As the first week of the COP27 draws to a close, the session co-hosted by FoSDA and Bloomberg will discuss the most important implications for sustainable data, the progress since COP26 in addressing the challenges related to ESG data, and key takeaways for the sustainable data ecosystem.
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The Future of Sustainable Data Alliance (FoSDA) and CDP will co-host the ‘Steering the role of ESG data providers’ panel discussion as part of the 27th Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP27), taking place on 9 November from 10:30 – 11:30 (EET) at the We Mean Business Pavilion located in the Blue Zone area.
ESG data and scoring providers play an essential role in financial decision-making and should ideally ensure that the data collected and provided through their services is aligned with science-based methodologies. Definitions are critical to effectively allow for capital allocations to contribute to a sustainable financial system.
However, a fragmented landscape, with the proliferation of different data gathering, rating, and scoring methodologies, is currently creating a lack of consensus and clear guidance for businesses to measure ESG risks, opportunities, and impacts and take action towards an alignment of the financial sector and the real economy towards the global net zero objective.
FoSDA & CDP panel will discuss the critical role ESG data and scoring providers play in decision-making to advance action towards the Paris Agreement goals. The event will focus on the need for solid and reliable data to provide guidance and enhance capital deployment to build a sustainable financial system.
FoSDA will also be launching its flagship review of ESG Data Gaps and Holes.
9 November 2022, 10:30 –11:30 (EET)
COP27, Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt
Auditorium B in Business Pavilion for Climate Action – Blue Zone, Area C, Delegations Pavilion 5
(Pavilion no. 118 on the floorplan).
Blue Zone Pass required.
Pietro Bertazzi, Global Director, Policy Engagement and External Affairs, CDP
Sherry Madera, FoSDA Chair and Senior Vice President, Public Policy & Government Affairs, Mastercard
Sean Kidney, Co-founder and CEO of Climate Bonds Initiative
Richard Mattison, President of S&P Global Sustainable1
David Harris, Head of Sustainable Finance Strategic Initiatives & Partnerships, London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG)
Swami Venkataraman, Associate Managing Director, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), Moody’s Investors Service
On 7 September 2021, FoSDA attended the Climate Bonds Initiative’s annual conference and co-hosted one of the panels that was focused on current challenges that both data providers and data users face in the ESG disclosure sphere and other related ESG data issues.
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OMFIF & the Future of Sustainable Data Alliance (FoSDA) hosted an event to celebrate FoSDA’s first anniversary and to discuss how data can be leveraged to enable the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Paris Agreement goals, and a sustainable post-Covid recovery.
The event took place from 13:00 to 14:00 CET on February 17th and was centered around key focus areas and actions needed in the year ahead, including the mapping of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) data holes and gaps, taxonomies and their mapping to data, and the need for ESG data talent development globally.
Sean Kindey, Co-founder and CEO of Climate Bonds Initiative
Sherry Madera, FoSDA Chair and Chief Industry & Government Affairs Officer at the London Stock Exchange
Fabio Natalucci, Deputy Director of the Monetary and Capital Markets Department at the International Monetary Fund
Verena Ross, ESMA Executive Director & IOSCO Sustainable Finance Task Force co-lead on work stream 3 on CRAs, ESG ratings and ESG data providers
Michael Sheren, Senior Advisor at the Bank of England
Huw van Steenis, Senior Adviser to the CEO and Chair of the Sustainable Finance Steering Committee at UBS
Patricia Torres, Global Head of Sustainable Finance Solutions at Bloomberg
Simon Zadek, Finance for Biodiversity Chair
13.00 CET: Welcome by Sherry Madera, FoSDA Chair & Chief Industry & Government Affairs Officer, LSEG
13.02-13.30 CET: PART 1 – In conversation with moderated by Sherry Madera
ESG data needs in the coming year – supervisory/user perspective
Speakers:
13.30-13.58 CET: PART 2 – Panel discussion moderated by Danae Kyriakopoulou, Chief Economist and Director of Research at OMFIF
Key actions & focus areas in the year ahead from FoSDA partner perspective
Speakers:
13.58 CET: Concluding remarks by Sherry Madera, FoSDA Chair & Chief Industry & Government Affairs Officer, LSEG
Launched in Davos in January 2020 by Refinitiv and the World Economic Forum, the Future of Sustainable Data Alliance (FoSDA) is a multi-member alliance aiming at addressing the climate crisis and sustainability issues from a data perspective and fostering collaboration in financial markets. FoSDA believes that investors need reliable, decision-ready data to confidently invest in sustainable economic activities.
Founding partners of FoSDA include: OMFIF, IIF, ASIFMA, Tsinghua University, GFMA, Climate Bonds Initiative, FinTech4good, Everledger, Oxford University, the Spatial Finance Initiative, Catapult, Finance for Biodiversity, GoImpact and Icebreaker One.
‘Spatial finance’, where geospatial data is integrated into financial theory and practice, creates a significant opportunity to increase transparency within the financial system for practitioners and data providers alike. How can the finance industry harness the opportunities that geospatial data brings?
Join Refinitiv, The Future of Sustainable Data Alliance and the Spatial Finance Institute for a webinar on Thursday 25 June, where we will discuss new technology and datasets that support a just transition to sustainable development.
Key take-aways include:
Date: This webinar is over. You can still access the webinar on-demand through the form on the right. Time: – Location: Complete the form on the right to access the recording Speakers:
Moderator:
Ben Caldecott
Director, Oxford Sustainable Finance Programme & Associate Professor
University of Oxford
Dr Ben Caldecott is the founding Director of the Oxford Sustainable Finance Programme. He is an Associate Professor and Senior Research Fellow at the University of Oxford Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, a Supernumerary Fellow at Oriel College, Oxford, a Visiting Researcher at The Alan Turing Institute, and a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University. Ben is also Senior Advisor to the Chair and CEO of the UK Green Finance Institute and the COP26 Strategy Advisor for Finance based out of the Cabinet Office.
Ben specialises in environment, energy, and sustainability issues and works at the intersection between finance, public policy, and academe, having held senior roles in each domain. Ben has authored and edited a substantial number of publications related to sustainability and is an experienced media commentator and public speaker. He has a number of board and advisory panel appointments, including with the University of Oxford Socially Responsible Investment Review Committee, The Prince of Wales’s Accounting for Sustainability Project, ATLAS Infrastructure Partners Ltd, Impact Lens Ltd, the British Standards Institution, and the Green Alliance.
He has conceived and initiated a number of initiatives related to sustainable finance. Ben founded and co-chairs the Global Research Alliance for Sustainable Finance and Investment (GRASFI), an alliance of global research universities promoting rigorous and impactful academic research on sustainable finance. He established and leads the Sustainable Finance Theme at The Alan Turing Institute and initiated the Spatial Finance Initiative, which aims to mainstream geospatial capabilities enabled by space technology and data science into financial decision-making globally. He co-founded the Commonwealth Climate and Law Initiative (CCLI), which is examining the legal basis for directors and trustees to consider, manage, and report on climate change-related risk, and the circumstances in which they may be liable for failing to do so.
Ben chairs the International Green Finance Coordination Group on behalf of the UK Green Finance Institute and the UK Government. He currently serves on the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s Climate-Related Market Risk Subcommittee and the UK Department for International Trade’s Export Guarantee Advisory Council. In his capacity as a Member of the UK Green Finance Taskforce, he chaired its Workstream on Task Force on Climate-related Disclosures (TCFD) Implementation.
Christophe Christiaen
Sustainable Finance Lead, Satellite Applications Catapult;
Co-Founder, Spatial Finance Initiative
Christophe Christiaen is the Sustainable Finance Lead at the Satellite Applications Catapult and worked with the Oxford Sustainable Finance Programme to establish the Spatial Finance Initiative. He is responsible for the Catapult’s sustainable finance activities, engaging with sustainable finance stakeholders and promoting the Spatial Finance opportunity across finance and geospatial communities. Christophe started his career in corporate finance for an FMCG multinational, then joined the European Space Agency as a business analyst before joining the Catapult’s Business Strategy team.
Susanne Schmit
tNature and Spatial Finance Lead
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-UK)
Susanne is a conservation professional with more than 20 years’ experience at the intersection of the fields of biodiversity, sustainable finance, geo-spatial intelligence, the extractives industries and sustainable natural resource management. She is one of the founders of the WWF-SIGHT tool and approach and until recently headed the WWF-UK Conservation Intelligence team. Following her innovative work on biodiversity and extractives, sustainable finance and conservation intelligence, Susanne is now focusing on developing the exciting new area of Nature and Spatial Finance for WWF. Working closely with other members of WWF-UK’s Sustainable Finance team and the Conservation Intelligence team, she advocates for greater use of geo-spatial and asset-level data and tools to support more sustainable financial decision making that contributes to protecting and restoring nature.
Adina Gillespie
Director, Business Development (Europe)
GHGSat Inc
Adina is responsible for GHGSat business development and expansion in Europe. She also leads on European institutional engagement and strategic partnerships with the European Space Agency and others.
Adina has nearly 20 years’ experience delivering programs and strategic advice in the application of Earth observation technology, including for governments and commercial users. For three years she headed the UK’s operational contribution to the International Charter for Space & Major Disasters, delivering situational awareness for the UK Cabinet Office and civil protection authorities around the world. In this role she also facilitated one of the International Charter’s first ever contributions to a national exercise – “Exercise Watermark” had more than 10,000 players, from blue light emergency responders to the Cabinet Office Briefing Room (COBRA), and remains the largest ever peacetime exercise held in the UK.
During her time with the satellite manufacturer, SSTL, Adina helped commercial customers define their Earth Observation needs for delivering specific services (e.g. infrared imaging for ocean plastic assessment, multispectral imaging for agricultural health assessments, and radar/optical satellite twins for security and defence).
