Programme

Mr Anthony Muh Yi-Tong, Chairman, Asian Corporate Governance Association; Partner and Asia Chairman, H.R.L. Morrison & Co, Hong Kong

Preview of ACGA’s new market ranking for 2020 and CLSA’s new ESG sectoral report.

Speakers:
Mr Jamie Allen, Secretary General, Asian Corporate Governance Association, Hong Kong
Mr Seungjoo Ro, Regional Head of ESG & Thematic Research, CLSA, Hong Kong

A Q&A with Hong Kong’s leading regulator on the city’s evolving position in the international financial and trading system, looking at the impact of current geopolitical trends and the global thematic around ESG and green finance. How resilient will Hong Kong be in the face of current geopolitical challenges? How will its role as a financial centre change in light of China’s ongoing growth? What are the opportunities and competitive threats facing Hong Kong in the rapidly emerging green and sustainable finance area?

Chair:
Mr Anthony Muh Yi-Tong, Chairman, Asian Corporate Governance Association; Partner and Asia Chairman, H.R.L. Morrison & Co, Hong Kong

Speaker:
Mr Ashley Alder, Chief Executive Officer, Securities and Futures Commission, Hong Kong

A further opportunity to put your questions on CG Watch 2020 to our research team.

Moderator:
Mr Jamie Allen, Secretary General, Asian Corporate Governance Association, Hong Kong

Speakers:
Ms Sharmila Gopinath, Research Director, India, ACGA, Kochi
Mr Chris Leahy, Specialist Consultant, ACGA, Singapore
Ms Nana Li, Research and Project Director, China, ACGA, Hangzhou
Mr Benjamin McCarron, Managing Director, Asia Research & Engagement, Singapore; Specialist Consultant, ACGA
Ms Neesha Wolf, Research Director, Taiwan, ACGA, Taipei

What is at the top of your wishlist for ESG reform in this region? We invite three veteran observers of ESG and sustainability to share their views. The discussion will range from urging governments to set clearer targets for reducing emissions in line with the Paris Agreement to developing urgent plans to manage the threat of sea level rise on coastal communities and infrastructure, and ideas for engaging with Asian companies on issues of climate change.

Moderator:
Mr Ronnie Lim, Senior Engagement Specialist, Robeco Asia-Pacific, Hong Kong; ACGA Council Member

Speakers:
Ms Yoo-Kyung Park, Head of Responsible Investment & Governance, Asia Pacific,
APG Asset Management Asia, Hong Kong
Ms Dharisha Mirando, Investor Engagement & Water Risk Valuation Lead, China Water Risk, Hong Kong
Mr John Sayer, Director, Carbon Care Asia, Hong Kong

There is a growing view that board gender diversity goals should not be met only by parachuting women into boards as independent directors. Promotion to the board from the ranks of women in middle and senior positions in management is also critical. Which countries in the region are furthest ahead in promoting women within companies? Why is much of the region underperforming in this area and what practical steps can be taken to encourage more diversity within management?

Facilitator:
Ms Ka Shi Lau, Managing Director & CEO, BCT Group, Hong Kong; ACGA Council Member

Speakers:
Ms Fiona Nott, Chief Executive Officer, The Women’s Foundation, Hong Kong
Mr Peter Hwang, Managing Director, Asia, Iron Mountain, Hong Kong

Standards and practices for ESG reporting are developing rapidly across the region, with a growing number of jurisdictions setting out voluntary or quasi-mandatory guidelines for companies to follow. While positive, one increasingly hears that institutional investors find it difficult to integrate the mass of data produced into their investment processes due, in part, to lack of comparability and decision-usefulness of the information currently disclosed. This is where SASB comes in: it offers companies a more focussed way to report on ESG factors that are financially material and provides reporting guidance on an industry level. This workshop will provide an opportunity to learn more about SASB’s evolving standards and how they fit in with complementary systems such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). It will also provide an update on SASB’s work programme in Asia, including its new Asia-Pacific Working Group, and international efforts to create a globally consistent set of ESG reporting standards.

Facilitator:
Ms Katie Schmitz Eulitt, Director, Investor Outreach, Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), San Francisco

Speakers:
Mr Egon Vavrek, Director, Global Emerging Markets Equities, Fundamental Strategies, APG Asset Management Asia, Hong Kong
Ms Jessica Ground, Global Head of ESG, Capital Group, London

It seems fair to say that the increasing concern shown by governments, scientists, the media, investors, civil society groups and members of the public around the world towards climate change has not yet been matched by an equal sense of urgency in most boardrooms. Yet climate change will have a significant impact on business operations and profitability as a result of both physical (eg, weather) and transition (eg, regulatory, taxation) risks. How should boards in Asia get ready for this upheaval? What new skills and capacity are needed in the boardroom and management? What lessons can Asian companies learn from efforts made by their peers in other parts of the world? And what, if anything, is likely to be different in Asia in terms of the physical impacts of climate change or the most effective way for companies to respond? 

Moderator:
Mr Benjamin McCarron, Managing Director, Asia Research & Engagement, Singapore; Specialist Consultant, Asian Corporate Governance Association

Speakers:
Ms Karina Litvack, Independent Director, Eni; Co-Founder & Advisor, Climate Governance Initiative, World Economic Forum, London
Datin Sunita Rajakumar, Founder, Climate Governance Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur