2023 Sustainability in Finance – ESG’s Role in Capital Markets Conference

Speaker

Barbara Zvan
President and Chief Executive Officer
University Pension Plan Ontario

The Government of Canada is committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. Find out how organizations are identifying, assessing, managing, and mitigating the business risks as well as the opportunities associated with net zero.

Moderator

Valerie Lemieux
Managing Director, Head – Institutional Clients Group, Sustainable Finance Lead, Global Banking & Markets
HSBC Bank Canada

Panelists

Roman Dubczak
Deputy Chair – Capital Markets
CIBC Capital Markets

Jon Mitchell
Vice President – Sustainability
Suncor

Colin Powell
Director – Technical Net Zero Lead
PwC

Meeting the expectations of ESG while managing portfolios to maximize returns seems to be a paradigm that is impossible to manage. How does ESG truly impact investment decisions? Are firms under pressure to divest portfolios of investments that do not meet ESG standards? How does this impact their obligations as fiduciary? Learn how this panel of experts finds the right balance.

Speakers

Nalini Feuilloley
Head – Responsible Investments
BMO Global Asset Management

John Uhren
Head – Sustainable Finance, Products and Strategy
BMO

All levels of government as well as public sector organizations are mobilizing capital in support of their wide-ranging climate and environmental objectives, aided by strong domestic and international demand for sustainable investment issues. Many public issuers are updating and overhauling their green bond and ESG frameworks to provide more clarity, transparency and reliability to investors and the markets.

Moderator

Roger Casgrain
Executive Vice President
Casgrain & Company Limited

Panelists

Ralf Nielsen
Director – Enterprise Sustainability
TransLink

Dan Novak
Senior Portfolio Manager – Foreign Reserves Management, and ESG Initiatives
Bank of Canada

Elizabeth Wallace
Senior Manager – Funding and Foreign Exchange, Capital Markets Division
Ontario Financing Authority (OFA)

Green finance alone is not enough. Innovative financing solutions are required to support Canada’s natural resources and other carbon-intensive industries that are not green to transition towards greener forms of production. With a rise in accusations of “greenwashing”, transition finance has become one of the most hotly debated topics within sustainable finance. Panelist will discuss the current state of transition financing in Canada, and the challenges and opportunities.

Moderator

Siddharth Samarth
Executive Director – Sustainable Finance
CIBC Capital Markets | CIBC

Panelists

Susan Thompson
Director – ESG Solutions
TD Securities

Heather Lang
Principal
ESG Global Advisors

Erin Boeke Burke
Director and Lead Analyst – Sustainable Finance
S&P Global Ratings

The climate change focus has been on reducing carbon emissions; however, the biggest impact on climate change will come from unraveling and collapsing biodiversity, natural capital and ecosystems.

Introduction

Dana Krechowicz
Senior Sustainable Finance Manager
HSBC Bank Canada

Speaker

Marie-Justine Labelle
Head – Responsible Investment
Desjardins Investments Inc.

Clear, easy to understand messaging around ESG has become a brand differentiator and is central to building trust with investors, employees, and consumers. Find out how firms are defining and communicating their ESG goals and achievements to shape public discourse before outside voices do so.

Speakers

Martha Moen
General Manager – Investor Communication Solutions
Broadridge Financial Solutions

Sarah Chapman
Global Chief Sustainability Officer
Manulife

Ian Tam
Director – Investment Research, Canada
Morningstar

Anna Speyer
Director – Capital Markets
NATIONAL Public Relations