She served 5 years on the EO Advisory Committee to the UK Space Agency and chaired the Industrial Advisory Group on Commercial EO Regulations. She currently serves on the Satellite Applications Catapult Advisory Group, the Regional Catapult Advisory Board, the UK Space Growth Partnership and the Advisory Board to the Spatial Finance Initiative.
Julia Walker
Head of Government and Industry Affairs, Refinitiv
Julia is currently the Global Head of Government and Industry Affairs focusing on Sustainable Finance and Risk at Refinitiv. She is also Author/ Editor of ‘Sustainable Development Goals; Harnessing business to achieve the SDGs through Finance, Technology and Law Reform’ published by Wiley Uk, 2019, and contributor to ‘The RegTech Book’.
Launched at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2020, The Future of Sustainable Data Alliance was formed to ensure investors and governments have the data they need to meet the requirements of regulators, citizens and market demand for sustainable investments and portfolios.
Together with our partners, we aim to achieve the following goals:
The World Economic Forum (WEF)’s 2020 Global Risks Report ranks biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse as one of the top five risks in terms of likelihood and impact in the coming 10 years.
Compounding this, COVID-19 demonstrates the staggering scale of nature-related systemic crises.
Join The Future of Sustainable Data Alliance and the Finance for Biodiversity (F4B) Initiative for a webinar on Wednesday 27 May, where we will discuss biodiversity- and nature-related financial risks, and how to leverage data to create a more sustainable investment portfolio.
Key take-aways include:
Date: This webinar is over. You can still access the webinar on-demand through the form on the right. Time: – Location: Complete the form on the right to access the recording Speakers:
Robin Smale
Director, Vivid Economics
Robin is an economist who focuses on business and government strategy in resource-based sectors, manufacturing and infrastructure. He specialises in the market-state interface, especially resources management, corporate strategy, investment decisions, financial structures and financial market development, legal, regulatory and institutional reform. Much of his current work is focused on finance related land use and biodiversity, and provision of green infrastructure in and around cities.
Over the last two decades, he has worked with a large number of companies and government departments across a great range of problems. His commercial clients include firms in the following sectors: oil and gas, power, water, waste, chemicals, paper, glass, rail, aviation, shipping, technology, and food. His public clients include national governments, government agencies and regulators, as well as private equity, banks, infrastructure funds, strategic advisory firms, and legal services.
He was a founder member of the UK government’s Natural Capital Committee and acts as an international expert to the China Council. He oversees Vivid Economics’ finance and legal operations.
Ladislas Smia
Co-head of Responsible Investment Research, Mirova
Ladislas Smia is co-head of the Responsible Investment Research department at Mirova, the Responsible Investment division of Natixis Investment Managers. He began his career at PwC as a consultant in sustainable development, where he spent 3 years. In 2010, he joined Natixis Asset Management as an SRI analyst, specializing in investment in Energy and Information & Communication Technologies. Ladislas Smia is a graduate of the engineering school “Les Mines de Nancy”. He is also a graduate of the HEC Paris business school, with a Masters in Sustainable Development.
Julia Walker
Head of Government and Industry Affairs, Refinitiv
Julia is currently the Global Head of Government and Industry Affairs focusing on Sustainable Finance and Risk at Refinitiv. She is also Author/ Editor of ‘Sustainable Development Goals; Harnessing business to achieve the SDGs through Finance, Technology and Law Reform’ published by Wiley Uk, 2019, and contributor to ‘The RegTech Book’.
Jean-Guillaume Peladan
Fund Manager, Head of Environmental Strategy, Sycomore AM
Jean-Guillaume Péladan has been working for 14 years as an engineer in wastewater treatment, then as managing director of waste management business units of Suez. He completed this field experience with a couple of years at the Boston Consulting Group. In 2010, he joined the French Environment and Energy Management Agency, ADEME, as Director of Investments for the Future, in charge of a €3.3bn funding program dedicated to innovation for the green transition. In 2015, he joined Sycomore AM as head of the environmental strategy and launched Sycomore Eco Solutions, the first listed equity fund to get the Greenfin certification in 2016. His work led to the development of the Net Environmental Contribution, an advanced metric, tested and deployed over more than 2,000 issuers and shared on the open-source platform of the NEC initiative since 2019.
Graduated with a Master’s degree of science from Ecole Polytechnique and of engineering from Mines ParisTech, Jean-Guillaume is an environmental expert, a lecturer and a writer. He has been engaged in NGOs, such as The Shift Project and the French Center of Young Entrepreneurs. He is currently board member of the French Sustainable Investment Forum and of the NEC initiative.
Launched at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2020, The Future of Sustainable Data Alliance was formed to ensure investors and governments have the data they need to meet the requirements of regulators, citizens and market demand for sustainable investments and portfolios.
Together with our partners, we aim to achieve the following goals:
