The IA Sustainability and Responsible Investment Conference 2023 - Resilience in adversity

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Group discount: use the promotional code GROUP for 20% discount on bookings of five or more people.

In recent years, there has been a true sense of momentum behind sustainability and responsible investment. The Paris Agreement brought all nations into a common cause to take action and the UK hosting COP26 intensified interest in climate change domestically. With investor demand for sustainable and responsible investments soaring, the investment management industry was placed at the forefront of change and in a position to play an instrumental role in the transition to a more sustainable and prosperous future.

In the past 12 months, there has been a sense that this momentum might be lost. The tremendous toll of the COVID-19 crisis, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the global cost-of-living crisis have cast doubt on climate commitments and uncertainty amongst governments and global clients. In addition, as more regulatory standards are introduced, both in the UK and internationally, there is a real sense of challenge in the pursuit of sustainability and responsible investment.

Please join us at the 5th annual IA Sustainability & Responsible Investment Conference on 25 May to explore these themes and how we together can continue to affect change, drive excellence for our clients and move the dial towards a more sustainable economy, society, and planet. 

Sessions include: 

• CEO panel: Global Challenges pushing Sustainability and Responsible Investing into new territory
• Defining ambition, shaping investible opportunities and overcoming data challenges
• Clients at the core of where we go next with Sustainable and Responsible Investing
• Working together towards globally comparable standards that support good client outcomes
• And a keynote speech from Baroness Penn, Parliamentary Secretary with responsibility for ESG in HM Treasury

Programme subject to slight changes

09:00 - Registration & Refreshments 

09:30 - Welcome and Opening Remarks

Patrick Thomson, IA Chair and CEO Europe, Middle East & Africa, JP Morgan

09:45 - CEO Panel: Global Challenges pushing Sustainability and Responsible Investing into new territory 

Moderator: Galina Dimitrova, Director, Investment & Capital Markets, The Investment Association

• Alexandra Altinger, CEO, J O Hambro
• Mark Versey, CEO, AVIVA
• Peter Harrison, CEO, Schroders
• Saker Nusseibeh, CBE – CEO, Federated Hermes Limited

10:30 - Virtual Fireside chat 

• Helena Vines Fiesta, Chair of EU Platform on Sustainable Finance 
• Carol Thomas, Head of Sustainability and Responsible Investments, The Investment Association

10:50 - Networking break

11:10 - Panel: Clients at the core of where we go next with Sustainable and Responsible Investing 

Moderator: Carol Thomas, Head of Sustainability and Responsible Investments, The Investment Association

• Mark Manning, Technical Specialist - ESG Unit, FCA
• Emma Wall, Head of Investment Analysis & Research, Hargreaves Lansdown 
• Stephanie Maier, Global Head of Sustainable and Impact Investment, GAM Investments & Deputy Chair of IA S&RI Committee
• Tristram Lawton, Managing Associate, Simmons & Simmons LLP

12:00 - Biodiversity and the Blue Economy: surfing the wave of opportunity for nature finance

Sonali Siriwardena, Partner - Globa Head of ESG, Simmons & Simmons LLP

12:20 - Lunch & networking break

13:25 - Keynote session

Baroness Penn, Treasury Lords Minister (for Green Finance)

13:45 - Panel: Defining ambition, shaping investible opportunities and overcoming data challenges  

Moderator: Miranda Seath, Director of Market Insight & Fund Sectors, The Investment Association 

• Clive Emery, Former Head of Multi-Asset Strategies, Invesco
• Neville White, Head of Responsible and Sustainable Policy and Research, Edentree Investment Management
• Laura Vitagliano, Head of Sustainable Finance Strategy Client Engagement, BNP Paribas Securities Services
• Catalina Secreteanu, Head of ESG Market Strategy, Sustainalytics 

14:35 - Networking break

14:50 - How reliable is sustainability data and where are the common areas?

Johanna Conil-Lacoste, Clarity AI (a partner of CACEIS)

15:20 - Power Pitches - Sustainability Innovation Showcases

Moderated by Jack Knight, Deputy CEO of the IA

• Maanch
• ESGi
• Net Purpose 
• ClimateX
• Impactive

15:45 - Panel: Collective action and global sustainability standards

Moderator: Paul Scaping, Public Policy Specialist, Capital Markets, The Investment Association 

• Emily McKenzie, Technical Director, Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD)
• Carey Buxton, Partner and Head of Sustainable Investing Business, Brown Advisory
• Julie Baddeley, Chair, Chapter Zero (Member of TPT Delivery Group)
• Ronan Hodge, Technical Lead, Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ)

