Driving the future of European sustainable finance
Responsible Investor’s 16th annual RI Europe conference is returning in person in London this June. This year’s edition of the flagship event will discuss sustainable finance developments and industry best practices.
Gain insights from those leading the sustainable finance drive in Europe on topical ESG themes including accelerating net zero progress, the evolving EU regulatory landscape, getting to grips with biodiversity risk management, the future of ESG data strategy and more.
Join over 600 leading investors and fund managers for two days of networking at the must-attend event for sustainable finance.
What can you expect at the forum?
Get real insight into the industry
RI Europe’s innovative programme gets straight to the point on what sustainability means for business and investment in the real world.
Build a long-lasting network
Our event attracts stakeholders from across the sustainable finance industry. Network in-person at our workshops, panels, private breakfasts, debates, and evening drinks reception.
Meet institutional investors
Hear from investors honing their sustainable finance strategy and creating real impact. Past investors include AP2, Caisse des Dépôts, Church of England, PKA Pension Fund, NEST Corporation, Brunel Pension Partnership, Bayerische Versorgungskammer, many more.
Key event themes
- Navigating ESG in the polycrisis: understand how asset owners are prioritising their time and efforts on sustainability in a tumultuous post-covid world
- Complying with UK and EU regulations: take stock of the impact of SFDR, how to prepare for CSRD, as well as UK’s sustainable finance regulation
- Meeting interim goals on the road to net zero: hear debate on whether financial institutions are on track to meet net zero goals and what will be required to meet the first round of interim targets
- The new frontiers of ESG risk: understand the role of investors in engaging with emerging risks such as biodiversity and antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
- Investors, society and social impact: hear sessions on how investors can most effectively promote a Just Transition as well as their role in the cost of living crisis
- Harnessing the power of bond markets to create change: explore how bond investors can most effectively use their leverage to influence companies and governments
- Digesting the Human Rights due diligence directives: discover how investors are preparing for the CSDDD and its intersection with other EU sustainable finance initiatives
- Future of voluntary carbon markets: debate what role can, and should, voluntary carbon markets play in net zero attainment
- Scrutinising corporate transition plans: learn what constitutes a credible transition plan in 2023
- What does effective engagement look like: debate the limits of corporate engagement, how to measure success as well as escalation strategies
Connect with responsible investment investors
2023 speakers include:
Apply for a complimentary asset owner pass
A limited number of complimentary passes are available for eligible asset owners to join the event.
To qualify for a complimentary pass, you must meet the eligibility criteria in representing a pension fund, insurance company, sovereign wealth fund, foundation, endowment, trust, family office or corporate investment division.
Apply for a pass and a member of our team will follow up with you to secure your pass.
Connect with investors & ESG professionals
Responsible Investor Europe provides an opportunity to make connections with an exclusive audience of ESG and sustainable finance decision makers. Share your solutions, collaborate and network with senior-level executives through bespoke sponsorship packages to meet your 2023 business goals.
Our leading advisory board in 2023
RI Europe will take place on 13- 14 June 2023.
For more information on the agenda, please contact Boris Petrovic.
boris.p@peimedia.com | +44 (0)20 3307 2474
Agenda
RI Europe 2023 - Tuesday 13th
Registration and morning coffee
Welcome remarks

Plenary 1: Net zero: Are financial institutions on track to meet 2025 goals?
- What will be the main challenges in meeting the first round of interim targets?
- Could the risk of missing targets lead to hurried divestment from higher-emitting sectors/jurisdictions?
- How much leeway is built into the system?
- If targets are missed will the credibility of the net zero project be affected?
Day one keynote

Helena Viñes Fiestas
Commissioner of CNMV & Chair of the EU Platform on Sustainable Finance, Spanish Financial Markets Authority (CNMV)
Read bioNetworking break
Plenary 2: Regulation: Taking stock of EU sustainability regulation
- Two years of SFDR: an evaluation of implementation and its impact
- Is the ‘Article 9 exodus’ a sign SFDR is working effectively or a cause for concern?
- Preparing for CSRD: what is the investment community expecting?
- Interoperability or unwanted burden: EU regulation and the rest of the world

