Amid increasing backlash, what is the path forward for ESG? Are companies redacting plans and goals? Are investors retrenching?
Supported by proprietary research from Corbin Advisors’ Research Center of Excellence, we’ll delve into a fact-finding mission and educational discussion with key players to provide insights into and guidance on corporate issuer practices and institutional investor preferences.
During The Big So What™ Sustainability Webinar: ESG is Dead, Long Live ESG – Robert McConnaughey, SVP of Corbin Advisors’ Investor Relations Advisory & ESG teams, moderated a lively discussion with our panel who provided their unique, real-life experiences navigating the ESG landscape.
Topics discussed included:
- ESG backlash, rooted in misconception of corporate values and responsibilities
- Positive outcomes emerging from the ESG debate
- Balancing the narrative, from reducing the negatives to boldly articulating value creation
- Intentional phrasing to comprehensively capture corporate strategy
Panelists
Katherine Collins is Head of Sustainable Investing at Putnam Investments and portfolio manager for Putnam’s Sustainable Equity strategies, with over $8 billion in assets under management.
In addition to her investment roles, Ms. Collins is an author and beekeeper, and holds degrees from Harvard Divinity School and Wellesley College. She serves on several nonprofit boards, including the Santa Fe Institute (board chair), Harvard Divinity School Dean’s Council, and Wellesley Centers for Women (advisory council chair). In 2021, she was named to the inaugural Forbes “50 Over 50” list of leaders who are shaping the future of finance.
Richard Brasher is a UK Chartered Accountant and Chartered Internal Auditor with over 20 years of global finance experience. He is an alumni of the University of Cambridge and the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership and is the Global VP of Sustainability at LKQ where he was previously VP of Corporate Audit. He currently sits on the board of the Forum on Automotive Aftermarket Sustainability.
Catherine Sheehy joined United Therapeutics Corporation to support action and disclosure on the company’s environmental and social sustainability initiatives and ambitions.
Before joining United Therapeutics, Catherine worked at UL Solutions, a global leader in applied safety science, where she focused on customer sustainability efforts. Previous work experience includes Accenture in management consulting, and the Human Rights Campaign where she helped advance LGBTQ+ workplace diversity. For several years before that, Catherine worked at the Investor Responsibility Research Center, where she was director of a research department that provided environmental and social data on companies to institutional investors.
