Name: EU Action Plan Spring Series #2: Green and sustainable benchmarks
Start: 2020-05-13T13:00:00Z
End: 2020-05-13T13:01:03.000Z
Location: BrightTALK
Rating: 3.8

From the publishers of responsible-investor.com, the RI Webinars channel focuses on responsible investing, ESG and sustainable finance for institutional investors and companies. We also produce a number of industry leading in-person events including: RI Europe, RI Canada, RI USA, RI Japan and RI Asia.

For asset management professionals, extreme weather events impact asset valuations and appear in the bottom line as unplanned operating expenses (OpEx) and major capital expenditures (CapEx). In 2025, physical risk assessments are routine within investment workflows, but many firms still struggle with the integration of adaptation data and how to integrate the 'so what?' into their processes.

In this webinar, we will look at why resilience planning is emerging as a key differentiator in asset performance, as well as how leading investors use climate resilience strategies to create long-term portfolio value.

Register now to gain insights into how you can respond to one of the most pressing risks facing real assets and use it as a lever for better business outcomes. 

Speakers: 
Monty Kilpatrick, Enterprise Account Executive, Climate X
Bozena Jankowska, Head of Responsible Investment, Slate Asset Management
Joey Aoun, Director, Net Zero & Sustainability Lead, Savills Investment Management 

Moderated by:
Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker, Editor, Responsible Investor

Value-add Investment Strategies in the Age of Physical Risk

For institutional investors, understanding physical climate risk and identifying adaptation strategies are key to value protection and creation. In this webinar, leading investment practitioners will share insights on how to integrate climate risk assessment into decision-making and build climate-resilient portfolios.

Key topics will include:
· Making climate data work for investors
· Scenario analysis and portfolio stress testing
· Identifying resilient markets and assets

Speakers
Lucy Thomas, Head of Sustainable Investing, UBS
Caroline Le Meaux, Global Head of ESG Research, Engagement and Voting, Amundi
Jeremy Porter, Chief Economist, First Street

Moderator
Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker, Editor, Responsible Investor

Building Climate Resilient Portfolios

Institutional asset owners are responsible for overseeing some of the world’s largest capital allocations and are central to driving the evolution of investment management. Morningstar’s fourth Voice of the Asset Owner Survey was created to better understand the motivations, challenges and attitudes of institutional asset owners amid a rapidly changing global investment landscape.

Join us for a live webinar with our experts for a deep dive into what’s on the minds of asset owners, with focus on key considerations such as:
• Regulatory development and simplification – are changes to regulations a help or hindrance?
• Climate risk and creating real world impact
• The use of stewardship and collaborative engagements

Speakers:
Rob Edwards, Managing Director of Indexes - Morningstar Indexes
Valeria Piani, Head of Stewardship, Sustainable Investing Team - Phoenix Group
Drew Henley-Lock, Partner, Responsible Investment & DC - LCP

Moderated by:
Dominic Webb, Senior Reporter - Responsible Investor

Highlights from the 2025 Voice of the Asset Owner Survey

With rising stewardship standards in 2025, investment teams are under increasing pressure to demonstrate the real-world impact of their engagement efforts. Regulators, clients, and internal stakeholders expect more than activity—they want clear evidence of influence and measurable outcomes.

This webinar brings together practitioners from global investment firms to share how they are adapting their engagement strategies and improving how they track and report progress. Topics to cover include: 

• Cross-functional and cross-border collaboration 
• When to escalate and how to document influence 
• Tracking engagements over time and evidencing progress 
• Meeting rising expectations for reporting and transparency 
• Navigating emerging regulatory disclosure frameworks 
• Exploring AI to support and scale stewardship efforts 

Expect a practical conversation rooted in real experience. Speakers will focus on what is working, what remains difficult, and how engagement practices are advancing in today’s environment. 

Speakers:
Daisy Streatfeild, Sustainability Director - Ninety One
Valeria Piani, Head of Stewardship, Sustainable Investing Team - Phoenix Group
Wendy Cromwell, Head of Sustainable Investment - Wellington Management 

Moderated by:
Elza Holmstedt Pell, Deputy Editor - Responsible Investor

The State of Engagement 2025: From Intent to Impact

Climate adaptation and resilience are no longer fringe topics—they are fast becoming core pillars of financial strategy. As physical climate risks escalate and traditional insurance coverage retracts, financial institutions are facing growing exposure. Yet, while the risk is clear, the opportunity remains largely untapped.

