09/16/2022

Divestment or engagement, what is the most effective method for investors concerned about ESG issues to have an impact? The question is still debated. Ethos is organising on October 6 in Geneva, as part of the 2022 edition of the Building Bridges conference, a debate with a panel of specialists around the question of shareholder engagement and its effectiveness for decarbonising not only the investment portfolios but also and especially the real economy.

Can shareholder engagement contribute to decarbonising the real economy? In other words, as a responsible shareholder is it better to divest from companies whose business model is not yet aligned with global warming of 1.5°C? Or on the contrary, to remain a shareholder in order to encourage boards of directors to adjust their strategy and reallocate the capital towards the reduction of their greenhouse gas emissions within the limits set by the Paris agreement? At a time when more and more investors are setting “Net Zero” objectives, this question continues to be debated.

The Ethos Foundation has always advocated shareholder dialogue to encourage listed companies to improve their environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices. Ethos will organise a debate on this topic at the next Building Bridges conference in Geneva at the beginning of October. Entitled “Engagement as a mean to impact the real economy”, this event will take place on Thursday October 6 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Geneva International Conference Center and will bring together a group of specialists accustomed to shareholder dialogue.

Claire Berthier, CEO of the investment company Trusteam Finance and very involved in the "Climate Action 100+" initiative, Marc Effgen, Managing Director at Clartan Associés, and Grégoire Haenni, CIO of the State of Geneva pension fund (CPEG), will present their views and strategies as assets managers and assets owners. Anne Kellers, researcher at the Centre of Competence for Sustainable Finance at the University of Zurich will bring her academic perspective to the question. Samir Shah, Head of investor relations at Novartis, will bring the point of view of companies and will demonstrate how the commitment and pressure of shareholders can contribute to the improvement of their ESG practices.

Registration is possible using the following link: http://registration.buildingbridges.org

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