Plenary 3: ESG in the polycrisis: The challenges for asset owners
- Has investing sustainably become more challenging for asset owners over the past two years?
- What is keeping senior leaders at asset owners up at night in 2023?
- How are investors balancing the need to meet short terms return hurdles with longer term considerations when selecting assets?
- How are investors prioritising their time and efforts on sustainability – is it really front and centre now?
Lunch
A-1: Climate lobbying: behind closed doors
- Assessing corporates’ governance of climate policy advocacy: what is best practice?
- Have investors been tough enough on climate lobbying?
- How and when should investors escalate on climate lobbying?
- What is misaligned with Paris when it comes to lobbying?
Short networking break
A-2: UK regulation: The next steps
- What are the key milestones for UK ESG regulation over the coming year?
- Should the UK look to learn lessons from the EU or is divergence dangerous?
- SDR and the green taxonomy: next steps for investors
- Transition plans: what are the lessons from year one?
Moderator: James Alexander, Chief Executive, UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association
Extended networking break
A-3: Corporate transition plans: credibility, consistency, scrutiny
- What constitutes a credible transition plan in 2023?
- Are investors providing consistent messaging to companies with their voting?
- Say on Climate: does opposition mean that mechanism is beginning to work?
- Rebaselining: will it become a standard ask from investors?

Tom Lorber
Director, Head of Private Climate Finance, Children's Investment Fund Foundation
Read bioB-1: What does effective engagement look like?
- Identifying what’s possible: what are the limits of corporate engagement?
- How do you achieve impact in engagement, how do you measure success?
- How and when should investors escalate engagement?
- How to balance being a supportive partner while maintaining a critical distance?
Short networking break
B-2: Just Transition: Who, what, where, how?
- What does Just Transition mean in developed versus emerging markets?
- What does Just Transition mean in different sectors?
- Whose responsibility is the Just Transition: private or public sector?
- How can investors most effectively promote a Just Transition?
Extended networking break
B-3: Engagement in emerging markets: challenges and opportunities
- Adapting approaches to local market conditions
- Equity vs fixed income engagement
- The challenge of state ownership and influence
- Case studies: Asia, CEE, LatAm
C-1: ESG data in 2023: New challenges
- What do upcoming EU disclosure regimes mean for data providers?
- What would effective ESG data regulation look like?
- Sovereigns to Scope 3: the next ESG data challenges
- What are the implications of open source/free data revolution?

Short networking break
C-2: Fixed income engagement: the power of bond markets
- How can bond investors most effectively use their leverage to influence companies on ESG?
- How should firms be integrating their equity and fixed income engagements?
- What strategies should investors use when engaging governments and SOEs?

Extended networking break
C-3: ESG-labelled bonds: a question of quality
- How should investors assess SLBs and proposed use of proceeds for impact and credibility?
- Are quality issues a question of greenwashing or poorly understood standards?
- How can investors best provide feedback to issuers and underwriters on their concerns?
- How important are second-party opinion providers to market development?

Cocktail reception and networking
End of day one
Agenda
RI Europe 2023 - Wednesday 14th
Registration and Refreshments
Interactive roundtables
- Dispelling the data myths
- Climate adaptation – Craig Davies, CEO, Cadlas
- Nature finance – Fabian Huwyler, Managing Partner, Posaidon Capital
- Transition plans
- Climate litigation
- Understanding ESG in frontier markets
- Blended finance in developed markets
- The methane challenge
Networking break
A-4: CSRD and ISSB: The beginning of a beautiful relationship?
- What is the practical difference between enterprise value and double materiality?
- What are the limits of harmonisation and the ‘build-block’ approach?
- Where and what are the key and future unresolved issues between the ISSB and EFRAG’s standards?
- What degree of interoperability is necessary to alleviate reporting burdens on companies?