16:30 - Closing remarks

Galina Dimitrova, Director, Investment & Capital Markets, The Investment Association

16:40 - Drinks reception 

Headline principal partner: 

 Gold Sponsor: 

Gold Sponsor

Kindly hosted by: 

Patrick Thomson, IA Chair and CEO Europe, Middle East & Africa, JP Morgan

Patrick Thomson is Chief Executive Officer for EMEA, J.P. Morgan Asset Management based in London. He is Chair of the Board of the Investment Association, representing UK’s investment management industry, and a Member of the UK Government’s Treasury Task Force. Patrick joined J.P. Morgan Asset Management in 1995 and worked in Singapore 2000-2005 as global head of sovereigns, with extensive experience in reserves management in Asia and the Middle East, and has worked with many of the largest asset owners in the world.
After graduating from Edinburgh University with an MA (Hons), Patrick served as an officer in the British Army for five years, and is co-chair of the EMEA VETS group at JP Morgan. He qualified as a member of the UK Society of Investment Professionals in 2000.

Galina Dimitrova | Director, Investment and Capital Markets | The Investment Association

Galina is a Director of Investment & Capital Markets at the Investment Association (the “IA”) and a member of the IA Executive Committee.

In her role, she has overall responsibility for the IA’s work on investments and capital markets, including representing investors' interests in the efficient functioning of markets and quality of asset classes, such as Equity, Fixed-income, FX, Infrastructure, and Private Markets. She also has oversight of all IA Special Committees and ETFs, as well as all trading, market infrastructure and investment operations’ matters relevant to IA members.

Central to her portfolio is helping members with the evolving Sustainability & Responsible Investment landscape, including the growth of responsible investment products and strategies, our clients’ changing preference and working together towards an economy, society and planet fit for the future.

Prior to joining the IA in 2014, Galina worked in the investment banking industry and has over 10 years’ experience advising financial institutions across the world on M&A, capital raisings and restructurings, with a particular focus on emerging markets.

Galina sits on the Bank of England FX Joint Standing Committee and TheCityUK Board of Directors. She is also a member of the UK Risk Free Rate Working Group and the FCA’s Disclosures & Labels Advisory Group.

Mark Versey, Chief Executive Officer, Aviva Investors

Mark is CEO of Aviva Investors and a Director of the Aviva Investors Board. He is on the Executive Committee of Aviva Plc. Mark Versey joined Aviva Investors in 2014 and was appointed CEO in January 2021. Previously, he was Chief Investment Officer for Aviva Investors Real Assets from its formation in May 2018, during which time the business saw material growth, with assets under management increasing from £37 billion to £47 billion.

Mark sits on the Board of the Investment Association and he chaired its Sustainability and Responsible Investment Committee for 4 years. Mark has recently been appointed to chair the Advisory Council of the Kings Business School in London.

Mark began his career as a consultant Actuary and then gained a diverse experience across investment markets with investment banking roles in fixed income, equities and capital markets. He has extensive risk management and derivatives experience.

Prior to Aviva Investors, Mark worked at Friends Life where he was Chief Investment Officer of the Group and Managing Director of their in-house asset manager, Friends Life Investments. Previously, he was the Chief Investment Officer of AXA in the UK. Mark is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries and has a Mathematics degree from Cambridge University.

Peter Harrison, Chief Executive Officer, Schroders

Peter Harrison joined Schroders in March 2013 and became Group Chief Executive in April 2016. Prior to his current role he was Global Head of Investment.
Before joining Schroders, Peter was Chairman and CEO of investment boutique RWC Partners. Peter began his career at Schroders, and later spent time at JP Morgan, and as Group Chief Investment Officer of Deutsche Asset Management.

Peter is a member of the UK Treasury’s Asset Management Taskforce, the Board of Directors of FCLT Global and the Investment Association Board. He is a member of the FCA Market Practitioner Panel and the Capital Markets Industry Task Force. He also sist on the Advisory Boards of venture capital firm Antler, Harvard University Impact Board and CityUK. He was previously Chair of the Investment Association, sat on the Takeover Panel and the Prime Minister’s Financial and Professional Services’ Business Council. He is widely engaged in improving inclusion and diversity across financial institutions. He has an honorary Doctorate from the University of Bath.

Saker Nusseibeh, CBE – CEO, Federated Hermes Limited

Saker is Chief Executive of Federated Hermes Limited and is also a member of the Federated Hermes, Inc. Executive team. He was appointed CEO in November 2011 having joined the firm in June 2009 as CIO. Prior to this, Saker was Global Head of Equities at Fortis Investments, having initially been appointed to the firm as CIO Global Equities in 2005. Before this, he was CIO of Global Equities and Head of Marketing for SGAM UK. He started his career at Mercury Asset Management in 1987.
In 2018, Saker was named CEO of the Year at the Financial News Asset Management Europe Awards. More recently, Saker was named as European Personality of the Year for 2020 at the Funds Europe Awards. He has a BA and PhD in Medieval History from King's College, University of London.
Saker was awarded a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the Queen’s 2020 New Year’s Honours list for services to Responsible Business and Finance.

Alexandra Altinger, CEO, J O Hambro

Alexandra Altinger has 28 years’ experience in the wealth and asset management industry across Europe, Asia and the US. She previously spent four years as CEO of Sandaire Investment Office, a UK multi-family office, where she led the business integration process after Sandaire acquired Lord North Street Private Office. Prior to Sandaire, Alexandra worked within the executive team of Lansdowne Partners International, helping to lead the firm’s repositioning efforts for its long-only products in global institutional markets. Previously she was at Wellington Management International where she held a number of senior roles including European Head of Sub Advisory and Distribution. Alexandra has also served as an Equity Research Analyst at John Hancock in Boston and has worked in Japanese equities research sales for Goldman Sachs in Tokyo and London. She started her financial career as a Proprietary Trader with Banque Nationale de Paris (Securities) in Tokyo. Alexandra has a Bachelor of Sciences and a Master of Sciences in International Economics from Université de Dauphine, Paris and is a CFA Charterholder and member of the CFA UK Advisory Council. She is a founding member of the Advisory Committee of The Diversity Project, an ambitious initiative to promote diversity in all its forms across the UK asset management sector. Alexandra is a director of the Investment Association and sits on their main Board as current Chair of the Investment Association’s Business Forum.

Helena Vines Fiesta, Chair of EU Platform on Sustainable Finance

Helena is commissioner of the Spanish Financial Markets Authority (CNMV). She is also rapporteur of the EU Platform on Sustainable Finance; a member of the UN Secretary-General High-Level Expert Group on Net Zero Pledges and of the EIB´s Climate and Environment Advisory Council.
Prior to the CNMV, Helena was Senior Policy Adviser on Sustainable Finance for BNP Paribas and Global Head of Stewardship and Policy for BNP Paribas Asset Management. She was a board member of the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change and a member of the Technical Expert Group on Sustainable Finance whose role was to assist the European Commission in the development of EU taxonomy and the implementation of the EC Action Plan. Helena has twenty years’ experience of working in responsible business and sustainable investment.

Carol Thomas, Head of Sustainability and Responsible Investments, The Investment Association

Carol started her career in EU regulatory affairs in Brussels before joining the FSA in 2010. Carol’s work at the FSA/FCA spanned pension policy, financial disclosure and leading on life insurance thematic reviews. She also spent a year working for the Irish Department of Finance in Brussels covering financial services files in the European Council. In 2018,  Carol joined the Investment Association as a Retail Markets Specialist covering all issues related to the regulation and distribution of retail funds in the UK and across the EU. Following a short period as Head of Asset Management Policy for M&G, Carol re-joined the IA and was appointed Head of Sustainability and Responsible Investment, leading on the full range of sustainability & responsible Investment issues impacting investment management industry today.

Emma Wall, Head of Investment Analysis & Research, Hargreaves Lansdown

Emma Wall is Head of Investment Analysis and Research for the UK’s largest retail investor platform, Hargreaves Lansdown. Her team provides strategic asset allocation and ESG analysis across HL’s investment solutions, as well as analysis on equities, funds, investment trusts and ETFs for HL’s self-select, workplace and advised clients. Emma is also currently Interim Head of Active Savings, HL’s savings aggregator platform.

Stephanie Maier, Global Head of Sustainable and Impact Investment, GAM Investments & Deputy Chair of IA S&RI Committee

Stephanie Maier, Global Head of Sustainable and Impact Investment, is responsible for leading GAM’s sustainable and ESG (environmental, social and governance) strategy. Stephanie joined GAM Investments in January 2021 from HSBC Global Asset Management, where she was Director for Responsible Investment. Prior to that, she spent seven years at Aviva Investors, latterly as Head of Responsible Investment Strategy and Research, and was formerly Head of Research for EIRIS, an ESG research and consultancy firm. Stephanie holds an MSc in Environmental Technology from Imperial College London, a BA in Biological Sciences from Oxford University and the Investment Management Certificate (IMC). She is on the Global Steering Committee of the ClimateAction100+ initiative, Co-Chair of the IIGCC Corporate Programme and sits on the Board of the Aldersgate Group, a cross-sector alliance for an environmentally sustainable economy. She is based in London.

