Agenda

08:30 ET

Welcoming remarks

Peter Cripps, Editor, Environmental Finance

08:40 ET

Keynote: Planning for the transition in Canada

Moderator:
Peter Cripps, Editor, Environmental Finance
Speaker:
Scott Moore, CFO, Export Development Canada

09:00 ET

Panel: The future of ESG regulation and US policy developments

An update on the work of the SEC and what it means for issuers and investors
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) one year on – how is the acceleration to green feeding through to ESG in fixed income and sustainable finance more broadly? Can it go further?

Moderator:
Anne van Riel, Head of Sustainable Finance Capital Markets Americas, BNP Paribas

Panellists:
Rachael Camargo, Executive Director, Global ESG and Climate Index Product, MSCI
Rob McDonough, Director of ESG and Regulatory Initiatives, Angel Oak Capital Advisors
Tracy Patel, Senior Vice President, Capital Markets, Prologis
Lee Anne Hagel, Responsible Investment Credit Analyst, APG Asset Management

09:45 ET

Panel: Ensuring credibility and integrity in the sustainable market and labelled transactions

What do issuers need to keep in mind given the enhanced focus and reputational risks associated with greenwashing?
What solutions are there for enhanced analysis, transparency and reporting?
What challenges and critiques do issuers need to be aware of when choosing between issuing sustainability-linked transactions or use-of-proceeds structures?
How has the role of the SPO provider evolved in the context of greenwashing concerns, both from regulatory and market sophistication perspectives?
How innovative structures can unlock further growth while retaining market credibility

Moderator:
Ana Carolina Oliveira, Head of Sustainable Finance Americas, Managing Director, ING

Panellists:
Ashley Schulten, Managing Director, Head of Responsible Investing, Global Fixed Income, BlackRock
Donny Chia, Senior Vice President & Treasurer, LyondellBasell
Federico Pezzolato, Global Business Manager, Sustainable Finance, ISS Corporate Solutions
Kathleen Dumes, Vice President - Responsible Investing Research Analyst - Fixed Income, AllianceBernstein

10:30 ET

Morning networking break

11:00 ET

Panel: Taking the fear out of the T-word

How do investors reconcile transitioning a portfolio towards greener performance and having a portfolio that reflects the overall transition required in the economy?
How can investors and third parties assess a company's transition plan to be "credible"?
What can be learned from other justifications as the market seeks to better define sustainability performance and related-data management?
Where do sovereign net-zero plans fit into this? Should we be changing our definition of "green" to be less limited to specific technologies, but rather to its contribution to the broader emissions goals?
How will credit ratings/assessments change as companies fundamentally shift their business models?
How much of a threat to the transition market is "greenwashing"?

Moderator:
Anjuli Pandit, Head of Sustainable Debt Capital Markets, EMEA & Americas, HSBC

Panellists:
Matt Kuchtyak, Vice President, Sustainable Finance, Moody’s Investors Service
Michael Kashani, Head of ESG Credit, Apollo Global
Patrick O'Connell, Director of Fixed Income Responsible Investing Research, AllianceBernstein

11:45 ET

Issuer case study: Uruguay’s sovereign SLB

Moderator:
Annabelle Palmer, Content Strategist, Environmental Finance

Speaker:
Herman Kamil, Head of the Sovereign Debt Management Office, Uruguay Ministry of Economy and Finance

12:05 ET

Panel: Taxonomies and trends in Latin America

How is ESG regulation impacting GSSS issuances across the region?
How are taxonomies evolving and what does this mean for future issuance trends?
Can we expect more sovereign issues across the region?
How are development banks and supranationals supporting the development of GSSS bond markets and ESG regulation?
What are the opportunities for ESG investors across Latin America? What do they need to know?

Moderator:
Daniel Gracian Mariño, Director, Sustainable Finance, Scotiabank

Panellists:
Alexander Vasa, Senior Specialist, Capital Markets and Financial Institutions, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)
Scott Grimberg, Head of Emerging Market Debt, Itaú Asset Management
Tamara Tisminetzky, Director of ESG Research, Sustainable Fitch
Vishwas Vidyaranya, Co-founder and Managing Director, Ambire Global

12:50 ET

Lunch

13:40 ET

ESG in Fixed Income Stream

Chair:
Peter Cripps, Editor, Environmental Finance

GSSS Bonds Stream

Chair:
Annabelle Palmer, Content Strategist, Environmental Finance

ESG approaches to structured securities

Panel: Strategies for success in SLBs

Collating ESG data across securitisation markets – what interesting metrics can be identified?
How is data, transparency and privacy navigated in structure securities?
A review of the potential for ESG in MBS and ABS
Solar: are IRA provisions to making solar more affordable?
When will electric vehicles become a major component of this market?

Moderator:
Peter Cripps, Editor, Environmental Finance

Panellists:
Amy Hauter, Portfolio Manager; Global Head of Fixed Income Sustainability, Brown Advisory
Lindsay Brent, Director, Debt Capital Markets & Sustainable Finance, Sustainalytics
Eric Shrago, Vice President of Operations, Connecticut Green Bank
Lisa Bozzelli, Senior Director of Multifamily Capital Markets, Fannie Mae

Using SLBs for impact – when is the format best suited for issuers?
Calibration of materiality and ambition level from an investors' perspective
Relevance of social targets and how to assess them
Calibration of coupon adjustment – any quantum, proportion, market practice?
Nuances and best practice for sovereign and corporate issuances

Moderator:
Kirsty Meldrum, Executive Director, US ESG Solutions, Santander Corporate and Investment Banking

Panellists:
Alexander Vasa, Senior Specialist, Capital Markets and Financial Institutions, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)
Erica Roa, Senior Investment Analyst, Mackenzie
Herman Kamil, Head of the Sovereign Debt Management Office, Uruguay Minister of Economy and Finance
Theo Kotula, Responsible Investment Analyst, AXA IM

14:25 ET

ESG in Fixed Income Stream

GSSS Bonds Stream

Panel: Investor perspectives from across the Americas

Panel: Social bonds – are we witnessing a resurgence in issuance and investor interest?

What type of use of proceed categories or instruments would investors like to see more or less of?
Why should investors consider ESG-labelled bonds from emerging market issuers? How do the opportunities differ for sovereign and corporate issuers from these regions?
What role do private credit markets play in ESG investing and sustainable finance?
How do investors identify impact metrics in green bond funds?

Moderator:
Cambyse Parsi, Director, Sustainable Finance, Scotiabank

Panellists:
Armelle de Vienne, Co-Head of ESG Research, PGIM Fixed Income
Matt Christ, Portfolio Manager, Ninety-One
Henry Mason, Vice President, Fixed Income Research, Calvert Research and Management
Meredith Block, Senior Vice President Lead – ESG Integration & Impact, PIMCO

What have been the issuance trends in social bonds over the last 12 months?
How are issuers approaching social KPIs and definitions? What informs decision making when deciding to label social?
How do we efficiently define the S in ESG?
How are socials SPOs and metrics measured and understood?
What sectors are issuing the most social bonds?
How to attract new sectors, issuer types – particularly corporates – and investors to this space

Moderator:
Aaron Franklin, Managing Director, Head of Sustainable Finance, SMBC

Panellists:
Alán Bonilla, Director, Lead Analyst, Sustainable Finance, S&P Global
Benjamin Bailey, Vice President of Investments, Senior Fixed Income Investment Manager, Everence Financial
Hazim Taib, Chief Financial Officer, Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA)
Nina Ahlstrand, Global Head of Sustainable Finance, DNB Markets

15:10 ET

Afternoon networking break

15:35 ET

Debate: Are green bonds supporting the transition?

Moderator:
Romina Reversi, Head of Sustainable Investment Banking, Americas, CA-CIB

Speakers:
Jamison Friedland, Sustainability Analyst, AXA Investment Managers
Meena Dafesh, Treasurer, OI Glass
Lucy Rodriguez, Executive Vice President of Investor Relations, CEMEX

16:15 ET

Panel: The intersection of fixed income and carbon markets

Nature-based solutions and carbon credit offtake agreements: how will these be integrated into fixed income structures?
The growing interest in carbon markets and what this means for future issuance of fixed income structures
How is a desire for impact driving these trends?

Moderator:
Amy West, Global Head of ESG Solutions, TD Securities

Panellists:
Michael Bennett, Head of Market Solutions and Structured Finance, World Bank
Sharvari Johari, Senior Sustainable Research Analyst, American Century
Stephen Liberatore, Head of ESG/Impact, Global Fixed Income, Nuveen

16:55 ET

Panel: Future trends and innovative structures

To date the bulk of the sustainable finance industry has focused on funding well established "green" activities or encouraging improved sustainability performance of issuers/borrowers. One area that has received less attention are those activities critical to the climate transition but are not typically considered "green"; so called "green-enabling" activities.

How can they be credibly brought into the world of sustainable finance?
What would be the thresholds for eligibility and how do asset managers assess these types of projects?
What are the challenges for issuers to consider?

Moderator:
Robert White, Managing Director, Head of Green & Sustainable Hub, Americas, Natixis

Panellists:
Brian Matt, Head of ESG Advisory, NYSE/Intercontinental Exchange
Christa Clapp, Managing Director, Sustainable Finance, CICERO Shades of Green, now a part of S&P Global
Jessica Zarzycki, Portfolio Manager, Nuveen

17:35 ET

Close of conference and networking drinks reception

ESG in Fixed Income Americas 2023

Agenda