A-5: Blended finance: creating investible solutions for institutional investors
- What are the barriers to scaling blended finance?
- What can investors, MDBs and policymakers to do increase opportunities?
- What are the limitations of blended finance?
- What could be alternative public-private structures?
Short networking break
A-6: Antibiotic resistance: what role do investors have in addressing this systemic societal risk?
- The economic and social damage from Covid-19 pales in comparison to the potential harm from mass antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Are investors sleeping on this issue?
- What tools and methodologies can investors use to gauge the risks from AMR?
- What should be the practical role of investors in addressing AMR?
- What are the challenges of engaging with companies on systemic, as opposed to idiosyncratic, risk?

B-4: Investors and the cost-of-living crisis
- How should investors think about the cost-of-living crisis?
- Should investors take an active role in pay negotiations?
- Is engaging on government policy a political act and beyond investor remits?
- What are the risks for companies of failing to address the cost-of-living crisis?
- Ensuring diversity at investor level
B-5: DE&I: Has gender dropped off the agenda?
- Gender “fatigue” – have asset managers moved on to other battles?
- Holistic versus targeted DE&I: which is more effective?
- What has changed in terms of gender parity: a qualitative and quantitative assessment
- Gender initiatives – do they work?

Short networking break
B-6: Human rights: due diligence directives
- How can investors prepare for the CSDDD?
- What will be the biggest challenges in implementing the legislation, for a) corporates, b) FIs?
- Are there early lessons from Germany’s due diligence legislation?
- How will CSDDD interact with other EU sustainable finance initiatives?
Deep Dive workshop – Net zero: Getting a handle on scope 3 emissions
The purpose of the workshop is to impart best practices and insight on how investors can understand, measure and manage scope 3 emissions.
The workshop will also discuss engagement strategies for influencing companies and debate key areas of difficulty. The workshop will explore questions such as:
- Do companies and investors have access to the tools and data they need?
- How close are investors to understanding scope 3 emissions across portfolios?
- How are upcoming mandatory and voluntary disclosure regimes addressing scope 3 emissions?
- How can investors engage with companies on scope 3 emissions measurement, disclosure and reduction?
- Scope 4 emissions: the next disclosure frontier?
Short networking break
C-6: Evolution and utility of voluntary carbon markets
- What role can and should VCM play in net zero strategies?
- How should investors engage on carbon credits?
- Are carbon credits suitable for commoditisation?
- Countering negative perceptions of nature-based solutions
Lunch
Day two keynote

Plenary 4: The power of nature: Understanding biodiversity risk
· Biodiversity as a systemic risk: how are central banks approaching the challenge?
· Transition risk: how can investors prepare for biodiversity regulation?
· Measuring biodiversity risk across portfolios: methodologies, tools and barriers
· Helping corporates understand the relevance of biodiversity loss to business models
Closing panel: Strength in numbers? The future of collective engagement
- The big question: is size everything or can smaller groups make a larger impact?
- The problem of free riders: how to make sure all members pull their weight
- Would a more strategic approach that leverages the different capabilities of individual members make collective engagement more effective?
- How can investors navigate anti-trust and acting-in-concert laws across jurisdictions?
Moderated by Rory Sullivan, Co-Founder and Director, Chronos Sustainability
End of conference
Network at Europe's leading responsible investment event
Responsible Investor’s 16th annual RI Europe conference is back in person in London in 13-14 June 2023. Join over 600 leading investors and fund managers for two days of networking at the must-attend event for sustainable finance.
The in-person networking experience
Meet the ESG community
Network with the people and organisations leading the sustainable finance conversation, including investment professionals, regulators, academics, NGOs, and lawyers.
Plenty of time to network
Connect in-person with the ESG community at our interactive workshops, panels, private breakfasts, debates, and evening drinks reception.
Build valuable connections with European asset owners
Past attendees include AP2, Caisse des Dépôts, Church of England, PKA Pension Fund, NEST Corporation, Brunel Pension Partnership, Bayerische Versorgungskammer, many more. Download the past attendee list to see who usually attends!
Connect with active investors
Be recognised as driving the future of sustainable finance
Responsible Investor Europe provides an opportunity to make connections with an exclusive audience of ESG and sustainable finance decision makers. Share your solutions, collaborate and network with senior-level executives through bespoke sponsorship packages to meet your 2023 business goals.
Pre-Event Resources
For more information on speaking in 2023, please contact Boris Petrovic.
boris.p@peimedia.com | +44 (0)20 3307 2474
Speaker line-up in 2023

