ICGN 2023 Annual Toronto Conference

Speakers

Agenda

• 19 June 2023 - Conference - Day 1

  09:00 – 13:00

  Academic Meeting, hosted by Rotman & OTPP

  13:30 – 14:30

  Hosted Lunch Session

  14:30 – 15:00

  Registration

  15:30 – 16:00

  Welcome from the Host & Premier Partner & ICGN

  16:00 – 16:30

  Opening Keynote Address: The disruption of crisis response and issue management

  This keynote address will discuss how the effects of rapidly changing attitudes, technological advancement, and the lingering consequences of the pandemic have changed crisis response and issue management in both the private and public spheres.

  • Jamie Watt, Executive Chairman, Navigator, Canada & & Founder, Canadian Centre for the Purpose of the Corporation & Chancellor, OCAD University, Canada

  16:30 – 17:40

  Plenary 1: Regional Regulatory Round Up: Challenges and Opportunities

  This session will focus on the current regulatory developments and updates from countries across the world, discussing the changes and implications of the respective regulations from Canada, the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom. This will include comparing the different approaches taken in each country, such as the increased focus on sustainability and reporting and responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and human capital management. The discussion will also focus on the implications of the changes for multinational companies and how to effectively manage compliance across multiple jurisdictions. The panel will also provide insights into the expected developments and changes in the near future.

  • Jo-Anne Matear, Special Advisor to the Executive on Sustainable Finance & Emerging Regulatory Issues, Ontario Securities Commission, Canada
  • Toshitake Inoue, Deputy Director-General (Corporate Disclosure, Accounting, Auditing and Governance) Planning and Markets Bureau, Financial Services Agency Government of Japan 
  • David Styles, Director of Corporate Governance & Stewardship, Financial Reporting Council, UK 

  Chaired by: Kerrie Waring, CEO, ICGN, UK

  17:40 – 19:30

  Welcome Reception

  Hosted by Canadian Coalition for Good Governance (CCGG)

• 20 June 2023 - Conference - Day 2

  08:00

  Registration Open

  08:00 – 09:00

  Breakfast Session

  09:20 – 09:40

  Keynote Address

  Carol Hansell, Partner, Hansell LLP, Canada

  09:40 - 10:40

  Plenary 2: Canadian Governance Practices – Drivers and Disrupters

  The governance agenda in Canada has been driven by shareholders and the companies in which they invest for more than twenty years. The separation of the positions of chair and CEO, majority voting and say on pay became accepted practice without regulatory intervention. In some case, regulators have adopted requirements that have been agreed on by shareholders and Canada's largest public companies, but there has been little need for legislative initiative. This panel will explore current issues on the governance landscape and how practices are evolving in a uniquely Canadian way.

  • Maureen Jensen, Chair, Ombudsman for the Banking and Securities Industry Canada (OBSI), Director, Franco Nevada Corporation, Neo Exchange & The Prosperity Project and Governor, FINRA, Canada
  • Melanie Adams, VP & Head, Corporate Governance & Responsible Investment, RBC Global Asset Management, Canada

  Chaired by: Carol Hansell, Partner, Hansell LLP, Canada

  10:40 – 11:10

  Refreshments

   Hosted by Hugessen Consulting 

  11:10 – 12:10

  Plenary 3: Investing for the Future

  Long-term investors such as pension plans, ETF's and sovereign wealth funds have attracted unimaginable amounts of money in recent years, but good investment opportunities can be challenging to find. As the dominant players in capital markets, they will play a leading role in finding solutions for managing long-term risks, including climate change. They must because their liabilities are pretty much equally as long-term!  Large Canadian pension plans are global leaders in this respect. In this session, hear their thoughts on the expectations for them and other financial services players, in providing the horsepower to fundamentally change the future through their actions and their wealth.

  • Ziad Hindo, Chief Investment Officer, Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan

  Chaired by: Blair Cowper-Smith, Principal, Erin Park Business Solution

  12:25 – 13:25

  Hosted Sessions

  • Session A: Hosted by MSCI 
  • Session B: Hosted by Deloitte 
  • Session C: Hosted by Manulife Investment Management 
  • Session D: Hosted by Broadridge 

  13:25 – 14:30

  Lunch

  14:30 – 15:00

  Keynote Address: The push back to ESG

  15:00 – 16:00

  Plenary 4: Are Boards and Investors Equipped to Deal with Next Generation Crisis Issues

  Boards and investors are facing historic complexities. Board members are being called on to respond to unprecedented crises including the fallout from COVID-19. There are supply chain and value chain issues, new technologies and cybersecurity issues. All of this while economies face recessionary markets, geopolitical issues have become increasingly volatile, and political upheaval has resulted in a general societal mistrust of governments and corporations. How can boards respond, and what information do investors need to assess boards’ competencies in these issues that are novel to both? This session will challenge the traditional model of governance and explore a path toward meeting business needs for today and the future.

