
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 de dépôt et placement du Québec, 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?
Moderator: Ben Caldecott, Founding Director of the Oxford Sustainable Finance Group, University of Oxford

Ben Caldecott
Member of the Adaptation Committee of the UK Climate Change Committee and Co-Chair, Global Research Alliance for Sustainable Finance and Investment
Read bio



Day one keynote
Networking break
Plenary 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?
Moderator: Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker, Editor, Responsible Investor
Plenary 3: 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
Moderator: Elza Holmstedt Pell, Deputy Editor, Responsible Investor





Plenary 4: 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?
Moderator: Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker, Editor, Responsible Investor
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?
Moderator: Paul Verney, Senior Reporter, Responsible Investor
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





Mark Manning
Technical Specialist, Sustainable Finance and Stewardship, Financial Conduct Authority
Read bioExtended 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?
Moderator: Jakob Thoma, Co-Founder & Research Director, 2° Investing Initiative



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

B-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?
Moderator: Nikki Gwilliam-Beeharee, Investor Engagement Strategic Lead, World Benchmarking Alliance




Short networking break
B-2: 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?
Moderator: Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker, Editor, Responsible Investor
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
Moderator: Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker, Editor, Responsible Investor




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?
Moderator: Khalid Azizuddin, Senior Reporter, Responsible Investor
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?
Moderator: Dominic Webb, Reporter, Responsible Investor



Carmen Nuzzo
Professor in Practice - Executive Director, Transition Pathway Initiative Centre LSE
Read bio
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?
Moderator: Jo Richardson, Head of Portfolio Strategy, Anthropocene Fixed Income Institute
Cocktail reception (sponsored by Clarity AI) and networking
End of day one
Agenda
RI Europe 2023 - Wednesday 14th
Registration and Refreshments
A-4: Building climate resilience while transitioning to net-zero
- Are climate mitigation vs adaptation strategies antagonistic?
- Will adaptation erode mitigation strategies?
- What is the role of finance in fostering adaptation?
- Do investors have the necessary information and data to act on climate adaptation?
Moderator: Dominic Webb, Reporter, Responsible Investor
Networking break
A-5: Deep Dive workshop – Net zero: meeting interim targets
- 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?
Chair: Rory Sullivan, Co-Founder and Director, Chronos Sustainability
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?
Moderator: Georgia Stewart, CEO, tumelo
B-4: Climate litigation: a growing part of the investor engagement toolkit
- How does climate litigation fit into the wider engagement toolkit for asset owners?
- Where can asset owners achieve the greatest leverage through the use of litigation?
- How has the climate crisis affected asset owners’ conception of fiduciary duty?
- What are the legal risks to asset owners from individual and collective action on climate?
Moderator: Joana Setzer, Assistant Professorial Research Fellow, Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, London School of Economics
Networking break
B-5: Deep dive workshop – Biodiversity in public markets
- Can investors achieve biodiversity impact in public equity markets?
- Bringing biodiversity into the ESG-labelled bond market
- Where do investors have the most leverage on biodiversity in terms of engagement and stewardship? What is the future for collective engagement on nature?
- Biodiversity data: what are the challenges? Will TNFD fill the gap?
Chair: Gina Gambetta, Reporter, Responsible Investor
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?
Moderator: Gina Gambetta, Reporter, Responsible Investor
C-4: The evolving role of benchmarks in ESG investing
- What should be the minimum criteria for the EU’s ESG benchmarks standard?
- Why is ‘standardisation and transparency’ of ESG benchmarks important?
- Should there be minimum ESG requirements for broad market benchmarks?
- Should ESG funds use broad market benchmarks for construction and reporting?
Moderator: Khalid Azizuddin, Senior Reporter, Responsible Investor



Andreas Hoepner
Professor of Operational Risk, Banking & Finance, University College Dublin, and Member, EU's Platform for Sustainable Finance
Read bio
C-5: 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
Moderator: James Coldwell, Head of Workforce Disclosure Initiative, Share Action
C-6: 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?
Moderator: Fiona McNally, Junior Reporter, Responsible Investor
Short networking break
C-7: 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
Moderator: Dalia Daou, Centre Director, Centre for Climate Finance & Investment, Imperial College London
Lunch
Day two keynote

Plenary 5: 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
Moderator: Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker, Editor, Responsible Investor
Live virtual Q+A with Martin Spolc, Head of Unit, Sustainable Finance, European Commission

Networking break
Plenary 6: Standard setting and global interoperability
- CSRD and ISSB: The beginning of a beautiful relationship?
- What degree of interoperability is necessary to alleviate reporting burdens on companies?
- Timelines and ambition: what’s the direction of travel for CSRD and ISSB – will expectations be met?
- How can investors help companies prepare for new disclosure standards?
Moderator: Elza Holmstedt Pell, Deputy Editor, Responsible Investor
Plenary 7: 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?
Moderator: 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

Cornelia Andersson
Global Head of Sustainable Finance & Investing, LSEG

Helen Avery
Director, Nature Programmes, Green Finance Institute

Kiran Aziz
Head of Responsible Investments, KLP

Khalid Azizuddin
Senior Reporter, Responsible Investor

Colin Baines
Stewardship Manager, Border to Coast Pensions Partnership

Dr. Emma Berntman
Senior Engagement Specialist, FAIRR initiative

Matteo Bigoni
Head of Taxonomies, Climate Bonds Initiative

Phil Bloomer
Executive Director, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre

Steven Bullock
Managing Director, Global Head of Research and Methodology, S&P Global Sustainable1

Ben Caldecott
Member of the Adaptation Committee of the UK Climate Change Committee and Co-Chair, Global Research Alliance for Sustainable Finance and Investment