Tristram Lawton, Managing Associate, Simmons & Simmons LLP

Tristram specialises in advising buy side firms on all aspects of the UK and EU regulatory regimes.

Tristram is a Managing Associate in the Financial Services Regulation group in London. Tristram’s primary focus is advising institutional asset managers, private banks and wealth managers on regulatory issues including MiFID, AIFMD, UCITS, compliance with the FCA Rules and cross-border business. He has worked with various industry bodies to assist in preparation for regulatory change. Tristram is also an expert in environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues and sustainable finance.

Having trained and qualified at the firm in 2007, Tristram re-joined us in 2019 following eight years working in-house at two separate global asset managers, focussing on investment funds and financial services regulation.

Tristram has a deep understanding of the regulatory regime and a first-hand experience of its application, which is evidenced in his practical and commercial advice.

Sonali Siriwardena, Partner - Globa Head of ESG, Simmons & Simmons LLP

Sonali Siriwardena is a Partner and the Global Head of ESG at the international law firm, Simmons & Simmons LLP.
She has significant experience in the complex legal and policy landscape governing ESG. Sonali advises on ESG matters in a multi-jurisdictional setting assessing the application of ESG regulations to companies with global footprints. Having worked within industry, including over a decade at Morgan Stanley, she has current and previous experience in leadership positions in several ESG-focused industry bodies and is an active contributor to ESG-policy discussions. Amongst other commitments, she is a member of the ESG Advisory Committee convened by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to help further develop the ESG regulatory landscape in the UK. Sonali is also a member of the City of London Law Society ESG Committee.
Sonali also serves as the Vice Chair on the board of Social Investment Business, one of the UK’s largest social lenders providing financing to enterprises across the UK.

Baroness Penn, Treasury Lords Minister (for Green Finance)

Baroness Penn was appointed as Treasury Lords Minister in October 2022, having served as a Government whip beforehand. Her ministerial responsibilities in the Treasury include International climate, nature finance and ESG in financial services.

Baroness Penn became the youngest member of the House of Lords when she was made a peer in October 2019 and initially sat on the Lord’s Science and Technology Committee. Before joining the Lords, Baroness Penn was Theresa May’s Deputy Chief of Staff during her time as Prime Minister.

Miranda Seath, Director of Market Insight & Fund Sectors, The Investment Association

Miranda leads the team analysing data and trends in UK investment management, producing evidence-based insight to support the IA’s policy agenda. The division provides insight to members and external stakeholders through the Investment Management Survey, retail funds market commentary and investor research. Miranda is also responsible for the IA Sectors, the fund classification scheme designed to help UK investors navigate the retail fund universe.

Miranda joined the IA in May 2019. Before joining, she was Research Director at Platforum and NextWealth, research and consulting firms focused on retail investment distribution.

Neville White, Head of Responsible and Sustainable Policy and Research, Edentree Investment Management

Neville joined EdenTree Investment Management in 2010 and is responsible for RI policy, strategy and research, and is the Team lead for global corporate governance proxy voting and business ethics. He previously held senior positions in responsible investment at the Church Commissioners for England, CCLA Investment Management and the Central Finance Board of the Methodist Church.

Laura Vitagliano, Head of Sustainable Finance Strategy Client Engagement, BNP Paribas Securities Services

Laura is the Head of Sustainable Finance strategy Client Engagement of Securities Services at BNP Paribas since 2022. Laura is a member of the Client Engagement Sustainability Committee (Chair), Sustainable Finance Strategic Executive Committee, General Secretary and Company Engagement Executive Committee, BNP Paribas Corporate Social Responsibility Committee and is also part of the “Positive Impact
Business Pioneers” of BNP Paribas.

Laura has 20 years’ experience in the financial sector. She joined BNP Paribas Securities Services in 2001 as Senior Relationship Manager, before becoming Sales Manager for the Euronext zone and Head of Sales and Global Relationship Management for Swiss Banks and
Brokers in 2007. Prior to joining BNP Paribas Securities Services, Laura worked with the Bank of New York, where she held several positions in client facing roles.

Catalina Secreteanu, Head of ESG Market Strategy, Sustainalytics

Catalina has more than 13 years of experience in sustainable and responsible investment and is currently responsible for the market strategy for Morningstar Sustainalytics’ suite of ESG products for asset managers, asset owners and banks. She has played an instrumental role in building Sustainalytics’ presence in the UK and APAC, having set-up and managed the company’s operations in London and Sydney.

