Thursday, March 3, 2022, 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM
@Clayton Hall, University of Delaware :
This three-hour interactive program will address how boards can navigate the evolving and sometimes challenging ESG landscape. Led by Sabastian V. Niles from Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and John W. White from Cravath, Swaine & Moore, the program will include case studies to guide discussion of challenging issues that may be encountered, including investor and stakeholder pressure, fiduciary duties, SEC scrutiny, integrating ESG into strategy and operations, regulatory reporting requirements, evolving private ordering of ESG reporting, internal control procedures related to ESG metrics and targets, shareholder proposals, and, of course, importantly, board, board committee and management responsibilities with respect to ESG.
The program will include comments throughout by Leslie F. Seidman, independent director and chair of the audit committee at General Electric and Moody’s and former Chairman of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), as well as insights by Paul A. Beswick, Americas IFRS Leader at EY and former Chief Accountant at the Securities and Exchange Commission; Michael L. Arnold, Partner at Cravath, Swaine & Moore, LLP; Aaron Holmes, Deputy General Counsel and Senior Managing Director at Accenture; Carmen Lu, Counsel at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz; among others.
Bios
Reference Materials
State of Play Today
- BlackRock, Larry Fink’s 2022 Letter to CEOs: The Power of Capitalism
- State Street, CEO’s Letter on Our 2022 Proxy Voting Agenda (January 12, 2022)
- Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, ISS Proposes Benchmark Voting Policy Changes for the 2022 Proxy Season (November 8, 2021)
- Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, Investor Priorities in 2022: Stakeholder Capitalism, Net Zero Transition, Human Capital Management and Long-Term Value Creation (January 21, 2022)
- Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, ESG and M&A in 2022: From Risk Mitigation to Value Creation (January 14, 2022)
- International Financial Reporting Standards, IFRS Foundation Announces International Sustainability Standards Board, Consolidation with CDSB and VRF, and Publication of Prototype Disclosure Requirements (November 3, 2021)
SEC Role
- Securities and Exchange Commission, Commission Guidance Regarding Disclosure Related to Climate Change (February 2, 2010)
- Securities and Exchange Commission, Prepared Remarks Before the Principles for Responsible Investment “Climate and Global Financial Markets” Webinar (July 28, 2021)
- Securities and Exchange Commission, Sample Letter to Companies Regarding Climate Change Disclosures (September 2021)
- Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, SEC Division of Enforcement Forms New Climate and ESG Task Force to Target ESG-Related Misconduct and Potential Violations (March 4, 2021)
- Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, New Insights into the SEC’s Climate Change Disclosure Rulemaking (August 6, 2021)
- Securities and Exchange Commission, Division of Corporation Finance, Shareholder Proposals: Staff Legal Bulletin No. 14L (November 3, 2021)
- Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, SEC Staff Limits Exclusion of “Social Policy” Shareholder Proposals (November 4, 2021)
Getting the ESG Data Right
- Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, Responding to the ESG Paradigm Shift: Practical Steps for Boards and Management (March 2021)
- Accenture, Measuring Sustainability. Creating Value (January 20, 2022)
Board Involvement
- Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, Using ESG Tools to Help Combat Racial Inequity: One Year Retrospective (July 15, 2021)
- Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, Spotlight on Boards and Board Oversight of Business Strategy and Risk Management in a Post-Pandemic World (July 26, 2021)
- Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, Carbon, Caremark, and Corporate Governance (May 27, 2021)
- Leo E. Strine, Jr., Kirby M. Smith and Reilly S. Steel, Caremark and ESG (August 3, 2020)
- Securities and Exchange Commission, Division of Corporation Finance, Office of Chief Counsel, Re: NIKE, Inc. Request to Omit Shareholder Proposal of As You Sow (May 14, 2021)
Additional Materials