Rui Chang
Advisor, Responsible Investment, PGGM

Claudia Chapman
Head of Stewardship, Financial Reporting Council

Véronique Chapplow
ESG Investment Specialist, T. Rowe Price

Patrice Cochelin
Global Head of Analytical Governance – Sustainable Finance, S&P Global Ratings

James Coldwell
Head of Workforce Disclosure Initiative, ShareAction

Alex Cooper
Lawyer – Corporate/Finance and Climate Change, Commonwealth Climate and Law Initiative

Dalia Daou
Centre Manager, Centre for Climate Finance & Investment, Imperial College London

Craig Davies
CEO, Cadlas

Maria Elena Drew
Director of Research, Responsible Investing, T. Rowe Price

Robert Edwards
Director of Product Management – EMEA & ESG Indexes, Morningstar Indexes

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

Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker
Editor, Responsible Investor

Gina Gambetta
Reporter, Responsible Investor

Deborah Gilshan
Founder, The 100% Club

Chandra Gopinathan
Senior Investment Manager, Sustainable Ownership, Railpen

Lois Guthrie
Senior Technical Advisor, IFRS Foundation

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

Nikki Gwilliam-Beeharee
Investor Engagement Strategic Lead, World Benchmarking Alliance

Emma Henningsson
Manager Active Ownership, AP7

Laura Hillis
Director of Climate and Environment, Church of England Pensions Board

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

Ingrid Holmes
Executive Director, Green Finance Institute

Catherine Howarth
Chief Executive Officer, ShareAction

Aled Jones
Head of Sustainable Investment Solutions, FTSE Russell / LSEG

Mirtha Kastrapeli
Sector Head for Consumer in Corporate Ratings, ISS ESG

Piet Klop
Head of Responsible Investment, PGGM

Hilkka Komulainen
Head of Responsible Investment, Aegon UK

Brenda Kramer
Senior Advisor Responsible Investment, PGGM

Simone Kramer
Head of Product, Net Zero Data Public Utility

Elizabeth Lance
Assistant Chief Counsel, ICI Global

Anna Lehmann
Global Climate Policy Director, Wildlife Works

Kate Levick
Associate Director, Sustainable Finance, E3G

Sonya Likhtman
Associate Director, Engagement, EOS, Federated Hermes

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

Fiona Manning
Fund Manager, Premier Miton Emerging Markets Sustainable Fund

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

Sophie Marjanac
Senior Lawyer / Accountable Corporations Lead, ClientEarth

Michael Marshall
Head of Sustainable Ownership, RPMI Railpen

Innes McKeand
Head of Strategic Equities, USS Investment Management

Fiona McNally
Junior Reporter, Responsible Investor

Véronique Menou Lieblich
Global Head of ESG Regulatory Solutions, MSCI

Alex Michie
Executive Director, GFANZ Secretariat and Mobilizing Capital, GFANZ

Hugh Miller
Policy Analyst, OECD

Sara E. Murphy
Chief Strategy Officer, The Shareholder Commons

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

Morten Nilsson
CEO, Brightwell

Andrew Ninian
Director, Stewardship, Risk and Tax, The Investment Association

Carmen Nuzzo
Professor in Practice - Executive Director, Transition Pathway Initiative Centre LSE

Aleksandra Palinska
Executive Director, Eurosif

Rebecca Palmer
Director, Sustainable Finance Data, ICE

Ashok Parameswaran
President and Founder, Emerging Markets Investors Alliance

Elza Holmstedt Pell
Deputy Editor, Responsible Investor

Valeria Piani
Head of Stewardship, Phoenix Group

John Ploeg
Co-Head of ESG Research, PGIM Fixed Income

Stephen Porter
Responsible Investment Lead, SCOTTISH WIDOWS

Tom Powdrill
Head of Stewardship, PIRC

Valentina Ramirez
Senior Investment Specialist for Public Markets, IIGCC

Clare Richards
Director, Social – Responsible Investment, Church of England Pensions Board

Jo Richardson
Head of Portfolio Strategy, Anthropocene Fixed Income Institute

Hanna Roberts
Head of Stewardship Services, Morningstar Sustainalytics

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

Aldo M. Romani
Head of Sustainable Finance, Finance Directorate, European Investment Bank

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

David Russell
Head of Responsible Investment, USS Investment Management

Lorenzo Saa
Chief Sustainability Officer, Clarity AI

Joana Setzer
Assistant Professorial Research Fellow, Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, London School of Economics

Vian Sharif
Group Head of Sustainability, FNZ

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

Murat Sönmez
Co-founder & CEO, pulsESG

Diandra Soobiah
Head of Responsible Investment, NEST - National Employment Savings Trust

Martin Spolc
Head of Unit, Sustainable Finance, European Commission

Georgia Stewart
CEO, Tumelo

Rory Sullivan
CEO, Chronos Sustainability

Marcus Svedberg
Chief Economist, Folksam

Charlotta Dawidowski Sydstrand
Head of ESG, AP7

Peter Taylor
Head of Engagement, IIGCC

Jakob Thomä
Managing Director, 2° Investing Initiative

Eugenia Unanyants-Jackson
Global Head of ESG, PGIM

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

Maria van der Heide
Head of EU Policy, ShareAction

Suzi van Es
Investor Engagement Manager, The Access to Medicine Foundation

Diana van Maasdijk
Co-Founder & CEO, Equileap

Betina Vaz Boni
Manager, Governance, Principles for Responsible Investment

Paul Verney
Senior Reporter, Responsible Investor

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)

Dominic Webb
Reporter, Responsible Investor

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.