The Future of ESG Data America 2023

Chair's opening remarks

Peter Cripps, Editor, Environmental Finance

Keynote Fireside chat – Investor responses to the new SEC disclosure regulations

Michael W. Frerichs, State Treasurer, State of Illinois

Standards keynote: how far we are from a standardized framework for ESG reporting, in the U.S. and globally?

Neil Stewart, Director of Corporate Outreach, ISSB/IFRS Foundation

Panel: Discussing the current regulatory and legal landscape for ESG in the US: how does it impact ESG data and the wider ESG market?

• Discussing the regulatory environment and politicization of ESG investing in the US – how might this play out in the run-up to elections in 2024?
• Rebublican vs. Democrat movements and proposed bills for divestments of ESG assets vs. divestments of fossil fuels
• Industry implications: how could the political divide over ESG affect flows of funds into ESG assets, and disclosure of data relating to ESG investments?
• Litigation issues and their impact on ESG adoption and disclosure in the US

Moderator:
Peter Cripps, Editor, Environmental Finance

Panellists:
Alice Hill, Senior Fellow for Energy and the Environment, Council on Foreign Relations
Colleen Davis, State Treasurer, State of Delaware
Lorenzo Saà, Chief Sustainability Officer, Clarity AI
Steven M. Rothstein, Managing Director, Ceres Accelerator for Sustainable Capital Markets, Ceres

Panel: Emerging developments in measuring the “S” pillar of ESG

• What data can be defined as “social”, and to what extent can the social component of an investment be quantified?
• What advances are being made in measuring DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion)?
• Examining models being developed by ratings providers to measure social materiality – what criteria is used?
• Striking the balance between disclosure and privacy:  Understanding legal risks and civil liberty issues when collating social data

Moderator:
Alessia Falsarone, Executive in Residence, Circular Economy and Sustainable Business, University of Chicago

Panellists:
Jonathon Smith, Associate Director, Sustainable Fitch
Nick Sapirie, Vice President, Single-Family Capital Markets, Fannie Mae
Ruthann Bartello, CFA, Director, Client Relations, Morningstar Sustainalytics

Panel: What ESG data do investors want? How are they using the data for investment decisions?

• What data do investors want from issuers, and why?
• Prioritising data needs and aligning them with the ESG investment strategy
• Investor insights on emerging disclosure regulations and standards
• Discussing the political climate: to what extent is the anti-ESG rhetoric impacting investment strategies?
• Investor perspectives on ESG ratings providers: discussing the limitations of using proprietary data sets
• Using third-party data vs. developing in-house tools and methodologies

Moderator:
Elizabeth King, President, Sustainable Finance & Chief Regulatory Officer, Intercontinental Exchange

Panellists:
Dave Stangis, Chief Sustainability Officer, Apollo Global Management
Kaitlin Bergan, Director, Sustainable Investing, BlackRock
Laurel Peacock, Head of ESG, NGP
Yovanka Bylander, Senior Vice President & Head of Sustainability, TimesSquare Capital Management

Panel: How are corporates building ESG reporting strategies? Advances made and lessons learned

• Bridging the data knowledge gap between investors and issuers
• Corporate insights on the SEC’s new regulations and ISSB standards
• Aligning with TCFD and SASB (IFRS)
• Ensuring clear, accurate and consistent data
• Selecting and working with ESG data providers
• Using cloud-based solutions
• Ensuring cross-company engagement between all departments (sustainability, finance, compliance etc) and senior management

Moderator:
Beth Byington, Global Head of Corporate ESG and Climate Solutions, MSCI

Panellists:
Dawn Emling, Head of Sustainability Initiatives, Lincoln Financial Group
Erin Williamson, Manager, Energy & Sustainability Strategy, Edison Energy
Michael Tovey, Corporate Sustainability Controller, Bank of America

Panel: Embedding Natural Capital in ESG

• Data and technology innovations to support credible corporate nature reporting
• Challenges and opportunities for including natural capital in investment processes and reporting
• Lessons learnt from the voluntary carbon markets for measuring natural capital (carbon and biodiversity) for embedding natural capital in ESG frameworks
• How TNFD can help mainstream corporate reporting on impacts, dependencies and risks related to natural capital

Moderator:
Peter Cripps, Editor, Environmental Finance

Panellists:
Florian Reber, Head of Partnerships, Chloris Geospatial
James d'Ath, Data and Analytics Technical Lead, TNFD
Jennifer Jenkins, Chief Sustainability Officer, Rubicon Carbon
Jeremy Freund, Chief Technology Officer, Wildlife Works
Vicki Benjamin, Co-Founder and CEO, Karner Blue Capital

Keynote Presentation/Interview: ESG data for pension plans under the U.S. Department of Labor’s new rules

Speaker:

Ali Khawar, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Labor

Panel: The role of ESG data in the transition to net zero

• What tools are available for measuring your net zero commitments, and how reliable are they?
• Emerging standards and best practices for measuring transition
• The role of ESG ratings

Moderator:
John Shideler, President, Futurepast

Panellists:
Daniel Byrd, ESG Industry Practice Lead, Moody's Analytics
Paulina Tarrant, Net-Zero Engagement Manager, Science Based Targets Initiative
Robert White, Co-Chair, Climate Transition Finance Working Group, ICMA & Managing Director, Head of Green & Sustainable Hub, Americas, Natixis
Rosanne Lam, Strategy Manager, Climate & ESG Solutions, Ortec Finance
Sam Schrager, Head of US Climate Analytics, ISS ESG

ESG data in private markets – the transparency tipping point

Andrea Ramirez, AVP, Head of ESG Client Strategy, Preqin

Chair’s closing remarks