2024 ESG Summit

07:30 AM - 08:30 AM ET

Breakfast and Registration

08:30 AM - 08:40 AM ET

Opening Remarks

Jeff Hoffman, Institute Leader, Corporate Citizenship & Philanthropy, The Conference Board

Paul Washington, Executive Director, ESG Center, The Conference Board

08:45 AM - 09:30 AM ET

How the Roles of the Corporation and Corporate Citizenship Are Changing

This session will discuss the major shift in the roles of companies in last five years, with changing expectations, necessitating new models and governance in corporate citizenship to help effectively and efficiently navigate this tumultuous world.

Supporting insight:
- From Crisis to Opportunity: Corporate Citizenship and Philanthropy in 2023 (Report)

Michelle Grogg, Vice President, Corporate Responsibility and Executive Director, Cargill Foundation, Cargill

Richard Stengel, Co-Chair, CARE, Former Under Secretary of State, former Managing Editor, Time Magazine,

David Westin, Anchor Bloomberg Wall Street, Former President ABC News, Bloomberg

09:35 AM - 10:20 AM ET

Planning and Delivering Corporate Citizenship Programs in a Time of Uncertainty

Today, corporate citizenship departments operate amidst multiple, interconnected challenges, creating greater uncertainty. Global giving is complicated by the geopolitical environment, while urgency leaves no room for delay. In addition to balancing the need to respond to crises while remaining true to your priorities, this session will address scenario planning and how to efficiently and effectively ensure compliance, risk mitigation, reputation management, and administrative burdens associated with corporate citizenship.

Supporting insights:
- Corporate Citizenship in a Time of Uncertainty (Report)
- (Report)
- COVID-19 Year Three: Intentional International Corporate Giving (Webcast On-Demand)
- The Ongoing Impact of the War in Ukraine on Corporate Citizenship (Webcast On-Demand)

Kareem Elbayar, Programme Coordinator, Connecting Business Initiative, United Nations, United Nations

Florencia Spangaro, Chief Operating Officer, Citi Foundation

Darren Back, Vice President, Global Health and Social Impact, Pfizer Inc; Executive Director, The Pfizer Foundation, Pfizer Inc.

Jessie Krafft, Senior VP, External Affairs, CAF America

10:20 AM - 10:35 AM ET

Break

10:35 AM - 11:20 AM ET

Common Strategies, Challenges, and Solutions in Citizenship and DEI

Corporate citizenship and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) share common interests and often serve similar audiences, but they can also have some different goals, use different types of programs and tools, be housed in different parts of the organization, and engage with different sets of internal and external stakeholders. This session will address how to ensure the two areas are aligned in terms strategy and messaging, collaborate to leverage each other's resources, and communicate in a consistent manner and effective manner – often amid backlash.

Supporting insights:
- Making Measurable Progress on Racial Equality (Report)
- Addressing Racism Through Corporate Citizenship: A Global Perspective (Report)
- The Role of Corporate Citizenship in Addressing Health Equity (Webcast On-Demand)

Rose Flenorl, Manager of Global Citizenship and DEI, FedEx Corporation

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

Kathryn Fessler, Senior Director, Corporate Citizenship, Altria Client Services

Deidra Parrish Williams, Global CSR & Community Relations, Trane Technologies

11:20 AM - 12:35 PM ET

Lunch

12:35 PM - 01:20 PM ET

Geography Matters: Designing Programs for Rural and Urban Areas

The United States population of some 330 million people primarily lives in cities, and corporate citizenship often focuses on urban areas because that is where firms are headquartered and can readily reach those in need-- at scale. But rural America, comprising 97% of the country's land area and 60 million people, also merits attention from corporate citizenship. The same scenario plays out in many countries globally. This session will explore the needs of rural areas, what types of programs are effective, and what lessons can be learned and applied from rural and urban areas alike.

Supporting insights:
- Investing in Rural America: The Role of Corporate Citizenship
- Investing in Rural America: The Role of Corporate Citizenship (Webcast On-Demand)
- How Companies Can Make an Enduring Difference in American Cities (Report)
- How Companies Can Make an Enduring Difference in American Cities (Webcast On-Demand)

Emma Housman, Manager, Community & Social Impact, Xylem Inc.

Paula Bulcao, Director, Global Public Affairs and Community Relations, Eastman

Dante Chinni, Project Director and Founder, American Communities Project; Reporter, Wall Street Journal

Joanne Pulles, President, HCA Healthcare

01:25 PM - 02:10 PM ET

The Role of Corporate Citizenship in Addressing and Humanizing Environmental Issues

Corporate citizenship, which has long focused on social issues, is now branching into environmental areas, including the intersection of environmental and social topics. This presents an opportunity for companies to take fresh look at how they both think and talk about environmental initiatives, which often emphasize achieving quantifiable goals relating to greenhouse gas reductions, biodiversity, plastic, and waste reduction. This session will address how corporate citizenship can not only support corporate environmental initiatives, but also humanize them in a way that resonates with employees, customers, and communities.

