Webinar: Practical Perspectives on ESG: What's Really Important?

When:  Jul 11, 2017 from 03:00 PM to 04:00 PM (ET)

Date: Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Time: 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. EST

Cost: Complimentary

REGISTER

Join us for a webinar that will discuss the practical reality and challenges of ESG from the perspective of investors and corporate issuers. Building on the experiences of a large, mainstream investor, an issuer with long-term experience in managing E&S issues and an expert in disclosure and investor engagement, the webinar will explore:

  • Investor expectations in disclosure, strategy and oversight
  • Issuer perspective on the challenges of ESG "report cards"
  • Key considerations in ESG disclosure
  • Leading practices in investor engagement
  • Corporate secretaries as a key player in ESG management

Speakers:

  • Christopher Butner, Asst. Secretary & Managing Counsel, Securities/Corp. Gov., Chevron Corporation
  • Verity Chegar, ESG Strategist, BlackRock Investment Stewardship
  • Zach Oleksiuk, Director, Head of Americas Investment Stewardship, BlackRock Investment Stewardship
  • Sarah Teslik, Of Counsel, Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher
  • Moderated by: Granville Martin, SVP, Society for Corporate Governance

Why this webinar is important - ESG is now firmly established as an investor priority. In 2017, environmental and social issues comprised the single largest share of no-action letter requests to the SEC. Support for climate resolutions continued to increase with leading investors voting in favor more frequently than ever. Similarly, gender issues have gained greater support from investors while individual companies have had to grapple with gender-related reputation risk. Investors and stakeholders are moving beyond seeking public statements of support for certain issues and instead want to understand how companies integrate ESG issues into strategy and the degree to which board have oversight.

Meanwhile, ESG-related investment products continue to expand their impact. According to US SIF, more than $8.7 trillion is invested according to ESG-related strategies. Desire for positive social and environmental impact from investments by Millennials will likely deepen that trend as they accumulate wealth. All of which is to say that ESG is here to stay. Corporate Secretaries have a critical role to play in ensuring that company disclosure connects all the necessary dots and that Boards are prepared as the ESG landscape continues to evolve.