Alongside her role at Morningstar Sustainalytics, Catalina serves on the Board of UKSIF, the leading network organisation for sustainable finance and investment in the UK.
Catalina has been an active member of several responsible investment steering committees in Australia and the UK. She is a co-founder of the Sustainable Finance Group, a peer support network for individuals working in responsible investment in the UK, as well as the founding group of the “Women in Sustainable Finance” network, based in Sydney.

Johanna Conil-Lacoste, Clarity AI (a partner of CACEIS)

Johanna leads external advocacy engagement and partnerships across EMEA for Clarity AI, a sustainable finance tech platform. 
Previously Johanna was the head of strategic sales for the UK Market at Clarity AI. Prior to this she worked in trading automation (AI) for Bloomberg, and equity strategy at Mirabaud Securities. 

Paul Scaping, Public Policy Specialist, Capital Markets, The Investment Association

Paul Scaping is a Public Policy Specialist at the Investment Association. He leads the IA’s advocacy work on climate change and the transition to net zero. In this role he is responsible for the IA Net Zero Forum which seeks to enable peer-to-peer knowledge sharing and provide a platform for all IA members to raise questions and find solutions in their journey to net zero. He is also responsible for the IA’s advocacy work on the transition to net zero in the wider economy. Paul has been at the IA for seven years and was previously interim Head of Government Affairs before focusing on the IA’s engagement at Cop26. He previously worked in government relations consultancy after starting his career as a parliamentary researcher in the House of Commons.

Emily McKenzie, Technical Director, Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD)

Emily McKenzie is the Technical Director at the TNFD. She has worked for 20 years integrating nature in policy, finance, economics and decision-making. Recently, she led the analytical team producing the global Dasgupta Review on the Economics of Biodiversity, based at HM Treasury in the UK. Emily previously has worked on various projects, including developing the Natural Capital Protocol with the Capitals Coalition Technical Group, establishing and leading the Natural Capital Project at Stanford University while working in WWF’s Global Science team, and designing the Environmental Land Management scheme in England while at the UK Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Carey Buxton, Partner and Head of Sustainable Investing Business, Brown Advisory

Carey is a partner, a member of the Executive Team and serves as the head of the sustainable investing business. In this position, Carey’s primary responsibility is to lead the effort to achieve the firm’s long-term sustainable investing goals through development and execution of a business strategy which includes expanding sustainable investment solutions and tools as well as supporting strategic business development and growth across both the private client and institutional businesses globally. Carey is also the vice president of the Brown Advisory Funds and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Baltimore School for the Arts. She formerly held roles at Brown Advisory as the COO of Institutional Investing and in roles overseeing the Brown Advisory Funds, U.S. regulated mutual funds, and Brown Advisory’s Boards of Directors. Prior to Brown Advisory, Carey worked at T. Rowe Price in financial intermediary risk management and small-business retirement. Carey holds an MBA from Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and bachelor’s degree from the College of Charleston.

Julie Baddeley, Chair, Chapter Zero

Chair of Chapter Zero, a network of more than 2,500 UK board members, Julie Baddeley has served on the boards of major organisations in the public and private sectors for more than 20 years. She is a director of FTSE 250 automotive supplier TI Fluid Systems plc, which is leading the transition to electric vehicles, Senior Independent Director of Marshall of Cambridge, and non-executive director of AIM-listed Ebiquity plc. She was previously Senior Independent Director of Greggs plc and Yorkshire Building Society, and Chair of global recruitment company Harvey Nash.

Julie leads a series of initiatives to help chairs and non-executive directors recognise the challenge of climate change to their businesses, and sees delivering a zero-carbon economy as the biggest challenge for business in her lifetime. She is on the board of the Climate Governance Initiative, which has Chapters focused on climate action in business in 56 countries, and is a By-Fellow at Hughes Hall, University of Cambridge.

Ronan Hodge, Technical Lead, Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ)

As Technical Lead in the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) Secretariat, Ronan leads work on net-zero transition planning, analysis of the energy transition and its implications for the financial sector, supports the GFANZ leadership team of Mike Bloomberg, Mark Carney and Mary Schapiro, and manages key stakeholder relationships.
Ronan joined the GFANZ Secretariat having worked to establish GFANZ as part of the COP26 Private Finance agenda led by Mark Carney in his roles as UN special envoy on Climate Action & Finance and as the UK Prime Minister’s finance advisor for COP26.
Ronan is on secondment from the Bank of England and has worked in the financial sector since 2003.