Sustainability Summit

08:00 AM - 09:00 AM ET

Registration & Breakfast

09:00 AM - 09:05 AM ET

Opening Remarks

There is widespread consensus that now is the time to ramp up the transition to a sustainable, socially responsible, and low-carbon energy economy. Yet even as businesses and governments are moving forward, there is resistance and skepticism from some constituencies. The task confronting companies will require strategies that enable them to thrive financially while improving social and environmental well-being amid an increasingly politically charged business environment. This opening session sets the context and outlines both the challenges and the opportunities ahead.

Steve Rochlin, Program Director, The Conference Board

09:05 AM - 09:40 AM ET

Envisioning and Meeting the Sustainability and Energy Transition: What the World Will Look Like in 2030 and 2050

In the effort to set carbon reduction and other sustainability targets, we cannot lose sight of what we are trying to accomplish collectively: a more sustainable economy and a healthier world not only for ourselves but for future generations. What should businesses look like and operate in 2050? What kind of regulatory and reporting environment should be put in place? How will companies, financial markets, consumers, employees, and communities align to advance sustainability? How will R&D and innovation drive us forward? To be ready for the 2050 world, what must we achieve and put in place by 2030? And what must we do now?

Paul Washington, President and CEO, Society for Corporate Governance

Steve Rochlin, Program Director, The Conference Board

Dana M. Peterson, Chief Economist and Leader, Economy, Strategy & Finance Center, The Conference Board

09:40 AM - 10:15 AM ET

To Meet or Exceed the Test?: Preparing for a Regulated Sustainability Environment

Regulations in Europe, the United States, and elsewhere are defining legal requirements for sustainability disclosure and performance. Should companies aim for the minimum required in each jurisdiction, for the highest level required, or for what is likely to come from reporting frameworks such as the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB)? And how are they preparing to manage complying with these overlapping requirements from regulators and reporting frameworks?

Paul Washington, President and CEO, Society for Corporate Governance

Renee Jones, Former Director of the Division of Corporation Finance, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

Mercedes García Pérez, Head of Global Issues and Innovation, Delegation of the European Union to the United States

10:15 AM - 10:35 AM ET

Networking Break

10:35 AM - 11:10 AM ET

Taking Sustainability to the Next Level: Applying Lessons From the Digital Transition to the Energy Transition

Accelerating the global energy transition will require changes in operations, workforce, products, and services and will affect every firm up and down the value chain. Fortunately, we have seen some of this before.

This session applies lessons learned from the digital transition to help companies integrate a sustainability approach – and addresses what will be different this time.

Paul Washington, President and CEO, Society for Corporate Governance

Edan Dionne, Vice President, Environmental, Energy and Chemical Management Programs, Corporate Environmental Affairs, IBM Corporation

Mitrankur Majumdar, Senior Vice President and Global Head - Services, Infosys

10:35 AM - 11:10 AM ET

Financing the Green Economy

Making the global energy transition happen and harnessing its economic potential will require a mix of public, equity, and debt finance along with corresponding capital and operational expenditures at the corporate level. A growing number of investments are yielding significant returns while, at the same time, any one of them carries their own associated costs and risks at this phase. What should the financing look like, and how should this shape the expenditure decisions companies are making?

Steve Rochlin, Program Director, The Conference Board

Nick Anstett, Managing Director, Pollination

Brian Halweil, Strategic Associate, Astanor Ventures

Brian Singer, Managing Director & Global Head of GS SUSTAIN, Global Investment Research, Goldman Sachs

11:15 AM - 11:50 AM ET

The New Rules and Expectations for Infrastructure Investment

With the federal government having recently enacted the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, which will invest nearly $700 billion in infrastructure, research, and related programs, the American economy is in the early stages of an infrastructure renaissance. Investment will be focused on energy modernization, the transportation value chain, building decarbonization, and workforce development.

In this session, we address how this infrastructure transformation can support a firms' sustainability goals, as well as how to negotiate the changing regulatory environment connected to the greening of infrastructure and physical assets.

Dana M. Peterson, Chief Economist and Leader, Economy, Strategy & Finance Center, The Conference Board

Patricia Hargil, Vice President, Performance Transformation and D&I Office, Messer North America

Lisa Fewins, Corporate Sustainability Director, HDR, Inc.

11:15 AM - 11:50 AM ET

Winning Through Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Leaders share how their DEI strategies are helping them to achieve more equitable outcomes for all their stakeholders and strengthen their bottom line in the process.

Steve Rochlin, Program Director, The Conference Board

Walter Diaz, Associate Director, Socially Transformative Business, Boston Consulting Group

Celeste Warren, Vice President, Global Diversity & Inclusion Center of Excellence, Merck

11:55 AM - 12:30 PM ET

Building New Markets and Revenue-Generating Solutions to Enable Sustainability

Whether driven by the requirements of government procurement or recognition of business opportunities, ESG is a key source of expanding markets and business innovation. Leaders share their experiences in developing new markets, business models, R&D, and products and services grounded in sustainability.

