The ICGN Annual Conference, hosted by the City of London, is now only a few weeks away. The organization will welcome over 600 delegates to and celebrate its 20 year anniversary. Places for the conference are limited, so register now to avoid any disappointment.
A new session has been added to the agenda this week: ‘Creating long-term, sustainable success. What do boards and investors need to do?’ hosted by Mazars. Speakers include Anthony Carey (Mazars), Michelle Edkins (BlackRock), Simon Fraser (Investor Forum) and David Pitt-Watson (London Business School).
View the latest agenda here.
ESG PROGRAM: 1-2 June
Developed ‘by investors, for investors’ the ICGN ESG programme equips you with the skills you need to identify, analyse and integrate ESG in investment decision-making. Modules include:
- Managing your responsibilities as an ESG professional, Keith Johnson, Attorney, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren
- Integrating ESG into the investment process, Daniel Ingram Head of Responsible Investment for BT Pension Scheme (BTPS)
- Strategies of stewardship and engagement, David Shammai, Sr CG Specialist, APG
- Managing proxy voting and the accountability chain, Sarah Wilson CEO, Manifest
View the ESG program and email sarah.curtis@icgn.org to register. Discounts are available for those also attending the London annual conference.
Day One: ICGN Annual Conference – progress to date
(Wednesday 3 June)
| 09:30 | ICGN Work Progam |
| 13:00 | Lunch Panel 1: Mapping the reporting landscape – investors and issuers respond from the utility sector.The IIRC’s Corporate Reporting Dialogue was launched at last year’s ICGN conference with a view to fostering collaboration between different bodies providing guidance on disclosures. This session dicusses how different initiatives like CDP, IASB, GRI G4 etc overlap with the <IR> framework.-Neil Stevenson, Managing Director, Global Implementation, IIRC -Chaired by Claudia Kruse, Managing Director, Governance and Sustainability, APG |
| 14:00 | Annual General Meeting |
| 15:30 | Refreshments |
| 16:00 | Opening remarks from Erik Breen, ICGN Chairman |
| 16:05 | Welcome Address: Alderman Alan Yarrow, Rt Hon The Lord Mayor, City of London |
| 16:20 | Pioneer Remarks: Sir Adrian Cadbury and Ira Milstein |
| 16:40 | Global governance reform: progression or regression? –Sarah Teslik, formerly CII –Pierre Henri Leroy, President, PROXINVEST –Geoff Lindey, Formerly NAPF -Chaired by Sophie L’Helias, Senior Fellow, Governance at the Conference Board |
| 18:00 | ICGN Award introduced by Peter Butler, GO Investment Partners |
| 18:15 | ICGN Scholarship Awards introduced by Philip Armstrong and presented by Jennifer Walmsley of Hermes |
| 18:30 | ICGN Welcome Reception opened by Mark Boleat, Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee, City of London |
Day Two: ICGN Annual Conference – state of play
(Thursday 4 June)
| 07:30 | European Corporate Governance Address sponsored by Nestlé S.A. – David Frick, Member of the Executive Board, Nestle S.A |
| 09:00 | Welcome from Kerrie Waring, Managing Director, ICGN |
| 09:10 | Plenary 1: Financial market regulation: time for a holistic review? With the globalisation of capital markets, the need for regulation to enhance transparency and comparability of information is vital for informed investment decision-making. This must be complemented with practical, market-led initiatives to help safeguard the ‘investing public.’ But has regulation lost the plot by focusing too much on securities trading and not enough on company governance? And how can we better synergise market-led and regulatory initiatives to achieve good governance? – James Bardrick, Chief Executive, Citigroup Global Markets Ltd – Laurent Degabriel, Head of Investment and Securities Division, European Securities and Markets Authority – Jane Diplock, Director, Singapore Exchange Limited and Board Member, International Integrated Reporting Council – Chaired by John Plender, Senior Editorial Writer and Columnist, Financial Time |
| 10:30 | Refreshments |
| 11:00 | Plenary 2: Inside the boardroom black-box Globalisation, new technology and greater public scrutiny set the scene for modern boards in navigating corporate strategic direction. How can boards avoid short term distractions and focus better on driving long term sustainable value? To what extent does culture impact decision-making? How can boards better meet shareholder expectations around value creation and to what extent is this appropriately mirrored through managerial incentives. – Gilles Hilary, INSEAD Professor of Accounting and Contro and The Mubadala Chaired Professor in Corporate Governance and Strategy – Wendy Lane, Director, Willis Group Holdings – Ken Olisa OBE, Founder and Chairman of Restoration Partners – Chaired by Holly Gregory, Partner, Sidley Austin LLP and Chair of the American Bar Association’s Committee on Corporate Governance |
| 12:30 | Lunch Panel 1: Legal redress: shareholder duty or dilemma? In what circumstances does a fiduciary have a duty to participate in litigation and what are the key factors to consider when faced with a potential claim Sponsored by Goal Group, Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein LLP & Stewarts Law |
| 14:00 | Afternoon Keynote: Robert Monks, Chairman, ValueEdge Advisors |
| 14:15 | Plenary 3: The changing face of ownership in a new world order Shareholders rely on effective governance to protect and generate value over the long term on behalf of beneficiaries – pensioners, insurance holders and savers. But how effectively are institutional investors aligning their obligations with fund managers in meeting their fiduciary duties? Who are the most influential investors able to bring about positive change and what impact does the internationalisation of equity have on stewardship strategies? – Donna Anderson, Vice President and Head of Global Corporate Governance, T. Rowe Price Group, Inc – Dame Amelia Fawcett, Chairman, Hedge Fund Standards Board – Ron Lind, Board Member, CalPERS – Chaired by Kathleen Carney, Managing Director, Teneo |