This webinar explores the shifting regulatory landscape, the mounting cost of climate-related disasters, how the private sector is integrating climate risk throughout the investment process and the emerging business case for investment in adaptation.

Speakers:
Michelle Lu, Banking commercial lead, Climate X
TBC

Moderated by:
Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker, Editor of Responsible Investor

From risk to resilience: Financing risk and adaptation in a changing climate

The transition to a low-carbon economy is a global shift cutting across various markets and industries. In addition, market volatility, geopolitical uncertainty, and divergent regulatory requirements are presenting a range of challenges for investors. 

In this webinar, we will unpack how the current market environment and evolving dynamics are shaping the transition to a low-carbon economy in 2025. We’ll revisit key regulatory developments—such as ESMA’s name rule changes—and their impact on fund naming, prospectuses, and benchmarks. The discussion will also go beyond compliance to examine how capital is being directed toward real-world emissions reduction, with a focus on companies demonstrating strong climate risk management and leadership in sustainable solutions. Hear from asset owners on their expectations for climate stewardship and priorities for the future, as we navigate the pressures and opportunities of sustainable finance today.

Speakers
Hortense Bioy, Head of Sustainable Investing Research, Morningstar Sustainalytics
Maggie Stafford, Associate Director, ESG Indexes, Morningstar Indexes
Daniel Ingram, Partner and Head of Responsible Investment, Aon

Moderated by Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker, Editor, Responsible Investor

Climate Transition in 2025: Regulatory Frameworks and Beyond

While the TCFD has brought climate risk assessments and scenario analysis into sharp focus, the journey to effectively identify and assess social and human rights risks is just beginning. With investor expectations and regulatory pressures rising, the spotlight is now on social and human rights risks. Join us to learn how to adapt to evolving demands and make these risks visible, measurable, and actionable.
 
This session will take a practical approach to the pressing questions faced by asset owners and managers, focusing on how asset-level data can enhance risk identification across social and human rights issues. Drawing on lessons from climate and political risk, we’ll discuss strategies for meeting reporting requirements and implementing robust, scalable risk management practices—ensuring asset owners and managers are well positioned for both current and future ESG challenges.


Speakers
Franca Wolf, Principal Analyst, Sustainable Finance - Verisk Maplecroft
Dan Neale, Responsible Investment Social Lead -  Church Commissioners for England
Ben Allen, Director, Sustainability Issues & Analysis - Principles for Responsible Investment

Moderated by 
Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker, Editor - Responsible Investor

Preparing for the Next Frontier in ESG: Social and Human Rights Risk Management

Asset managers are increasingly under pressure to communicate and prove to investors and other stakeholders how effective their stewardship activities are. Many are challenged with tracking progress and documenting hundreds and sometimes thousands of annual engagements, often needing to work with investment teams to do so.

Join this webinar to learn how investors & responsible investing teams are evolving and improving their processes for tracking engagements. We’ll discuss some of the hard realities of engagement activities and evidencing outcomes. Speakers will dig into the details of their stewardship efforts as well as how they’re improving analysis, showing progress, and communicating with clients.

Speakers: 
Will Keuper, GM - Software - Verity
Trista Chen, Head of Investment Stewardship Asia - LGIM
Matt Crossman, Stewardship Director - Rathbones 
Eugenia Unanyants-Jackson, Global Head of ESG - PGIM

Moderated by: Elza Holmstedt Pell, Deputy Editor - Responsible Investor

Tracking engagements: What’s actually working for responsible investing teams?

Climate investing has a key role to play in driving capital to transition away from fossil fuels and ramp up renewable energy and other low-carbon solutions. But despite strong long-term drivers, climate investing strategies have faced challenges in the past couple years.

This webinar will look at how the climate investing landscape is evolving, and what investors want and need to shift capital towards the low-carbon transition. It comes at a critical time as a raft of asset managers and owners have their own interim goals to invest more in climate-related investments as part of their net-zero commitments – some of which are due to be met already next year.

Speakers:
Hortense Bioy, Head of Sustainable Investing Research, Morningstar Sustainalytics
Thomas Kuh, Head of ESG Strategy, Morningstar Indexes
James Price, Investment Consultant, Willis Towers Watson

Moderator: 
Elza Holmstedt Pell, Deputy Editor, Responsible Investor

The evolution of climate investing: what are investors looking for?

The transition to net zero is crucial if we are to reverse the effects of climate change and deliver on the Paris Agreement goals. Therefore, investors are under increasing pressure to prioritise net-zero strategies. But how much progress has been made so far and what are the best pathways to net zero?
 
