allocation process.

In this webinar we will explore screening approaches and how to create effective exclusion criteria. The discussion will also highlight the pros and cons of climate screening. Participants will gain an understanding of how diverse approaches to ESG screening are applied in live portfolios.

Topics covered will include:

• why screening is used in portfolios;
• how to choose a screening approach by type (e.g. positive, negative, norms-based) or theme (e.g. climate, human rights);
• which trends are driving industry practice and how are they influencing engagement;
• how asset owners think about screening when designing investment mandates; and
• how asset class considerations and data challenges can be considered during screening.

This webinar will explore the PRI’s 2023 reporting data, what it reveals about signatories’ current practices and which areas have room for further development. The discussion will highlight differences across asset classes, investment strategies and geographies, and identify priority actions for large and small investors.

Topics covered will include:

• how levels of ambition and action differ between asset owners and managers;
• how approaches to assessing and managing climate-related risks and opportunities vary;
• which ESG topics and responsible investment practices are gaining traction among investors in different regions;
• how aligned investors are with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights; and
• whether investors are increasingly focused on impact and sustainability outcomes.

This webinar will explore the PRI’s 2023 reporting data, what it reveals about signatories’ current practices and which areas have room for further development. The discussion will highlight differences across asset classes, investment strategies and geographies, and identify priority actions for large and small investors.

Topics covered will include:

• how levels of ambition and action differ between asset owners and managers;
• how approaches to assessing and managing climate-related risks and opportunities vary;
• which ESG topics and responsible investment practices are gaining traction among investors in different regions;
• how aligned investors are with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights; and
• whether investors are increasingly focused on impact and sustainability outcomes.

Increased demands for transparency, new asset owner expectations and accusations of greenwashing have impacted due diligence, manager selection, and reporting. This webinar will explore key topics including RFP and DDQ design, critical assessment questions for asset owners and methods for verifying and interpreting investment manager responses. The discussion will cover how asset owners and investment managers can develop valuable and mutually beneficial relationships, as well as scenarios where escalation is needed.

Topics covered will include:

• how ESG considerations can be incorporated into Requests for Proposals and Due Diligence Questionnaires, focusing on critical questions for asset owners;
• how asset owner due diligence requirements can differ and where there is potential for alignment;
• how asset owner requirements can be translated into investment management agreements;
• how reporting and data can inform manager engagement and monitoring to align with asset owner objectives; and
• how due diligence and monitoring approaches are maturing across asset classes and sustainability issues.