| 15:30 | Refreshments |
| 16:00 | ICGN Workshops: driving practical action 1: Challenges and opportunities in emerging market controlled company investments – Teresa Barger, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer/Chief Investment Officer, Cartica Capital LLC. – Peter Taylor, Head of Corporate Governance, Aberdeen Asset Management – Chaired by Mauro Cunha, CEO, AMEC 2: How will ISA, the new audit report standard in the UK, impact auditors, audit commitees, investors and other stakeholders? – Frank Curtiss, Head of Corporate Governance, Railpen – Gerben Everts, Member of the Executive Board, AFM – Dan Montgomery, Former Deputy Chair, IAASB – Chaired by Anne Molyneux, Director, CS International 3: Human rights: what should investors be expected to know and do? – Dan Bross, Senior Director of Corporate Citizenship, Microsoft Corporation – Lauren Compere, Managing Director, Boston Common Asset Management – Caroline Rees, President, Shift – Chaired by George Dallas, Policy Director, ICGN 4: How do we know if companies are cyber-resilient or cyber-fragile….and why should we care? – Dr Robert Coles, Chief Information Security Officer, GSK – Kayla Gillan, Leader, PwC Investor Resource Institute – Sir Kevin Tebbit, Former Director of GCHQ – Chaired by Jon Lukomnik, Managing Partner, Sinclair Capital 5: Driving accountability across the voting chain – George Harris, Executive Director, JP Morgan – David Jackson, Company Secretary, BP – Alexander Juschus, Executive Director, IVOX – Paul Schneider, Head of Corporate Governance, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan – Chaired by Susannah Haan, Director General, EuropeanIssuers |
| 19:30 | ICGN 20th Anniversary Gala Dinner in the Great Hall followed by a Jazz Party in the medieval Crypts sponsored by Standard Life Investments |
Day Three: ICGN Annual Conference – new agenda
(Friday 5 June)
| 09:00 | Welcome by Kerrie Waring, Managing Director, ICGN |
| 09:05 | Morning Keynote: |
| 09:20 | Plenary 4: Global capital market reform: pipe dream or achievable reality? The reform of capital markets is a key factor in combating short-termism, generating long term corporate value and achieving sustainable economic growth. This is emphasised in UN goals, EU Directives and market-led initiatives such as the ICGN Integrated Business Reporting Guidance. In the absence of global standards, how do investors hold companies to account? What are major corporations doing to safeguard the planet for future generations? Can regulation catch-up with market reforms to stimulate – rather than stagnate – effective progress? – Evan Harvey, Director of Corporate Responsibilty, Nasdaq – Edward Mason, Head of Responsible Investment, Church Commissioners – Corien Wortmann-Kool, former Member of the European Parliament – Alderman Alan Yarrow, Rt Hon The Lord Mayor, City of London – Chaired by Nick Robins, Co-Director, UNEP Inquiry Sustainable Financial Systems |
| 10:30 | Refreshments |
| 11:10 – | Plenary 5: The board of the future: will it be fit for purpose? Western governance standards – based on widely dispersed equity models – are increasingly challenged with the rise of controlled companies and the globalisation of capital in jurisdictions with very different approaches to corporate governance. In this context, what does the optimum board of the future look like? How do different ownership models impact board effectiveness? Are today’s boards fully equipped for the challenges of tomorrow? – Ole Lund Hansen, Head, UN Global Compact LEAD – Olivia Kirtley, Non-executive Director of US Bancorp, Papa John’s International, and ResCare, Inc – Karina Litvack, Independent Non-Executive Director, Eni SpA – Barbara J Lundberg, Director, Axcelis Technologies – Chaired by Conor Kehoe, Director, McKinsey |
| 12:30 | Lunch Panel: Creating long-term, sustainable success. What do boards and investors need to do? sponsored by Mazars – Michelle Edkins, Managing Director, Corporate Governance and Responsible Investment – David Pitt-Watson, Executive Fellow, London Business School – Moderator: Anthony Carey, Partner, Mazars LLP |
| 14:00 | Stakeholder Meetings & Networking in the Old Library |
| 15:00 | Afternoon keynote: “Opportunist shareholders must embrace commitment” – Martin Wolf CBE, Associate Editor, Chief Economics Commentator, Financial Times |
| 15:20 | Plenary 6: Share ownership in a global context – is stewardship working? New European legislation aims to improve shareholder rights to encourage company and shareholder engagement. This is echoed in Stewardship Codes around the world, notably in Japan, the Netherlands and South Africa. But are institutional investors properly equipped to step up the challenge? Can collective engagement work unhindered in the face of rules governing concert parties, inside information and fair disclosure? – Stephen Haddrill, CEO, Financial Reporting Council – Rakhi Kumar, Head of Governance, State Street Global Advisors – Lynn Stout, Professor of Corporate & Business Law, Cornell University Law School, USA – Motoyuki Yufu, Director, Corporate Accounting and Disclosure Division, Japan Financial Services Agency – Chaired by Peter Montagnon, Senior Associate, Institute of Business Ethics |
| 16:30 | Introduction to ICGN 2016 |
| 16:45 | Closing remarks and thanks to the City of London from Erik Breen, ICGN Chairman |
| 17:00 | Closing reception sponsored by Schroders |
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