Paul Washington, President and CEO, Society for Corporate Governance

Jeffrey Whitford, Head of Sustainability, Social Business Innovation and Life Science Branding, MilliporeSigma

11:55 AM - 12:30 PM ET

The Customer Is Always Right: The Growing Expectations of B2B and B2C Customers for Sustainability

This session shares research and emerging best practices in responding to customers' and consumers' increasing expectations regarding ESG.

Steve Rochlin, Program Director, The Conference Board

Ann Tracy, Chief Sustainability Officer, Colgate-Palmolive Company

Catherine Roggero-Lovisi, Chief Executive Officer, Modern Meadow

12:35 PM - 01:10 PM ET

Interactive: Preparing to Meet Data and Reporting Requirements From Regulation, Standards, and Ratings

This session gets into the nuts and bolts of what ESG reporting requirements are coming down the pike in the EU, the US, and in other jurisdictions around the world as well as from key reporting frameworks and rating agencies. We address the extraterritorial reach of regulations and focus on how to prepare for them, including collecting and managing data.

Steve Rochlin, Program Director, The Conference Board

12:35 PM - 01:10 PM ET

Managing and Reducing Risk Resulting From Business Disruptions

Companies will need to manage increasing risks from more frequent and more severe adverse climate events. Profitability and business continuity will hinge on timely and effective operational and strategic planning. What are best practices for making your company more resilient to these impacts?

Louis Gritzo, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer, FM Global

Zoë Beck, Director of Sustainability, HCA Healthcare

Renata Joanna Bode, Managing Director, Audit & Assurance, Deloitte

Karen Jarmoc, Chief Sustainability Director, Allstate

01:10 PM - 02:10 PM ET

Networking Lunch

02:10 PM - 02:45 PM ET

Preparing for Risks and Opportunities in the Low-Carbon Energy Transition: Carbon Price, CapEx and OpEx, Activism, and Early Adoption Versus Fast Followership

Reaching ambitious carbon reduction targets such as net zero will require creative new approaches. This discussion examines how the adoption of a carbon price and digital and material technologies can streamline pathways while also delivering ancillary productivity gains.

Dana M. Peterson, Chief Economist and Leader, Economy, Strategy & Finance Center, The Conference Board

Roman Kramarchuk, Head, Future Energy Analytics - Commodities Insights, S&P Global

David Livingston, Senior Advisor, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, U.S. Department of State

02:45 PM - 03:20 PM ET

Sustainability and Company Culture: How to Manage Expectations and Win the War for Talent

The transition to a more environmentally and socially sustainable economy has the potential to rival the scale and impact of the digital revolution. To take advantage of this transition, companies integrating sustainability into their business must also incorporate sustainability into their culture. A sustainability culture can help a firm maximize the benefits for the company, its stakeholders, society, and the natural environment.

This panel discussion will examine the challenges and opportunities of embedding sustainability into a company's cultural DNA, how companies are responding, and how to continue to serve employees as key stakeholders while taking into account other interests.

Steve Rochlin, Program Director, The Conference Board

Karen Y. Johns, Chief Executive Officer, GOOD Institute

Lindsay Beltzer, Senior Program Producer - Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Center, The Conference Board

03:20 PM - 03:40 PM ET

Networking Break

03:40 PM - 04:15 PM ET

Creating Financial Value and Superior Outperformance From the Energy Transition

As regulations and investor expectations make energy transitions standard operating procedure, where does the business case reside? Evidence suggests that B2B customers and B2C consumers alike are increasingly holding brands accountable to committing to sustainable business practices through their purchasing decisions at a time when investors are also searching for alpha from sustainability.

Steve Rochlin, Program Director, The Conference Board

John Sinclair, Managing Director, Bellus Ventures

Olivia Wassenaar, Partner, Head of Sustainable Investing and Head of Natural Resources, Apollo Global Management

04:15 PM - 04:50 PM ET

Humanizing the Sustainability Story

The dialogue surrounding sustainability is rife with jargon and statistics. How do we tell the story of net-zero commitments, for example, in a way that is both accessible and compelling to various stakeholders, including investors, consumers, employees, and the communities in which we operate? And how should our ESG reporting factor in?

Chris Gray, Vice President, ESG/Sustainability, UnitedHealth Group Inc.

Dave Armon, Executive Vice Chairman, 3BL Media, LLC

04:50 PM - 05:05 PM ET

Enabling the Global Energy Transition from Space: How the International Space Station and Commercial LEO Destinations Inspire Innovation and Value Creation for Humanity

The International Space Station (ISS) is a unique learning, living, and research platform traveling in low-Earth orbit which supports a myriad of R&D activities that advance human exploration, validate our ability to live and work in space, and bring value to humanity across the globe.

During this session with Dr. Michael Roberts of the ISS, learn about opportunities to launch your ideas beyond Earth's horizons and how orbiting outposts in space enable scientific discovery and technological innovation that promise to build a more sustainable future for our planet.

Michael Roberts, Ph.D., Chief Scientist, International Space Station National Laboratory

05:05 PM - 05:15 PM ET

Day One Closing Remarks

Steve Rochlin, Program Director, The Conference Board

05:15 PM - 06:15 PM ET

Reception