IA Stewardship and Corporate Governance Forum 2024
Description
Earlybird discount: use the promotional code EARLYBIRDFORUM to receive a £50 discount - expires 31 October.
Group discount: use the promotional code GROUP for 20% discount on bookings of five or more people (this discount can be combined with the Earlybird discount)
WHY ATTEND
The Investment Association is pleased to invite you to our Stewardship and Corporate Governance Forum 2024 on Thursday 18 January, kindly hosted by J.P. Morgan.
The Stewardship and Corporate Governance Forum in 2024 will bring together a range of stakeholders to explore how stewardship and governance can evolve to build a more sustainable future, whilst improving the competitiveness of the UK’s listing ecosystem. With ever-increasing expectations on asset managers to demonstrate how they are delivering stewardship, the forum will take stock of the existing landscape for stewardship and how regulators are viewing the role and regulation of stewardship.
PARTNER
AGENDA
To be confirmed soon.
SPEAKERS
To be confirmed soon.
PRIOR YEAR
09:00-09:30 Registration, Refreshments and Networking
09:30-09:35 Welcome
Andrew Ninian, Director, Stewardship and Corporate Governance, The Investment Association
09:35-10:05 Update from the Financial Reporting Council
Claudia Chapman, Head of Stewardship, Financial Reporting Council (FRC)
10:05-10:50 Creating A Listing Regime That Works for Companies, Investors and Savers
The regulatory landscape for both issuers and investors is undergoing significant change. Efforts to revitalise the UK Listings environment are focused on making the UK more attractive for high growth companies to list. Concurrently, reforms designed to improve corporate governance of UK firms place a greater number of requirements and expectations on listed companies, increasing the burdens they face. There is also a growing demand for asset managers and asset owners to demonstrate their approach to responsible investment and stewardship, from regulators, clients and wider society.
The panel will explore where the reforms have got to, how we balance the competing demands of reform and what more needs to be done to create a competitive listing environment which has sufficient investor protections for savers and allows asset owners and managers to discharge their stewardship and responsible investment responsibilities.
Moderator: Andrew Ninian, Director, Stewardship and Corporate Governance, The Investment Association
- Mark Austin, Partner, Corporate and M&A, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
- Michael Carter, Head of Platform Lending and Investment, Innovate Finance
- Piers Hillier, Chief Investment Officer, Royal London Asset Management
- Julia Hoggett, Chief Executive Officer, London Stock Exchange
- Kimberley Lewis, Head of Active Ownership, Schroders
10:50-11:20 What does effective stewardship look like in 2023 for UK managers following the UK Consumer Duty and SDR proposals?
The UK regulatory landscape applicable to asset managers is changing quite rapidly with significant reforms due to take effect over the next few years - including the UK SDR regime, new Consumer Duty and the proposals set out in the Edinburgh Reforms. In this session Raza Naeem (Partner) from Linklaters will discuss the practical implications of these regulatory changes for UK managers in their stewardship approach.
Raza Naeem, Partner, Linklaters LLP
11:20-11:50 Networking Break
11:50-12:35 Managing Companies and Stakeholders Through the Cost-of-Living Crisis
Companies continue to respond to the impact of the pandemic and the growing expectations of society and investors on their sustainability practices. They must now respond to a Cost-of-Living crisis, where market conditions are characterised by high inflationary pressures which are impacting on both the company and their wider stakeholders.
This panel will discuss the perceived tensions between corporates and investors on the vast range of issues that they are under pressure to address and the competing interests of a multitude of stakeholder groups. It will also consider how investor can support Board’s to effectively manage these tensions and communicate how they are doing so effectively to their shareholders.
Moderator: Andrew Ninian, Director, Stewardship and Corporate Governance, The Investment Association
- Dr Tom Gosling, Executive Fellow, London Business School
- Yo Takatsuki, Executive Director, Sustainable Investing - Global Head of Investment Stewardship, J.P. Morgan Asset Management
- Janet Williamson, Senior Policy Officer, Rights, International, Social and Economics, Trades Union Congress
- Clare Wardle, General Counsel and Company Secretary, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners plc
12:35-13:20 Asset Manager and Asset Owner Expectations on Stewardship and Developing a Long-Term Relationship
The relationship between asset owners and investment managers sets the tone for stewardship and how it contributes to sustainable value creation right across the investment chain. Where traditionally the roles of asset manager and asset owner regarding stewardship were clearly defined, recent market and regulatory developments have blurred these roles. In this new environment, and as set out in the joint IA/ PLSA Report on Investment Relationships for Sustainable Value Creation, greater alignment in the relationship between asset owners and managers is required to promote better stewardship outcomes.
An important aspect of improving stewardship in this context involves how managers should take account of requests from clients to vote on certain issues in a particular way (Expression of Wish). With regulatory and market-led developments from both the DWP and the Occupational Pensions Stewardship Council (OPSC) gaining traction, this panel will discuss key developments and areas for improvement in stewardship reporting, and how investment managers can engage with their clients on their stewardship priorities in order to facilitate greater ‘client voice’ in the development of their products and services.
Moderator: Sana Mirza-Awan, Senior Policy Adviser, The Investment Association
- Stephen Miles, Head of Equities & Head of Investment Stewardship, Willis Towers Watson
- Maria Nazarova-Doyle, Head of Pension Investments and Responsible Investments, Scottish Widows
- Chris Anker, Head of Sustainability, Redwheel
- Archie Struthers, Former Global Head of Investment Governance & Oversight, abrdn
13:20-13:25 Remarks from the Host
Patrick Thomson, CEO Europe, Middle East & Africa, J.P. Morgan Asset Management
13:25-13:30 Closing Remarks
Andrew Ninian, Director, Stewardship and Corporate Governance, The Investment Association
13:30-14:30 Networking Lunch