Supporting insights:
- Hurricane Ian: Lessons from Past Disasters and Preparing for a New Era of Disaster Response (Podcast)
- Disaster Philanthropy Practices 2023: Spotlight on Employees

Jeff Hoffman, Institute Leader, Corporate Citizenship & Philanthropy, The Conference Board

Jenny Lawson, Chief Executive Officer, Keep America Beautiful

Charu Adesnik, Executive Director, Cisco Foundation; Director, Social Impact and Innovation, Cisco Systems Inc.

Crystal Barnes, Senior Vice President, Social Responsibility & Environmental Social and Governance, Paramount Global

02:15 PM - 02:45 PM ET

Getting the Right Stakeholders at the Table: Improving the Governance, Management, and Effectiveness of Corporate Citizenship

KPMG focuses its capabilities to create the largest tangible impact on their people, communities, planet, and society. This approach includes aligning company and foundation strategies and structures for community investment and impact work. As a result, KPMG and KPMG U.S. Foundation have committed $125 million over five years to promote equity and access to opportunities. In this conversation, KPMG's Head of Corporate Affairs and the Foundation's Chair and President will discuss how they set direction and make decisions, and the firm act with purpose, urgency, and stewardship to make a positive impact on communities.

Supporting insight:
- Governance and Management of Corporate Citizenship (Report)

Maureen Davenport, Head of Corporate Affairs, KPMG U.S.

Anita Whitehead, President & Chair, KPMG Foundation, KPMG

02:45 PM - 03:00 PM ET

Break

03:00 PM - 03:45 PM ET

Making Employees an Integral Part of Corporate Citizenship Programs

Employees play a critical role in corporate citizenship that goes well beyond participating in structured volunteer programs. They are not only a key audience for corporate citizenship, but also can play a vital role in shaping decisions, contributing their skills and knowledge to make citizenship programs more effective and innovative, and serving as key bridges to the communities being served. This session will explore how to take-- and implement-- a holistic view of employee engagement in corporate citizenship.

Supporting insight:
- Making Social Impact Accessible for All Employee Roles and Settings

Jennifer Sirangelo, President and Chief Executive Officer, Points of Light Foundation

Dwaine Millard, Senior Vice President, General Manager Literacy Initiatives/Family and Community Engagement, Scholastic Corporation

Anne Erni, Chief People Officer, Audible Inc

Maeve Miccio, Head of Philanthropic Consulting, Fidelity Investments

Anna Bard, Head of Employee Volunteerism, Disaster, and Global Philanthropy, Wells Fargo & Company

03:50 PM - 04:20 PM ET

Insights from the Field, Your Perspectives

The agenda covers many aspects that are needed in a corporate citizenship strategic plan. The sessions have been designed to showcase the important role of corporate citizenship across the company and in particular the relationship with a company’s C-Suite. While there are commonalities, every company is different. Products, geography, public vs private, and the five stakeholders of investors, customers, employees, supply chains, and communities all play a part into how a company shows up as a good corporate citizens. This open discussion provides an opportunity to share your perspectives on not only what you have heard today, but what is top of mind for you and your company over the next three to five years.

04:25 PM - 05:10 PM ET

Opportunities for Measuring and Reporting Impact for Society and the Company

Unlike the field of sustainability reporting, corporate citizenship is not governed by an extensive body of regulations or established reporting frameworks. This session will assess the current state of corporate citizenship measurement and reporting, and offer a fresh take on way to more effectively communicate about corporate citizenship, including what topics companies cover, where they report, how they tell their story, whom they are trying to reach, the extent to which it is helpful to measure impact-- including the impact of reporting itself. You will also be the first to learn how leading public and private companies surveyed for the Conference Board ESG Center's annual year-end corporate philanthropic giving survey are adjusting their giving priorities, expectations, and resource allocations for 2024.

Supporting insights:
- Best Practices and Metrics in Reporting on Corporate Citizenship and Philanthropy (report to be published prior to conference)
- CSR Impact Measurement: What to Measure, and How to Celebrate Your Results (Webcast On-Demand)
- The Impact of Corporate Citizenship on Shareholder Value (Report)

Andrew Jones, Senior Researcher, The Conference Board

Jenny Robertson, Director ESG Strategy & Insights, AT&T

Martin Whittaker, CEO, JUST Capital

Farron Levy, Chief Executive Officer, True Impact LLC

05:10 PM - 05:30 PM ET

Closing Remarks: Bringing It All Together in a Framework for Your Strategic Planning

This session will synthesize the lessons from the day on emerging social and environmental challenges, the role of corporate citizenship in addressing those challenges, stakeholder expectations, developing and executing strategy, improving efficiency and impact, telling your story effectively, and the skills and capabilities citizenship leaders will need to succeed.

Paul Washington, Executive Director, ESG Center, The Conference Board

Jeff Hoffman, Institute Leader, Corporate Citizenship & Philanthropy, The Conference Board

05:30 PM - 06:00 PM ET

Reception and Networking