Programme

Pre Dinner Drinks 6:00pm - 7:00pm

Guildhall Art Gallery

Dinner 7:00pm - 10:00pm

Sir David Walker

Dinner Speaker

Highlights from Sir David’s extensive consultation on the governance and regulatory framework as applied to banks and beyond, as well as the role of shareholders in helping to make the recommendations work in practice.

Sir David Walker, Senior Adviser, Morgan Stanley International PLC, UK

Registration and breakfast 7:45am - 8:40am

Welcome remarks 8:40am - 8:50am

Christy Wood

Opening remarks

Mark Boleat, Deputy Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee, City of London Corporation, UK

Introductory remarks from the ICGN Chairman and the launch of new ICGN Non-executive Director Remuneration Guidelines.

Christy Wood, Chairman, ICGN Board of Governors

Session 1 8:50am - 10:00am

Lord Paul Myners CBE

Sir Richard Lapthorne CBE

Jacques Schraven

Stephen Haddrill

John Plender

Debate: Shareholder Responsibilities and Corporate Engagement

Institutional investors are often accused of being absent landlords. Where were they as owners of banks before the financial crisis and what role can they play in the future? Which type of engagement is most effective? How can corporates help to make the process work?

Opening keynote

Lord Paul Myners CBE, Financial Services Secretary to the Treasury, UK

Panel debate 

Jacques Schraven, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Corus Nederland BV Non-executive director of Tata Steel Limited            Chairman, European Issuers, the Netherlands

Sir Richard Lapthorne CBE, Chairman, Cable and Wireless plc, UK  

Stephen Haddrill, Chief Executive Officer, Financial Reporting Council, UK

Moderator

John Plender, Senior Editorial Writer & Columnist, the Financial Times, UK

Session 2 10:00am - 11:00am

Dominique Biedermann

Joelle Simon

Sean O'Hare

The Great Pay Debate: Who Holds the Moral Compass?

Has pay become too politicised?  Who holds the moral compass determining the balance between just deserts and too much? How will this affect the attractiveness of financial markets and what influence, if any, do shareholders have in blocking excessive bank bonuses?

Panel debate

Dominique Biedermann, Executive Director, Ethos Foundation, Switzerland   

Joelle Simon, Director for Legal Affairs, French Business Confederation, MEDEF                                                            Chairperson of the Legal Affairs Committee, BusinessEurope

Moderator

Sean O'Hare, Partner, Human Resource Services, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, UK

Refreshments 11:00am - 11:30am

Session 3 11:30am - 12:45pm

Helen Alexander

Fabio Galli

Suzanne Hopgood

David Wilson

Shareholder Influence on Board Balance: the Directors' Perspective

How does the regulatory environment encourage or stifle shareholder participation in shaping effective boards? Should shareholders intervene in director nominations at all and if so, what are the benefits?

Panel debate

Finn Johnsson, Chairman, Thomas Concrete Group AB and Chairman KappAhl AB Sweden      

Helen Alexander, President, Confederation of British Industry's, UK

Fabio Galli, Director General, Assogestioni - associazione del risparmio gestito, Italy

Suzanne Hopgood, Director of Board Advisory Services, National Association of Corporate Directors, USA

Moderator

David Wilson, Chief Executive, Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators, UK

Lunch 12:45pm - 1:45pm

Session 4 1:45pm - 3:00pm

Peter Montagnon

Frank Curtiss

Mike Krzus

Ralf Frank

Beata Farber

Michel Bernard

Emma Hunt

Geof Stapledon

Jean-Philippe Desmartin

Erik Breen

Stephen Davis

Alan Texeira

Breakout sessions

1.     Does non-financial business reporting benefit shareholders? If so, how?

What should shareholders be demanding of non-financial business reporting and management commentary?  Is NFBR currently delivering on enhancing our understanding of risk? 

Dr Alan Teixeira, Director of Technical Activities, International Accounting Standards Board, UK

Mike Krzus, Partner, Public Policy & External Affairs, Grant Thornton LLP, USA

Ralf Frank, Managing Director, DVFA - Society of Investment Professionals, Germany

Moderator: Frank Curtiss,  Head of Corporate Governance, RAILPEN Investments, UK

2.     Making Investment Management Agreements chime with responsible ownership objectives - how easy is this?

Beata Farber, Partner, Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP, USA

Michel Bernard, Head of UK Institutional Sales, F&C Asset Management plc, UK

Dr Steve Waygood, Head of sustainability research and engagement, Aviva Investors, UK

Moderator: Emma Hunt, Senior Investment Consultant, Towers Watson, UK 

3.     Convincing the unconverted of the value of engagement and active ownership

What are the costs and benefits to sustained shareholder engagement with boards? How does this ultimately translate into improved shareholder value?

Jean-Philippe Desmartin, Senior Analyst, Head of SRI research, Oddo Securities  

Geof Stapledon, Group Manager, Governance, BHP Billiton, UK

Moderator: Peter Montagnon, Director of Investment Affairs, Association of British Insurers, UK

4.     Can shareholders determine if boards are overseeing risk?

Company risk and strategy are inseparable and crucial drivers of long term investment returns for investors. This section builds on ICGN's draft guidance on corporate risk oversight.
How do non executive board members handle corporate risk oversight? Can shareholders determine if boards are overseeing risk? What can and can't be disclosed in communication between boards and investors?

Erik Breen, Head of Responsible Investing, Robeco, The Netherlands

Robert Hodgkinson, Executive Director, Technical, Technical Strategy Department, Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, UK

Moderator: Stephen Davis, Executive Director and Lecturer, Millstein Center for Corporate Governance &  Performance, Yale School of Management

Refreshments 3:00pm - 3:30pm

Session 5 3:30pm - 4:00pm

Breakout sessions report back

Afternoon keynote 4:00pm - 4:30pm

Sir Christopher Hogg

Sir Christopher Hogg, Chairman, Financial Reporting Council, UK  

Session 6 4:30pm - 5:30pm

Donald MacDonald

Antoine de Salins

Lindsay Tomlinson

Johan Van Der Ende

Paul Schneider

Getting beneficial owners to step up to the plate

Now, more than ever, investors are expected to play an active role in ensuring good governance on behalf of the investing public. How will new legal or regulatory codes help or hinder this process? Do beneficial owners really have the financial and human resource to effectively engage with companies and how will this ultimately lead to enhanced shareholder value?

Lindsay Tomlinson, Managing Director, BlackRock                Chairman, National Association of Pension Funds, UK

Antoine de Salins, Executive Director, Fonds de Réserve pour les Retraites, France

Johan Van Der Ende, Chief Investment Officer, PGGM and Chairman Eumedion, The Netherlands

Paul Schneider , Senior Investment Associate, Corporate Governance , Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, Canada

Moderator

Donald MacDonald, Trustee BT Pension Scheme and Chairman of PRI, UK

Summary and Close 5:30pm - 5:45pm

Carl Rosen