The Pre-Read

The focus of our chat today is acronyms. Every business has acronyms. The ESG acronym soup can be overwhelming and confusing, but do not let that deflect from your determination to learn. We need a common understanding of key terms to help each other drive business value and society forward.

Resources:

1) ESG Decoded Podcast - https://climeco.com/esg-decoded-podcast/ 

2) Sustainability Decoded Podcast - https://link.chtbl.com/SustainabilityDecoded-McReynolds

Join our author chat with Simon Mundy, Moral Money editor at the Financial Times and author of Race for Tomorrow: Survival, Innovation and Profit on the Front Lines of the Climate Crisis. He and host Mandi McReynolds discuss takeaways from his journey in 26 countries covering the biggest story of the century and how we move forward as a global society to address climate transition.

Resources:

1) Race for Tomorrow - https://www.simonmundy.com/book

2) Financial Times Moral Money - https://www.ft.com/moral-money

3) Simon Mundy YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/SimonMundy

4) Website - https://www.simonmundy.com/

Join the conversation with Jared Forman, Managing Partner, ESG & Climate Risk at FORVIS, as he and host Mandi McReynolds discuss managing risk, board engagement on ESG, and insights from Workiva's participation in the FORVIS risk scenario workshop.

Resources:

1) FORVIS ESG & Climate Risk - https://www.forvis.com/services/esg-climate-risk

2) Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP) - https://www.garp.org/

3) ESG Today - https://www.esgtoday.com/

Join the conversation with Si-Yeon Kim, former EVP, Chief Risk & Compliance Officer, and Executive Chair of ESG at American Express Global Business Travel (2014 to 2022), as she and host Mandi McReynolds discuss finding your ESG superpower and how businesses can work together in an ecosystem to tackle complex topics such as scope 3 emissions, travel, and other elements of your ESG strategy.

Resources:

1) LinkedIn Poll on Sustainable Business Travel - https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mandimcreynolds_esgtalk-esg-sustainability-activity-6961001859696259072-M2kt/

2) Antea Group: Engaging Supply Chain on Scope 3 for Strategic Advantage - https://us.anteagroup.com/news-events/blog/engaging-supply-chain-on-scope-3-for-strategic-advantage

3) Antea Group:10 Ways Your Business Can Reduce Its Carbon Footprint - https://us.anteagroup.com/news-events/blog/10-ways-business-reduce-carbon-footprint

Join the conversation with Lotti Hawkins, Executive Search - Sustainable Investing, ESG & Impact for Private Markets at Farrell Associates, as she and host Mandi McReynolds discuss building ESG talent, focusing on ESG strategy and transferable skills, and the rise of ESG in the C-suite.

Resources:

1) Farrell Associate's Talent Roots Project - https://www.farrellassociates.com/our-impact

2) LinkedIn Article: Please can we collectively stop saying there is an 'ESG Talent War'? - https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/please-can-we-collectively-stop-saying-esg-talent-war-lotti-hawkins/

3) ESG Meme - https://twitter.com/followalisont/status/1362994652396335118

4) PwC study on CSOs - https://www.reuters.com/business/sustainable-business/number-company-sustainability-officers-triples-2021-study-2022-05-04/

Join our first author chat with Andrea Bonime-Blanc, founder and CEO at GEC Risk Advisory and author of Gloom to Boom: How Leaders Transform Risk Into Resilience and Value. She and host Mandi McReynolds discuss the importance of technology in ESG, interconnected ESG risks and opportunities, and the value of empathy in leadership.

Resources:

1) ESGT Megatrends Manual 2022-2023 Edition - https://issuu.com/medauras/docs/esgt_megatrends_report_2022-2023

2) Gloom to Boom: How Leaders Transform Risk Into Resilience and Value - https://gecrisk.com/gloom-to-boom/

3) ESG Plus T: Tech as ESG Issue, Risk, and Value Influencer - https://www.diplomaticourier.com/posts/esg-plus-t-tech-as-esg-issue-risk-and-value-influencer

4) Harvard Business Review: The C-Suite Skills That Matter Most - https://hbr.org/2022/07/the-c-suite-skills-that-matter-most

Join the conversation as we chat about how to deal with ESG challengers. Our inboxes are inundated with hot takes on ESG pushback or backlash, from politicians and their views on pension funds to looking at how companies are involved with ESG funds. We're putting this into context and simplifying it for all of us. Forget about all the hype, turn off all the noise, and stay focused on adding value to business and society.

Resources:
1) I'm an ESG professional and I applaud dissent from Elon Musk and SEC Commissioner Peirce - https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/im-esg-professional-i-applaud-dissent-from-elon-musk-sec-mcreynolds/

Join the conversation with Sarah Chapman, Global Chief Sustainability Officer at Manulife, as she and host Mandi McReynolds discuss how business can drive stronger accountability for both financial and social impact. They share examples of how ESG is a team sport, strong company governance structure, and predict what will be top of mind for ESG in five years.

Resources:

1) Manulife Impact Agenda - https://www.manulife.com/content/dam/corporate/global/en/documents/pas/MFC_impact_agenda_2022_en.pdf

2) Manulife Investment Management Timberland and Agriculture - https://www.manulifeim.com/timberland-agriculture/global/en

3) Manulife - https://www.manulife.com/en/about/sustainability.html

4) 2021 Manulife Environmental, Social and Governance Report - https://www.manulife.com/content/dam/corporate/global/en/documents/pas/MFC_ESGR_2022_EN.pdf/

Join the conversation with Rob Fisher, IMPACT and ESG Leader, KPMG US, as he and host Mandi McReynolds discuss the legacy and impact of ESG, the 2020 KPMG Survey of Sustainability Reporting, and stakeholder engagement and trust.

Resources:

1) KPMG IMPACT - https://home.kpmg/xx/en/home/insights/2021/12/kpmg-impact-and-esg.html

2) The Trusted Imperative - https://home.kpmg/content/dam/kpmg/xx/pdf/2022/01/trusted-imperative-whitepaper.pdf

3) The KPMG Survey of Sustainability Reporting 2020 - https://home.kpmg/xx/en/home/insights/2020/11/the-time-has-come-survey-of-sustainability-reporting.html

4) 2022 Global Leaders in Consulting: Rob Fisher - https://www.consultingmag.com/2022/02/20/2022-global-leaders-in-consulting-rob-fisher/

Today we're chatting about the Workiva ESG Reporting Global Insights 2022 report that was just released. We dive into the survey results and share how 1,300 ESG practitioners are tackling the challenges and opportunities around ESG reporting.

Findings show 72% of senior decision makers say they lack confidence in the ESG data currently being reported to their stakeholders. This may at first seem concerning, but the findings also revealed that the continued commitment to ESG transparency has already translated into positive business outcomes, including recruitment, cost savings, investor/stakeholder engagement, and risk reduction.

Resources:
1) 2022 Global ESG Survey: Top Opportunities and Challenges of ESG Reporting - https://www.workiva.com/resources/global-survey-reports-esg
2) Full Survey Report: ESG Reporting Global Insights 2022 - https://www.workiva.com/sites/workiva/files/pdfs/esg_reporting_global_insights_full_report-en.pdf
3) ESG Practitioners Detail Top Reporting Challenges and Opportunities - https://newsroom.workiva.com/News-Archive/News-Details/2022/ESG-Practitioners-Detail-Top-Reporting-Challenges-and-Opportunities/