The ESG Agenda

The EU Parliament recently passed a law introducing a labelling system for what can be considered “green.” Nathan Fabian, Chief Investment Officer of UN-backed Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) explains why we need precise definitions around what can be labelled “green” and how companies and investors can use the taxonomy regulation to report their environmentally sustainable activities. 

As Season 1 of The ESG Agenda draws to a close, Amelia Pan is joined by Betsy Atkins, three-time CEO and experienced director on more than 60 private and public company Boards, including Schneider Electric, Volvo Cars, and Home Depot Supply. She a leading voice on ESG in the Boardroom and the author of Be Board Ready.

Amelia and Betsy discuss differences between US and European Board governance, cautions that ESG will be the Trojan Horse into the boardroom for shareholder activists, and despite the noise and complexity, she encourages Boards to just get started on ESG.

Alexandra Basirov of BNP Paribas discusses how financial institutions can be part of the climate solution by creating innovative new products to help companies meet their sustainability goals and by financing the transition to a more sustainable economy. 

This week on The ESG Agenda, Amelia is joined by Diversity and Inclusion Specialist Antoinette Boateng. With major global upheavals underway on issues of social justice and racial equality, and the strengthened priorities in young people and the future workforce, a company’s focus on its people and culture is now a business-critical issue that cannot be ignored. Amelia and Antoinette discuss the complex challenges companies face today and steps that businesses can take to develop a truly diverse talent pipeline for long-term success.

Amid growing acknowledgment that ESG-related strategic issues are a Board responsibility, Amelia talks with Karina Litvack, Independent Non-Executive Director at Eni SpA, Italian oil and gas giant. Karina takes us inside the boardroom discussion behind Eni’s recent ambitious climate announcement, discusses why board qualifications must evolve to include climate expertise, describes her initiative to help board members develop that fluency, and tells us why boards should encourage their CEOs to be activists. Send us your feedback at [email protected]

This week on The ESG Agenda, Amelia speaks with Charles King, Head of Investor Relations for FTSE 100-listed company Halma plc. With 20 years’ experience in investor relations for companies like Worldpay, Lloyds and Cadbury, Charles tells Amelia how ESG is influencing his engagement with analysts and investors, how he tackles all those ESG surveys, and what it takes to build a corporate sustainability programme.

We’d love to hear your feedback and suggestions. Who should we talk to? What should we discuss? You can let us know by emailing [email protected]. We hope you enjoy this episode.

In our opening episode, Amelia is joined by Janine Guillot, CEO of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) to discuss SASB’s ethos, global attitudes to ESG, and how SASB is helping companies understand their financial materiality and report intangible strengths. Since launching their standards in 2017, SASB has taken the investor space by storm, with over 100 companies now using SASB standards in ESG reporting.

We’d love to hear your feedback and suggestions. Who should we talk to? What should we discuss? You can let us know by emailing [email protected]. We hope you enjoy this episode.