How ESG Engagement Creates Value for Investors and Companies

Launch of the Research Report commissioned by the Principle for Responsible Investment

An event organised by ETHOS – The Centre for Responsible Enterprise, Cass Business School

Thursday May 17^th, 2017

Cass Business School

200 Aldersgate

London EC1Y 8TZ

PRI Report Launch: 10.00-13.15 GMT

Presentation

Purpose

Corporate engagement in environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues is on the rise among investors. Although several studies suggest the existence of a business case for investors’ active engagement on ESG issues, the actual mechanisms through which value is created through such engagement for corporations, as well as for investors, have not been explored closely. Similarly, the differences between corporate and investor approaches to ESG engagement success have not been considered.

These blind spots are addressed in a recent report commissioned by the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment – How ESG Engagement Creates Value for Investors and Companies. This report unpacks the mechanisms of ESG engagement value-creation for corporations and institutional investors and contrasts investor and corporate perspectives on ESG engagement’s success.

Organisation

This event will bring together four of the report’s co-authors -Prof Jean-Pascal Gond (Cass Business School), Dr Niamh O’Sullivan (ICCSR, Nottingham University Business School), Dr Rieneke Slager (University of Groningen) - and Dr Michael Viehs (Hermès Investment Management), leading ‘engagers’, experts from the engagement industry, and notably the Principles for Responsible Investment, as well as academics studying engagement. The authors of the report will share and discuss the results of their research, present the multiple mechanisms of value-creation through engagement that they identified, as well as important differences between investor and corporate approaches to ESG engagement. Expert practitioners will also provide their perspectives on the findings and discuss current and future trends in ESG engagement, in light of the current move towards sustainable finance in Europe.

Confirmed speakers

Practitioners

Corinne Carr - PeopleNet Limited, UK

Kris Douma – Associate Director, Investor Engagements at the UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investment Initiative, London, UK

Carlota Garcia-Manas, Deputy Head of Engagement, Church of England Commissioners and Pensions Board, UK

Victor Riega Garcia – Group Corporate Responsibility Manager, Aviva, UK

Dr Michael Viehs* – Associate Director at Hermès Investment Management, London UK

Academics

Dr Daniel Beunza – Copenhagen Business School, Denmark

Prof Jean-Pascal Gond* – Head of ETHOS, Cass Business School, City, Univ. of London, UK

Dr Niamh O’Sullivan* – ICCSR, Nottingham University Business School, UK

Dr Rieneke Slager* – University of Groningen, Netherlands

Dr Paolo Volpin, Vice Dean – Cass Business School, City, University of London, UK

*Report contributors