The Great Pushback Against ESG: Deciding Where Does Your Board Stand

04/06/2024 15:30 - 16:30 (UK/London)

This webinar will explore the growing pushback against ESG initiatives and help boards navigate their stance on this critical issue. By analysing opposing viewpoints and considering the implications for corporate strategy, our speaker will guide participants in evaluating their board’s position on ESG. Join us for a nuanced discussion on reconciling differing perspectives and determining the most aligned approach for your organisation’s sustainability goals.

Agenda:

Origins and real-world manifestations of the so-called ‘ESG backlash’: how it is affecting market participants
Boards and fiduciaries: what are you obligations to ESG and where do they end?
The first ESG regulations in main jurisdictions: will that insulate against the backlash?
Dispassionately analysing the gamut of ESG practices and stances for boards
Communicating a defensible stance on ESG: what boards need to consider

Niall O’Shea

Discern Sustainability

Managing Director

Niall is the founder and Managing Director of Discern Sustainability, a specialist responsible investment advisory boutique founded in 2018. He has spent twenty-one years in Sustainable and Responsible Investment. Niall is an experienced investment professional with a track record of successfully predicting and acting on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) risks and opportunities ahead of the market. He led the RI team at Royal London Asset Management and prior to that, at The Co-operative Asset Management where he pioneered an innovative approach to ESG integration and high-profile stewardship campaigns. He was a key member of the RLAM Sustainable Funds, which have enviable long-term performance track-records. He was a board director of the Institutional Investor Group on Climate Change.

Discern Sustainability provides consultancy primarily to financial institutions on range of topics, including product development and design, thematic research, thought leadership and training. Discern operates across three dimensions: sustainability research expertise, ESG integration and effective communication. We help identify opportunities for sustainability-driven outperformance, to lower risks for no cost, contribute to market reform and enhance reputation.

Discern’s recent and current clients include:

•Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P. (KKR)
•Aviva Investors
•Amundi
•Northern Trust
•Banque Pictet
•The United Nations
•Artemis Funds LLP
•Sprints Capital Advisors
•GLIL Infrastructure
•Local Pensions Partnership Investment (LPPI)

Niall holds an M. Phil. in Environment & Development from Cambridge University and a Diploma from the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment in Sustainable Business Practice.