Investment Week parent Incisive Media is pleased to announce the programme for its inaugural Sustainable Investment Festival, which will run online from 22 to 25 June.
This new event is being run to help readers of Investment Week, Professional Adviser and Professional Pensions navigate this rapidly-evolving area of the market.
During the fully interactive festival - which will contain over 40 hours of content and more than 60 expert speakers - sessions will address the key sustainable investment issues for fund selectors, financial advisers, pension trustees and schemes.
Delegates who register for the online festival will get full access to the entire agenda and sessions throughout the four-day event, so they can choose which streams are best suited to them.
They will be able to participate in a range of interactive sessions during the event including practical workshops, panel debates with peers and unique breakouts, including networking opportunities.
The four-day event will be streamed from a top London studio, hosted by Incisive Media's experienced editors as well as broadcaster and financial journalist Declan Curry. All the content will be available 'on demand' to registered delegates afterwards.
Among our high-profile guest speakers at the festival are Chuka Umunna, former MP and incoming head of EMEA ESG at JP Morgan; pensions minister Guy Opperman MP; Catherine Howarth, chief executive at ShareAction; Ivo Mulder, head of the Climate Finance Unit at the United Nations Environment Programme; Sandy Sheard, head of the Independent Dasgupta Review Team, HM Treasury; and Helen Avery, head of nature programmes, Green Finance Institute.
We are also pleased to welcome a number of experienced fund managers specialising in sustainable investing throughout the event, as well as regulatory experts and industry commentators focusing on this part of the market.
Click here for the full programme and to register for the event.
Festival programme overview
As a guide, the Festival will be focused around different themes and audience needs each day:
Day 1: Tuesday 22 June
Day 1 will will focus on the impact of the net zero agenda on portfolios and the needs of the Investment Week audience, including wealth managers and fund selectors. What does net zero mean for investment funds and how can we tackle the challenges of carbon measurement? We will also share key lessons learnt from our sister title BusinessGreen's recent Net Zero Festival.
Other sessions throughout the day will include 'The Goldilocks conundrum' - Is ESG too little and impact too much?; Addressing the sustainability skills challenge in the investment industry; Why invest in the energy transition; How do investors make sure they invest in green bonds that make a difference?; and Rethinking how economic success is measured for a sustainable age.
Day 2: Wednesday 23 June
Day 2 will focus on sessions aimed at the Professional Pensions audience of pension consultants, trustees and scheme managers.
Speakers will address the latest regulatory requirements for both defined benefit and defined contribution schemes; increasing rules on disclosure, particularly on climate risk; and the growing importance of stewardship in institutional portfolios.
Day 3: Thursday 24 June
Day 3 is built around the needs of Professional Adviser and Investment Week readers, including financial advisers, wealth managers and fund selectors.
Our stream for financial advisers will include sessions on how advisers are integrating ESG into their businesses and selecting solutions for clients; uncovering client interests and priorities as they seek to do the right thing; and how to select the right ESG portfolio for your clients.
We will also be hosting a best practice, interactive panel discussion with advisers who are leading the way in integrating ESG factors into their businesses.
Day 3 will also feature a keynote presentation from Hortense Bioy, global director of sustainability research at Morningstar, on the latest trends for the European ESG fund landscape
In addition, we will be running ESG fund showcases focused on fund strategies and new investment opportunities.
Day 4: Friday 25 June
The final day is focused on areas including how asset managers and fund selectors can engage, influence and make a meaningful contribution to ESG outcomes.
Our first keynote presentation is from Catherine Howarth, chief executive at ShareAction, who will discuss the impact of engagement and disclosure on workforce practices and the role of responsible investing to influence positive outcomes.
Our morning panel session featuring fund selectors will address moving diversity & inclusion from education to practical implementation. It will examine how forward-thinking investors are incorporating diversity & inclusion into their ESG investment strategies,
Sir Ronald Cohen, chairman of the Global Steering Group for Impact Investment and The Portland Trust, will then deliver a keynote assessing how Covid-19 has shifted focus on to the 'S' in ESG.
Finally, the event concludes with a CEO panel discussion on how individuals, companies and investors can use their influence to really move the needle on important societal changes, diversity & inclusion, and climate change.
