How have three years of shocks, including Covid and the war in Ukraine, impacted on the transition to a sustainable society? And how should pension funds and institutional investors respond to these developments? This is the central theme of the Dutch Responsible Investment Summit, Pensioen Pro’s annual ESG conference.
With top speakers from the investment world and academia the Summit will focus on geopolitical developments, but also on the new European and American sustainability regulations: taxonomy, SFDR and reporting requirements SEC. And of course there will be ample opportunity for asset managers to share new insights and products in the field of sustainable investing, in traditional and alternative asset classes.
23rd of June 2022 Hulstkamp Building, Maaskade 119, Rotterdam
Workshop Energy transition: fast forward or slowdown?
The energy market appears to be very vulnerable in times of geopolitical tension. Will the war in Ukraine accelerate the energy transition or will it force us to take a step back? And how should investors respond to this?
Speaker: Esther Baroudy, Senior Portfolio Manager, MD, State Street Global Advisors
Existing sustainable indices do not always meet pension funds’ ESG needs. Are DIY indices the answer?
13:00 Opening André de Vos, Editor Print & Events Pensioen Pro
13:05-13:35 Keynote presentation Confrontation trumps avoidance
More and more pension funds are exiting the fossil fuel industry. But will this contribute to reaching the goals set during the Paris climate accords? Follow This opts for confrontation, or in their own terms: social investor activism. Founder Mark van Baal explains why and how this differs from engagement.
13:35-14:00 Presentation Sustainability in the new pension system
The new system contains many elements that can influence a pension fund's vision of sustainable investment. What does this mean for the investment strategy?
14:00-14:25 Presentation EU Climate benchmarks – in practice
More and more institutional investors want to invest less in greenhouse gas emissions and are looking to integrate climate change as a theme in their investment strategy and portfolios. In addition, the number of ‘net zero’ commitments is rising. EU Climate Transition Benchmarks (CTB) and EU Paris Aligned Benchmarks (PAB) can help realise these climate ambitions.
Speakers: Jitzes Noorman, Delegated CIO & Manuel Adamini, Senior Responsible Investment Strategist, BMO Global Asset Management
15:00 - 15:30 Breakout Session From Theory To Practice | ESG Investing In U.S. Small Cap Stocks
What are the opportunities and challenges regarding sustainable investing in U.S. small cap stocks? We will focus on the practical application of investing in this asset class and look at the value & challenges of ESG analysis, and sustainability and engagement drive growth and differentiation.
ESG values are becoming more stringent, also for private equity. In addition to often high demands for yields, demands for sustainability are more often being looked at. How can one judge private equity funds on sustainability and where do you draw the line? Sebastiaan Runner will tell us how MN goes about it.
With higher inflation here to stay, interest rates are rising. A good time to make credit portfolios more sustainable?
Speaker: Bram Bos, Lead Portfolio Manager, NN Investment Partners
15:30 - 16:00 Breakout session Impact and yield in emerging countries
Issues concerning climate change, poverty and social inequality are especially relevant in emerging markets. But it’s not easy for pension funds to find suitable sustainable investments in emerging markets. Multilateral development banks can contribute to reaching sustainability goals through loans for companies and projects.
15:00 - 15:30 Breakout Session From Theory To Practice | ESG Investing In U.S. Small Cap Stocks
15:00 - 15:00 Breakout Session Green bonds
What are the opportunities and challenges regarding sustainable investing in U.S. small cap stocks? We will focus on the practical application of investing in this asset class and look at the value & challenges of ESG analysis, and sustainability and engagement drive growth and differentiation.
15:30 - 16:00 Breakout session Impact and yield in emerging countries
ESG values are becoming more stringent, also for private equity. In addition to often high demands for yields, demands for sustainability are more often being looked at. How can one judge private equity funds on sustainability and where do you draw the line? Sebastiaan Runner will tell us how MN goes about it.
Issues concerning climate change, poverty and social inequality are especially relevant in emerging markets. But it’s not easy for pension funds to find suitable sustainable investments in emerging markets. Multilateral development banks can contribute to reaching sustainability goals through loans for companies and projects.
16:25-16:50 Presentation Investing in times of war
The war in Ukraine poses complex issues for sustainable investors. Not investing in the Russian sovereign may make ethical and financial sense, but what are the implications for other issuers affected by the crisis? What are the ripple effects and where do investors draw the line? And do these conclusions differ depending on if the goal is managing risks or managing impacts?
Speaker: John Ploeg, Vice President & Co-Head of ESG Research, PGIM Fixed Income
16:50-17:15 Presentation Making an impact in the built environment
Speaker: Marleen Bosma, Director Strategic Business Development, Bouwinvest
17:15–18:00 Panel What does Europe want?
Europe has big green ambitions (Green Deal) and is setting up legislation for green investors (sfdr). However, due to the addition of nuclear energy and gas, green taxonomy can barely be used as a benchmark. What can and will Europe do in terms of sustainability and how credible is that? A panel discussion with among others:
