Green Equities 2017

11.00

Panel: The rise of low-carbon indexes

• Investors' need to address climate change risk in their investment process
• How indexes can help investors hedge these risks
• What are the needs of investors looking to invest in index funds?
• What innovations are expected in the markets in the coming years?

Moderator:
Howard Sherman, Head of Corporate Governance Business Development, MSCI
Speakers:
John Clements, Partner, Lane Clark & Peacock
Julia Kochetygova, Senior ESG Analyst, Northern Trust
Nico Aspinall, Chief Investment Officer, B&CE
Hill Gaston, Investment Consultant, Mercer

11.00

Keynote

Speaker:
Adam Heltzer, Head of Responsible Investment, Partners Group

11.20

The LP Panel

A panel of LPs give their view of low-carbon and climate-aligned private equity investment opportunities. They will also discuss how their dialogues with GPs about sustainable investing is evolving.

Speakers:
Mirja Lehmler-Brown, Senior Investment Manager, Aberdeen Private Equity, Alternatives Division
Walter van Helvoirt, Environmental & Social Officer, Private Equity, FMO
Xander den Uyl, Trustee, Stichting Pensioenfonds ABP

Moderator:
Martin Berg, Senior Investment Officer, EIB

11.45

Green Equities and measuring impact 

Reliable data is crucial in the process of sourcing investments qualifying as green. Data requirements are increasingly moving away from carbon footprinting and towards aligning investments with the latest climate targets. More recently, there has been a drive from investors to measure impact. This panel will bring together investors, advisors and data providers to discuss: 

• How much reliable sustainability data is available? Which sectors and/or geographies have a particularly good culture of transparency?
• Ensuring investments are in line with 2C goal
• Measuring impact – opportunities and challenges
• Principles for Positive Impact Finance  
• Scope 1, 2 and 3

Speakers:
Martina Macpherson, Head of ESG Research & Analysis, S&P Global Ratings
Dan Carson, Head of Green Solutions, FTSE Russell
Meg Brown, Director and Co-head of Impact Investing, Impax Asset Management
Martin Barrow, Director of Business Services, Carbon Trust
Christopher Greenwald, Head of SI Research, Sustainable and Impact Investing, UBS

Moderator:
Stephanie Pfeifer, Chief Executive, IIGCC

11.55

Panel: Green equity opportunities in emerging markets

• Sustainable investment opportunities in emerging markets and how to source them

• ESG due diligence in emerging markets

• Managing emerging market investments – how do strategies differ from developed economy investments?
• Which sectors presents the biggest opportunities for climate-aligned PE investments in emerging markets?

• Standards and regulatory challenges

Speakers:
Jennifer Boca, Head of ESG, Lekela Power
Ritu Kumar, Director, Environmental and Social Responsibility, CDC Group
Shami Nissan, head of responsible investment, Actis
Tim Gocher, CEO & Founder, Dolma Impact Fund

Moderator:
Alistair Clark, Managing Director, Environment and Sustainability, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

12.30

Keynote: Investor engagement

Speaker:
Leon Kamhi, Head of Responsibility, Hermes Investment Management

13.45

Panel: Investor panel

Hear the views of seasoned green equity investor on:

• Decarbonisation strategies and options for achieving them – engagement, divestment and indicies
• The progress of investor-led initiatives such as The Portfolio Decarbonisation Coalition, The PRI's Montreal Carbon Pledge, and the Transition Pathway Initiative
• The performance of green stocks – are they performing in line with expectations?
• Risk management and due diligence
• Fiduciary duty and climate change

Moderator:
Joris Laseur, Manager, Sustainalytics

Speakers:
Adam Matthews, Head of Engagement Church Commissioners & Church of England Pensions Board, The Church of England and Co-Chair, Transition Pathway Initiative
Jens Peers, Chief Investment Officer, Mirova
Sophie Rahm , Responsible Investment Analyst, Standard Life Investments
Frédéric Hoogveld, CFA, CAIA, Head of Investment Specialists Index & Smart Beta strategies, Amundi

13.45

Panel: Moving towards climate-aligned private equity investing

This panel will bring together investors to discuss how low-carbon and energy efficiency momentum is impacting their investment strategies. They will also highlight the biggest investment opportunities arising from the shift towards a low-carbon world.

Discussion points:

• Global trends and green initiatives and their impact on private equity investors
• How can low-carbon and climate considerations be factored into private equity investment and exit strategies? To what extent is this happening today?
• Is it possible to take sustainability into account in short-term PE investments?
• In which low-carbon and energy efficiency sub sectors can the biggest private equity opportunities be found?
• Are environmental regulations putting pressure on PE firms from lenders and LPs?

Moderator:
Guy Turner, Founder, Trove Research

Speakers:
Marc Guyot, Head of ESG, LBO France
Massimo Resta, Partner, Zouk Capital
Patrick Sheehan, Founder and Partner, ETF Partners
Sophie Flak, CSR Director, Eurazeo

14.30

Interview: Integrating ESG in Private Equity

Speaker:
Alex Scott, Partner, Pantheon Ventures

Interviewed by:
Natasha Buckley, Manager, Investment Practices - Private Equity, PRI

14.40

Panel: Innovating green finance products

The availability of investment products that fit the needs and risk profiles of investors is crucial for the climate-aligned investment momentum to continue. As the investment debate is moving away from carbon risks towards a search for green growth opportunities, the need for new and innovative investment vehicles will grow stronger.

A key innovation in recent years has been listed renewables funds and yield-cos. These instruments have raised huge sums from investors keen to get exposure to the cashflows of renewables projects in a new and innovative way. This panel will look at the successes and challenges of yield-cos and what the future likely holds for these investment products.

Speakers will also discuss the REIT market and identify other innovative ways of raising green equity that could take off in the coming years. They will also look at how relatively new ways to raise capital - such as equity crowdfunding - could benefit the low-carbon and climate-aligned market.

Speakers:
Felipe Gordillo, Senior ESG Analyst, BNP Paribas Investment Partners
Liam O'Keeffe, Managing Director, Crédit Agricole CIB
Aldo Beolchini, CFO / Managing Partner, NextEnergy Capital

Moderator:
Steven McNab, Partner, Simmons & Simmons

14.50

Panel: Assessing the sustainability of new investments and current portfolios

This panel will discuss how GPs and portfolio companies can assess and monitor their climate change exposure.

• Is the private equity sector catching up with the listed equity space in terms of the amount of ESG and other data being used when assessing potential investments?
• What tools are available to assess the climate impacts of an investment? How could this be improved in the private equity space?
• Carbon footprinting – to what extent is carbon auditing part of private equity due diligence?
• Moving beyond carbon footprinting, what other metrics and climate-related factors are being considered in due diligence?
• What can private equity firms do to address the potential need for climate adaptation and mitigation in their portfolio companies?
  

Speakers:
Beth Houghton, Partner, Palatine Private Equity
Stefano Bacci, Partner, Ambienta
Tosin Awoyinka, Vice-President, Greensphere Capital

Moderator:
John Davis, Director Financial Industry, South Pole Group