ESG22: Pensions, people, planet

ESG22 will take place on 9th and 10th March 2022, slotting neatly between the recently-completed COP26 and our Investment Conference 2022. Thematically, it’s a perfect fit, as we’ll use the opportunity to investigate how UK pensions fit into the planned global acceleration of climate goals made at COP26. While there will be a good amount of attention paid to the ‘E’ of ESG, through climate-positive investment, we’ll also be looking at the ‘S’ and ‘G’ areas – the social and governance concerns that comprise the other two thirds of ‘ESG’.

We’re also planning plenty of content on the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) for pensions regulation, as the first group of schemes who fall under the directive will be just finishing their first round of reporting. We’ll hear from some of them about how the reporting worked, the kind of resource required to do it and how to keep on top of this area as the requirements continue to be expanded.

The programme is coming together quickly. Early highlights include:

• Faith Ward, who is the Chief Responsible Investment Officer at Brunel Pension Partnership, the £35bn LGPS pool and also the chair of the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change, speaking about what she saw at COP, what it means for pensions, and how UK pensions climate regulation and investment stacks up against those of other national pension systems;
• David Craig, co-chair of the newly-formed Taskforce on Nature-Related Financial Disclosures, on the development of a framework that will allow investors to report on how nature-related risks and opportunities are being considered within their portfolios;
• Information on a new steering group which will strengthen the owner/manager relationship, embedding stewardship seamlessly into the investment process;
• An update on the Workforce Disclosure Initiative, whose work will enable investors to have a clear view of how companies value their workforce, encompassing metrics such as diversity, staff turnover and investment in employee training.

ESG21, held in June 2021, was our inaugural ESG conference and was a smashing success. More than 800 delegates joined us over three days to learn and exchange ideas about how pensions can create the world of tomorrow.

We’re looking forward to seeing at least as many attendees for next year’s conference – check here for updates on new speakers and new sessions!