Tuesday, April 20, 2021, 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM @Webinar :
Co-Hosted with the Ceres Accelerator for Sustainable Capital Markets
REGISTERVIEW RECORDING OF THE ROUNDTABLE
ESG issues are increasingly taking center stage in the boardroom and with investors. The Weinberg Center and the Ceres Accelerator for Sustainable Capital Markets are co-hosting a webinar roundtable discussion, which will focus on how corporate boards can effectively oversee environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. In particular, as the risks from ESG issues such as climate change, water scarcity and human rights become more apparent, and with growing investor attention and action on ESG issues, it is increasingly important for corporate boards to understand how these issues affect business strategy and performance.
The Roundtable will review and discuss Ceres’ report, “Running the Risk: How Corporate Boards Can Oversee Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Issues,” which focuses on the critical role of the board in overseeing ESG risks in order to avoid potential financial losses and/or litigation, and to effectively respond to investor pressure.
In this webcast, the Roundtable participants will provide guidance on how boards can effectively oversee risks posed by ESG issues, and provide recommendations of questions directors should be asking management throughout the risk identification, prioritization and mitigation processes. Concrete recommendations will be offered for boards looking to improve their companies’ resilience in the face of ESG risks.
The Roundtable participants represent various constituencies – the corporate/director community, investor community, legal community, and academic community. The participants are:
- Veena Ramani, Senior Program Director, Capital Market Systems, Ceres (Moderator)
- Margaret Foran, Chief Governance Officer, Senior Vice President and Corporate Secretary, Prudential Financial, Inc.
- Michael Younis, Vice President, Asset Stewardship Team, State Street Global Advisors
- Cynthia Williams, Professor, Osler Chair in Business Law, Osgoode Hall Law School, York University (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) and
- Susan Mac Cormac, Partner, Morrison & Foerster LLP
Regardless of which of the Center’s valued constituencies you represent, the Roundtable will provide you with cutting-edge governance and ESG discussion and debate, as well as practical takeaways.
Delaware CLE: The Roundtable has been approved for 1.5 Delaware CLE credits.
Materials:
- “Running the Risk: How Corporate Boards Can Oversee Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Issues”
- “Turning Up the Heat: The need for urgent action by U.S. financial regulators in addressing climate risk”
- “The Climate is Changing: What Every Board Member Needs to Know” (ACC Docket, November 2019)
- State Street Global Advisers (SSGA) 2020 Annual Stewardship Report
- SSAG Annual Climate Stewardship Review
- SSGA Q4 2020 Quarterly Stewardship Report
- SSGA Guidance on Enhancing Racial & Ethnic Diversity Disclosures
- Prudential Financial, Inc.: 2021 Prudential Environmental, Social and Governance Summary Report
- “Fiduciary Obligations and Climate Change”