This webinar will analyse the latest research from the Transition Pathway Initiative (TPI) and its implications for the global investor community. The State of Transition Report 2024, produced by the TPI dedicated centre at the London School of Economics, reviews the progress being made by over 1,000 of the world’s highest-emitting public companies in their response to climate change. 
 
Speakers:
Aled Jones, Head of Sustainable Investment Solutions, FTSE Russell
David Russell, Chair, Transition Pathway Initiative - TPI
Professor Simon Dietz, Research Director, TPI Centre, London School of Economics
Elena Philipova, Director, Sustainable Finance & Investment, LSEG Data & Analytics

Moderated by: 
Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker, Editor, Responsible Investor

State of the transition: Analysing the pathways to net zero

Expectations around engagement on ESG issues are expanding and reporting requirements are becoming increasingly granular. Asset managers are facing increased scrutiny both from asset owner clients and regulators on stewardship, alongside other ESG disclosure requirements.

The increased pressure on investors to prove and disclose the outcomes of their engagements comes at a time when stewardship teams are often stretched and under-resourced. This webinar will look at what “good” engagement looks like, analyse where investors often fall short and discuss how asset managers can tackle the challenges they face around engagement reporting.

Speakers:
Will Keuper, Head of ESG, Europe - Verity
Carlota Garcia-Manas, Head of Climate Transition and Engagement - Royal London Asset Management
Bruce Duguid, Head of Stewardship - Federated Hermes


Moderated by:
Elza Holmstedt Pell, Deputy Editor - Responsible Investor

ESG engagement: What does ‘good’ look like?

The introduction of the TNFD’s new framework to improve standards in nature-based disclosure presents a pivotal moment in the journey towards halting and ultimately reversing nature loss by providing organisations with a way to report and act on evolving nature-related risks.  With the framework’s implementation now on the horizon, can a new approach to measuring biodiversity impact unlock potential for sustainable business? And how can such an approach drive efforts towards net-zero? 

In this webinar, a panel of experts convened by Responsible Investor will discuss key questions including:
- Why does nature matter in the fight against climate change?
- What is the imperative for the private sector in protecting and restoring biodiversity in supply chains?
- How has the TNFD engaged with corporates to build a framework that’s decision-useful?
- What are the challenges in implementing the TNFD framework?
- What are the learnings from TCFD?

Speakers:
- David Croft, Global Head of Sustainability at Reckitt
- Dr Cecile Girardin, Director at Nature-Based Insetting
- Tony Goldner, Executive Director at Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosure (TNFD)

Moderated by Lucy Fitzgeorge Parker, Editor, Responsible Investor

Biodiversity and TNFD development: building corporate engagement on biodiversity

The Artificial Intelligence revolution is already having transformative effects across many sectors of the economy. But how can financial institutions and corporates use AI to better measure and manage their Environment, Social and Governance risks and impacts?

In this webinar, we explore the role of AI in addressing the gaps in ESG data availability and data quality, as well as making regulatory compliance and corporate reporting more streamlined and transparent.

Key themes to be discussed in the webinar include the role of AI in democratising access to ESG data; the integration of ESG data into investment decisions; and the possibilities that come with being able to process ESG data at greater speed and scale.

Speakers:
• Borja Cadenato, Director of ESG Products, Clarity AI
• Robert Smith, Director of Machine Learning Engineering, Clarity AI
• David Klausner, ESG Specialist, PGIM Fixed Income
• Nick Pelosi, Associate Director of Engagement, Federated Hermes

Moderated by Ben Payton, Special Projects Editor at Responsible Investor

Trusting ESG: can AI measure more and better?

As the price of ignoring nature becomes clear, investors are scrambling to understand both the risks posed to their portfolios by biodiversity loss and their impact on nature.

Data is a crucial tool – but is it fit for purpose? What innovation is needed? And what role will the upcoming TNFD framework play?

Speakers:

Arne Klug, Biodiversity Research Director at MSCI Inc
Vian Sharif, Head of Sustainability at FNZ and Founder of NatureAlpha
Steve Freedman, Head of Research and Sustainability, Thematic Equities at Pictet Asset Management

Moderated by Gina Gambetta, Reporter, Responsible Investor

The role of data in understanding biodiversity risk and impact

The proliferation of net zero commitments by financial institutions over the past two years has created a unique data collection challenge. With the first interim targets fast approaching, do investors have the data they need to deliver on their pledges?

