According to new KPMG analysis many companies are ‘far from ready’. This program will educate lawyers about sustainability reporting obligations and legal exposures. WEB238N15AZ  

Presenters

Dr Rosemary Sainty, UTS School of Business, Founding Australian Rep to UN Global Compact
From 2008 Rosemary Sainty established the National Responsible Business Practice Project funded by the Australian Federal Government (through Treasury), based at The (St James) Ethics Centre, building a world first 'HUB' of international initiatives and local resources. These included the Australian networks for the UN Global Compact, the world's largest corporate citizenship initiative, and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the most widely used sustainability reporting framework. With participation from leading Australian businesses across banking and finance, extractives, retail and professional services, her work received endorsement from the Federal Treasurer, Business Council of Australia and HRH the Prince of Wales. More recently Rosemary has completed a PhD at UTS Business School, researching corporate sustainability and corporate governance. She publishes research articles and resources and has spoken widely on corporate responsibility and business ethics, both locally and internationally. She teaches across Business School undergraduate and postgraduate programs.


Alison Ewings, General Manager, ESG
Alison is the General Manager, ESG at the Queensland Investment Corporation here she is responsible for the design and implementation of ESG strategy and frameworks. Prior to this she held various sustainability roles within the finance sector. Most recently she was the Head of Engagement at Regnan, the responsible investment business of Pendal Group and was formerly the Head of Sustainability at Westpac. She has been a director of the UN Global Compact’s Australian Network and a member of the AA1000 and ASFI technical committees. More recently Alison was appointed to RIAA’s policy and advocacy technical expert group. Alison has also held roles in corporate strategy in the financial sector and undertaken a number of sustainability consulting projects with leading UK organisations. Alison holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Master of Organisational Communication.


Charlotte Turner, Senior Associate, MinterEllison
Charlotte is a Senior Associate in MinterEllison’s international Climate and Sustainability Risk Governance Team. Building on her background as a disputes lawyer, Charlotte has particular expertise in climate related exposure under corporate and securities law (rather than ‘environmental’) law – including directors’ duties and financial/disclosure obligations. Charlotte is the Co-lead of The Chancery Lane Project an international legal initiative that develops model laws and contracts to efficiently manage climate risks and capture value-creation opportunities.


Nick Ridehalgh, Director, National Lead, Better Business Reporting
Nick leads KPMG’s Better Business Reporting (BBR) Group, assisting organisations to better communicate and report internally and with their external stakeholders. He is also a Director in KPMG’s CFO Advisory team with more than 40 years’ experience in providing assurance and advisory services, mainly in telecommunications, technology and utilities sectors. Nick encourages leaders to look at the whole value proposition of their business and how this links to financial outcomes. “It’s about changing behaviours to focus on a broader suite of value drivers that underpin long term business success,” he says. “These drivers include not only the business’s capital and assets, but also its people, intellectual property, access to scarce resources, client relationships, its impact in the environment and license to operate in the community.” Nick project led, and now support the Deakin Centre manage the Australian Business Reporting Leaders Forum. He was part of the International Integrated Reporting Council's advisory working group that developed the global integrated reporting framework in 2010-2013. He also lectures on Integrated Reporting, ESG and Enterprise Value creation at UNSW. Nick has worked in the UK, US, NZ and Malaysia, and he now enjoys Sydney life with his family. He has a passion for kayaking, theatre, movies, travel and singing.

Sustainability Reporting – Are you ready?

Sustainability reporting and disclosure competency for lawyers is now an imperative. Unpack the requirements and future risks across the legal function, business and the value chain. Examine the most critical ESG challenges through three different professional lenses who will examine the same data for risks and opportunities. Are legal advisers ready? In this unique program you will hear from leading experts across disciplines about these reporting obligations.