James Alexander
Chief Executive, UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association

Geraldine Ang
Senior Policy Analyst, Green Finance and Investment, OECD

Kiran Aziz
Head of Responsible Investments, KLP

Colin Baines
Stewardship Manager, Border to Coast Pensions Partnership

Magnus Billing
CEO, Alecta

Phil Bloomer
Executive Director, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre

Ben Caldecott
Oxford Sustainable Finance Group, University of Oxford

Rui Chang
Advisor, Responsible Investment, PGGM

Jeremy Coller
Founder, FAIRR Initiative

Craig Davies
CEO, Cadlas

Ulla Enne
Head of Responsible Investing and Investment Operations, Nest Sammelstiftung

Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker
Editor, Responsible Investor

Johan Florén
Chief ESG and Communication Officer, AP7

Deborah Gilshan
Founder, The 100% Club

Chandra Gopinathan
Senior Investment Manager, Sustainable Ownership, Railpen

Dimitri Gvindadze
Director, Climate Strategy and Regional Delivery. European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

Caroline Harrison
Head of Market Intelligence Research, Climate Bonds Initiative

Emma Henningsson
Head of Responsible Ownership, AP7

Karine Hirn
Partner, Board chair, Chief Sustainability Officer, East Capital Group

Ingrid Holmes
Executive Director, Green Finance Institute

Catherine Howarth
Chief Executive Officer, ShareAction

Fabian Huwyler
Founder and co-Managing Partner, Posaidon Capital

Brenda Kramer
Senior Advisor Responsible Investment, PGGM

Simone Kramer
Head of Product, Net Zero Data Public Utility

Anna Lehmann
Global Climate Policy Director, Wildlife Works

Tom Lorber
Director, Head of Private Climate Finance, Children's Investment Fund Foundation

Mark Manning
Technical Specialist, Sustainable Finance and Stewardship, Financial Conduct Authority

Michael Marshall
Head of Sustainable Ownership, RPMI Railpen

Mardi McBrien
Managing Director, IFRS Foundation

Innes McKeand
Head of Strategic Equities, USS Investment Management

Sara Murphy
Chief Strategy Officer, The Shareholder Commons

Maria Nazarova-Doyle
Head of Pension Investments and Responsible Investments, Scottish Widows

Aleksandra Palinska
Executive Director, Eurosif

Ashok Parameswaran
President and Founder, Emerging Markets Investors Alliance

Tom Powdrill
Head of Stewardship, PIRC

Nick Robins
Professor in Practice - Sustainable Finance, Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change & the Environment

Delilah Rothenberg
Co-Founding Partner and Executive Director, The Predistribution Initiative (PDI)

David Russell
Head of Responsible Investment, USS Investment Management

Lydia Sheldrake
Director of Policy & Partnerships, Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI)

Carine Smith Ihenacho
Chief Governance and Compliance Officer, Norges Bank Investment Management

Rory Sullivan
CEO, Chronos Sustainability

Marcus Svedberg
Chief Economist, Folksam

Eugenia Unanyants-Jackson
Global Head of ESG, PGIM

Simone Utermarck
Director, Sustainable Finance International Capital Market Association (ICMA)

Eugenia Unanyants-Jackson
Global Head of ESG, PGIM

Helena Viñes Fiestas
Commissioner of CNMV & Chair of the EU Platform on Sustainable Finance, Spanish Financial Markets Authority (CNMV)

Faith Ward
Chief Responsible Investment Officer, Brunel Pension Partnership

Kerrie Waring
Chief Executive Officer, International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN)