In this webinar, a panel of experts convened by Responsible Investor will discuss key areas including:
- Where are the main hurdles in data collection and what are firms doing to overcome them?
- How do net zero data and disclosure requirements fit with those imposed by regulators?
- What does the industry-wide nature of the net zero project mean for data collection?

Speakers:
- Thomas Kuh, PhD, Head of ESG Strategy, Indexes, Morningstar
- Pratima Divgi, Head of Capital Markets, North America, CDP 
- Julien Grolée, Investor Practices Programme Manager, Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change 

Moderated by Lucy Fitzgeorge Parker, Editor, Responsible Investor

Net zero: Data collection challenges and solutions

The onrush of new sustainability disclosure standards and regulation in major markets suggest that more raw data than ever before will soon be as accessible. This session will explore how attention will shift to focus on providers that can identify future data gaps/holes and leverage AI to solve them. It will also consider what new regulations could be on the horizon, and how the industry will respond to the developments.

How will regulation shift the ESG data industry?

As companies respond to demand for sustainable business practice, there’s been a steady rise in net zero target setting. Yet there is no standardization in how these targets are set - making it hard for investors to assess their credibility.

In this webinar, in partnership with ICE, our expert panel will address net zero challenges, and discuss how tools and datasets can help.


Topics:
- How are companies setting net-zero targets and strategies to achieve net zero?
- How can a company’s net zero plan and targets be analysed?
- What roles do tools and data play in making net zero analysis more efficient? 
- What is the role of regulations like the SFDR and EU Taxonomy in supporting net zero implementation?

Speakers:

Girish Narula
Head of Climate Transition Finance
ICE

Annie Chor Joyce
Head of ESG
Amundi US

Moderated by Mina Tümay, Assistant Editor, PEI Media

Net-zero in practice: analysing and implementing net zero

An average of US$711bn per year until 2030 is needed to finance global biodiversity conservation projects. Nature-based Solutions will be crucial to reversing the decline in biodiversity and nature.

Over 80% of investments in NbS are from the public and philanthropic funders. However, these financial flows alone cannot meet the current investment need. A report published by South Pole and WWF, through the Climate Solutions Partnership, highlights common success factors that have been key in the design of nature-based solutions to secured commercial investment.

While private and institutional investors are showing interest in the opportunities that NbS represent, investments remain limited due to a lack of bankable opportunities. Reflecting post-UN Climate Conference COP27, and in the run-up to UN Biodiversity Conference COP15, it is increasingly important that we leverage lessons learnt from solutions already achieving positive biodiversity, human wellbeing outcomes, and financial returns to build a robust pipeline of NbS investments.

In this event, a panel comprised of the report writers, an investor, and a representative from a NbS project that has attracted private capital will discuss perspectives on the importance of the success factors outlined in the report by providing real-world examples and experiences. 

Speakers:

Gaetan Hinojosa, Associate Director, Climate Policy, Finance and Carbon Markets Advisory at South Pole
William Baldwin-Cantello, Director of NbS at WWF UK
Megan Reilly Cayten, Senior Investment Manager at Climate Asset Management
Nicolas Pascal, Executive Director & Co-Founder of Blue Finance


Moderated by Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker, Editor, Responsible Investor

Success factors for attracting investment for critical Nature-based Solutions

Responsible Investor is proud to present a new webinar series dedicated to the investment implications of the European Commission’s Sustainable Finance Action Plan. The webinar series is intended to fill the knowledge gap in financial markets with updates about the Action Plan and the European Green Deal proposed in the late 2019. Through the series of three webinars, Responsible Investor will look at the practical implications for investors and examine how green/sustainable finance policy in Europe will impact decision-making of global investors.

May 2020 marks two year since the European Commission launched the EU Action Plan for Financing Sustainable Growth. This second webinar of the EU Action Plan webinar series will explore the EU’s major works around green and sustainable benchmarks, including Climate Transition Benchmarks, Paris-Aligned Benchmarks and ESG disclosure for all investment indices.

Speakers

Sara Lovisolo, Group Sustainability Manager at London Stock Exchange Group, and Member at EU Technical Expert Group on Sustainable Finance

Frederic Ducoulombier, ESG Director, Scientific Beta and Director, EDHEC Risk Institute-Asia

Moderator: Hugh Wheelan, Co-Founder and Joint Managing Director, Responsible Investor

EU Action Plan Spring Series #2: Green and sustainable benchmarks

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EU Action Plan Spring Series #2: Green and sustainable benchmarks

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