22.01.2018
10:00
Workshop
About
On January 22, 2018, the workshop “Sustainable Finance – Current Trends and Opportunities for Companies,” organized by econsense and Deutsche Börse, took place in Frankfurt. The aim of the event was to provide companies with an overview of current developments in the field of sustainable finance and the associated opportunities: How will the regulatory framework change in light of current initiatives to promote sustainable finance? How are companies affected by a growing market for sustainable investments? And how can companies position themselves internally to capitalize on the underlying opportunities? These and other questions were discussed during the event. The event also kicked off with a crash course on sustainable finance led by leading experts.
A key takeaway from the event was that the relevance of sustainable finance within companies is increasing significantly due to inquiries from investors, banks, and advisors; however, there are often still challenges in the practical handling of the topic between the financial and real economies. This applies both to the topic of capital investment (including the collection and use of corporate sustainability data) and to financing issues (including the issuance of green bonds).
In light of these challenges, many participants emphasized the importance of continuous dialogue between the financial sector and the real economy, as well as between policymakers and civil society, to address the various levels of knowledge and interests and translate them into a more sustainable financial system. Against this backdrop, new initiatives such as the Hub for Sustainable Finance Germany, which brings together various stakeholders, are to be welcomed.
econsense will continue to actively promote the topic of sustainable finance and bring the corporate perspective into the dialogue surrounding the issue.
Workshop
Agenda
time
Program
10:00
Admission
10:30
Welcome
Nadine-Lan Hönighaus, Deputy Managing Director, econsense
10:40
Keynote: “Report from the EU High-Level Expert Group on Sustainable Finance”
Michael Schmidt, Member of the Executive Board, Deka Investment, and Member of the “EU High-Level Expert Group on Sustainable Finance”
11:10
Keynote: “Sustainability on Both Sides of the Balance Sheet – Sustainable Finance in Lending and Investment”
Dr. Henrik Pontzen, Director, Head of Institutional Client Group Germany & Austria, HSBC Trinkhaus & Burkhardt AG
Robert Mandziara, Director, Debt Capital Markets / Head of Sustainable Finance Germany & Austria, HSBC Trinkhaus & Burkhardt AG
11:30
Crash Course in “Sustainable Finance”
Prof. Dr. Alexander Bassen, Chair of Business Administration, specializing in Capital Markets and Corporate Governance, University of Hamburg & Member of the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE)
Dr. Karl Ludwig Brockmann, Group Officer for Environment and Sustainability, Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW)
Ralf Frank, Managing Director and Secretary General, German Association for Financial Analysis and Asset Management (DVFA)
Dustin Neuneyer, Head of Continental Europe, PRI Principles for Responsible Investment
13:10
Lunch
14:00
Breakout Sessions: “Sustainable Finance from the Perspective of …
A … the CR department”
B … the Investor Relations Department”
C … the reporting department”
D … the Treasury Department”
14:45
Coffee break
15:00
Panel: “Sustainable Finance from an Internal Corporate Perspective”
One participant each from the previous breakout sessions A, B, C, and D
Moderator: Kristina Jeromin, Head of Group Sustainability, Deutsche Börse & Member of the Executive Board, econsense
15:45
Overview: “New Initiatives in Sustainable Finance”
Kristina Jeromin, Head of Group Sustainability, Deutsche Börse & Member of the Executive Board, econsense
16:15
Closing Remarks
Nadine-Lan Hönighaus, Deputy Managing Director, econsense