Janet Williamson
Senior Policy Officer, Rights, International, Social and Economics Trades Union Congress
Be recognised as driving the future of sustainable finance to institutional investors in Europe
- Align your brand with Responsible investor’s authoritative content-led event portfolio and be seen as a go-to solution provider for senior ESG and sustainable finance professionals.
- Stand tall amongst your competitors by positioning your company at Responsible Investor Europe and embed your brand as a major player to senior institutional investors.
- Raise your profile as a thought leader within the industry to overcome the key challenges within responsible Investing.
- Showcase your institutional investor solutions, in-person to new global audiences and generate new business opportunities to achieve your targets.
2023 sponsors already signed up include:
Connect with responsible investment investors
Hiroshi Komori
Senior Director, Stewardship & ESG, GPIF
RI events around the world have been beneficial to catch up on ongoing ESG issues and network with great people.
Andrea Palmer
ESG Lead, PGGM
I appreciate the quality of the delegates and the conversations. It’s the go-to venue to gauge developments in ESG integration.
Covid precautions
To help keep you and our colleagues safe, we have embraced the following principles to ensure the smooth running of our event portfolio, globally.
Planning and risk assessment
Responsible Investor Europe has a detailed plan and risk assessment in light of local government and health authority frameworks, now specific to the Covid pandemic. Our staff are working to event industry protocols to minimise and mitigate risk.
Entry requirements
We recommend that you take a lateral flow test 24 hours before attending the event to help keep you and your fellow attendees safe.
Cleanliness
PEI Media is working with our venue partners to ensure the highest standards of hygiene and cleanliness. This includes a deep clean pre-event and continuous sanitisation during the event, with a focus on high-contact areas such as lifts, staircases, door handles, restrooms and food and beverage delivery points.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Attendees and staff at all PEI events may be required to use items of PPE in accordance with local government and health authority regulations. This could include wearing a face covering, the use of gloves and/or face screens in certain parts of the venue.
Contactless
Where possible PEI Media will encourage attendees to minimise their contacts. This includes the event registration process and also contact between attendees. PEI Media encourages all attendees to avoid close social contact such as hand-shakes and to find digital alternatives to exchanging details rather than business cards.
Attendee numbers and density
PEI Media will assess and manage in line with local government and health authority mandates the number of delegates in the event space and the flow of attendee traffic in and out of plenary and break-out rooms and around exhibition rooms and other meeting spaces.
Personal hygiene
In tandem with venue measures, PEI Media encourages attendees to take full advantage of hand sanitisation stations around the venue.
Track and trace
We will work with local authorities as required to track, trace and contact attendees in line with the applicable privacy legislation.
Medical
Qualified first-aid staff will be ready to assist anyone falling ill for whatever reason. In the event of any attendee suffering Covid-related symptoms, the PEI Media team will follow local health guidance in ensuring the safety of all participants.
Asset owners at RI Europe 2023
The Responsible Investor Europe provides an unrivalled platform for asset owners investing in ESG and sustainable finance.
A limited number of complimentary passes for the event are available for asset owners. Check out the benefits of joining the conference and learn who among your peers attends. Apply for a complimentary pass for you or your team now.
Asset owners at RI Europe 2023
The event is the largest meeting place for asset owners and top level corporates for two days of networking and insight sharing.
Check out the benefits of joining the conference and who among your peers you will be joining.
What to expect
Network with your peers
Enrich your network, build lasting relationships, and exchange valuable perspectives with your investor peers through investor-only breakfasts, networking breaks, lunches and much more.
Gain expert insights
Hear from our industry-leading speaker line-up, discover the latest trends and stay aligned with future innovations in the market.
Stay aligned to developments and opportunities
Discover remarkable investment opportunities and leverage ESG expertise focused on regulation, human rights, biodiversity, net zero and more.
Meet with the best and brightest funds
Connect and arrange one-to-one meetings with the biggest and best ESG managers in the market.
Connect with active investors
Apply for a complimentary asset owner pass
A limited number of complimentary passes are available for eligible asset owners to join the event.
To qualify for a complimentary pass, you must meet the eligibility criteria in representing a pension fund, insurance company, sovereign wealth fund, foundation, endowment, trust, family office or corporate investment division.
Apply for a pass and a member of our team will follow up with you to secure your pass.