  • Sacha Sadan, Director of ESG, Financial Conduct Authority, UK

  16:00 – 16:30

  Refreshments

  16:30 – 17:30

  ICGN Global Governance and Global Stewardship Awards

  Announcement of the winners

  17:30 – 19:30

  Awards & Networking Drinks Reception

• 21 June 2023 - Conference - Day 3

  08:00

  Registration Open

  08:00 – 09:00

  Breakfast Session: Hosted by KPMG

  09:25 – 09:30

  Welcome Back!

  09:30 – 10:00

  Keynote Address

  Mark Podlasly, Chief Sustainability Officer,First Nations Major Project Coalition, Canada

  10:00 – 11:00

  Plenary 4: The Rush to Net Zero: What Does it Mean for a Resource-Based Economy?

  The energy sector is at the centre of a contentious and complex debate between economics and the environment. At the same time, critical minerals that are essential for the transition are in short supply. Investors are increasingly adopting commitments to achieve net zero in their portfolios by 2050 with associated interim targets to address climate change risk in their portfolios. Companies are increasingly expected to have credible transition plans to attract capital but what will this mean for resource-based economies especially as the debate between energy security and energy transition has intensified? The extractive industries have not always been viewed as progressive, but some are addressing these challenges by adopting technology and innovation and planning for a sustainable future in partnership with Indigenous communities. This session will consider the immediate, short-, and long-term challenges and opportunities for the energy and mining landscape in the context of achieving net zero and the need for energy security and a just transition.       

  Chaired by: Jennifer Coulson, Vice President ESG, British Columbia Investment Management Corporation

  11:00 – 11:30

  Refreshments

  11:30 – 12:00

  Carbon Neutral Vote

  Sponsored by Fasken

  12:15 – 13:15

  Hosted Sessions

  • Session E: Hosted by Jarislowsky Fraser 
  • Session F: Hosted by ISS 
  • Session G: Hosted by Pomerantz 
  • Session H: 

  13:15 – 14:15

  Lunch

  14:15 – 15:15

  Plenary 5: Setting the Standard and Driving Expectations for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Investment Management Industry

  The investment management industry is keenly and rightly focused on human capital management practices at portfolio companies. And while the business case for diversity no long needs to be made, the investment management industry is lagging in inclusion of diverse talent and perspectives. Some market participants have led efforts to encourage their partners to share their policies, practices and initiatives to increase diversity, ensure equity, and promote inclusion in their organizations to drive better investment outcomes. However, efforts and progress to address DEI across regions is mixed. This panel session will provide initiatives and insights into how several organizations are striving to foster greater diversity, equity, and inclusion in the investment management industry.

  15:15 – 15:45

  Refreshments

  15:45 – 16:45

  Plenary 6: Strategic litigation to fund the climate transition

  Climate change is the greatest existential threat of our times and knows no boundaries. To slow the rate of global climate change to a 1.5°C increase requires a global effort and significant financial investment – some reporting says $5 trillion a year until 2030. Funding this transition will come from a wide range public and private sources, including government programs, carbon taxes, green bonds and project-based loans and investments. However, gaps exist – in funding, where what is being spent is significantly less than what needs to be spent, and in the effects of climate change where developed economies are larger emitters yet developing economies will disproportionately experience the negative environmental and economic impacts of climate change. This session will explore the role of litigation, fines, credits, taxes and other innovative options that can close the financing gap and hold large emitting companies and countries proportionately accountable for the environmental and economic impact they have on developing economies. 

   

  16:45 – 17:45

  Plenary 7: Systemic stewardship and mitigating risks

  • Jon Lukomnik, Founder, Sinclair Capital LLC, USA

  Chaired by Catherine McCall, Executive Director, CCGG

  17:45 – 17:55

  Closing Remarks from ICGN, Host & Premier Partner

  • Lindsay Patrick, Head, Strategic Initiatives & ESG, RBC Capital Markets

  17:55 – 18:00

  ICGN Annual Conference Handover Ceremony