Tuesday 21 May 2019
UKELA London Meeting
Managing ESG risks in the Supply Chain
Venue:
Herbert Smith Freehills
Exchange House, Primrose St, London EC2A 2HS
Timings:
6pm to 7.30pm (registration from 5.30pm)
followed by drinks and networking
Book here
Please join us for this early evening session on managing the Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) issues associated with an organisation’s supply chain.
The ESG risks associated with an organisation’s own operations are usually relatively transparent and easy to identify, quantify and put in place management arrangements. However, often equated to the hidden risks of the below water elements of an iceberg, the risk present to an organisation in the many layers of its supply chain is often hard to determine but potentially very material. Moreover, an organisation seeking to benchmark its ESG footprint needs to understand the portion of its supplier’s footprints that it is responsible for, along with its sphere of influence to affect change.
Speakers
Fiona Place, Anthesis Group
Fiona will speak on a how a data-driven exercise aligned with e.g. Science-based Targets Initiative or Task Force on climate-related financial disclosures, shine a light on these hidden layers of risk. She will reveal how this process can also bring value, allowing corporate and investment professionals to target capital investment at the areas of greatest opportunity for cost saving and greater profitability, whilst simultaneously delivering reductions in carbon emissions and improvements in workers’ lives. Ultimately, bringing about greater resilience within an organisation’s supply chain through an improved supply chain management approach.
Fiona is a senior member of the UK Anthesis business, leading on ESG risk and opportunity management. She is an experienced sustainability professional with over 15 years’ experience delivering multi-disciplinary programmes to Fortune 500, FTSE 100 companies. Of particular focus has been her work on ESG and ERM risk management, climate change resiliency and commodities ‘hotspotting’. She also brings her experience of presenting large volumes of complex data and calculations in the form of functional, user friendly visualisations that allow users to quickly identify key information, trends and patterns – including development of Anthesis’ propriety ESG platform, RiskHorizon™. In addition, Fiona has worked for the NGO sector on impact initiatives in Africa and Asia.
Colleen Theron, Ardea International
Colleen will speak on the reasons why modern slavery risk and liability arising from human rights abuse is increasingly an issue for investors. The ILO estimates that 40.3 million people were victims of modern slavery in 2016. There is a growth in mandatory reporting requiring business to disclose the steps they are taking to combat modern slavery and address their human rights impacts and increased parent company liability claims. The SDGs have also called for ‘immediate and effective measures ‘ to eradicate the various forms of forced labour or modern slavery. The London Stock Exchange has published guidance for investors on ESG reporting. She will shine a light on these developments and the steps organisations can take to manage their risks.
Colleen is a tri- qualified solicitor and Fellow of IEMA. She is the CEO of Ardea International, a specialist sustainability, business and human rights consultancy with expertise in modern slavery. Ardea International harnesses their legal and commercial expertise to support organisations across sectors to help them meet their legal compliance obligations and develop best practice procedures. Colleen is a fellow of the Centre for the Study of Modern Slavery at St Mary’s University, Twickenham sits on the advisory board for LexisPSL environment as well as being an associate lecturer at Birkbeck University. She regularly provides evidence to parliament on modern slavery issues, contributes to journals and her most recent chapter on business and modern slavery risk was published by Policy Press ‘The Modern Slavery Agenda’ In 2018.
Colleen has over 25 years’ experience working with organisations that include FTSE 50 companies with a particular focus on addressing human rights and modern slavery risk as part of a broader sustainability strategy. Ardea International also provides a range of online e-learning, toolkits and guides to download.
The Meeting will be chaired by Doug Bryden, Partner, Travers Smith LLP
Doug is Travers Smith’s Head of Operational Risk & Environment Law. Doug specialises in UK, EU and international environment, corporate compliance and regulatory law and policy. In addition to dealing with such risks in major projects and transactions, Doug has a broad advisory and contention practice. Doug is particularly recognised for his expertise in sustainability and governance issues and how they relate to investment firms, for instance matters such as CRC, ESOS, SECR, Modern Slavery Act and Business Human Rights. Doug has recently worked on a number of high profile mandates, such as advising two large private equity houses on defending UK carbon law enforcement action, helping GDF Suez manage environmental and regulatory challenges on one of the UK's first onshore shale gas developments, through to recently defending a portfolio company in the Crown Court against serious health and safety allegations.
The Meeting will be chaired by Doug Bryden, Partner at Travers Smith LLP
Book here
UKELA is very grateful to HSF for hosting this event and to all our speakers