Vancouver, B.C.
The Power of Many
The 2024 Summit brought together institutional investors including pension funds, foundations, universities, Indigenous trusts, faith-based groups and asset managers. Together, we collaborated on solutions to address the critical environmental, social and governance challenges facing capital markets.
Day 1
The 2024 Summit opened with a keynote presentation from Resident Senior Fellow at Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment, Denise Hearn, on competition versus collaboration for a sustainable economy,
The presentation focused on the pros and cons of financially-driven consolidation, including efficiency gains on the one hand, and lower growth on the other.
Hearn’s presentation discussed the ushering in of an “anti-trust renaissance” and the investor role in challenging the narrative that anti-trust is getting in the way of needed sustainability collaboration.
Learn more about Denise Hearn’s work here.
Our opening plenary was followed by a panel on the importance of bringing stakeholders and rightsholders to the centre of international business practices. The panel included:
- Lisa Nathan – Senior Investor Engagement Advisor, UNI Global Union
- Emil Sirén Gualinga – Sustainable Finance and Indigenous Rights Specialist
- Bob Walker – Finance Sector Lead, Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA)
- Tamara Herman – Associate Director, Capital Strategies, SHARE (Moderator
Each panelist brought forth unique and important views on how investors can move forward with ensuring IRMA standards and Indigenous rights are being respected across asset.
“None of us have to do the heavy lifting alone.”
– Kevin Thomas, CEO, SHARE
The day continued with collaborative panels and sessions on:
- Corporate Accounting, Climate Change and Investor Stewardship
- Housing Affordability, Taxation and Wage Disparities
- Tactics for Effective Oversight of Asset Manager ESG Stewardship
- Finding Investment Opportunities in the Transition
- Leveraging Policy Advocacy for a More Inclusive & Sustainable Economy
- Identifying Standards for Advancing Racial Equity Across Capital Markets
Each session provided a breakdown of these important topics, and included a panel and audience discussion on next steps forward. For more information on our related programs, explore our Initiative pages.
Climate Engagement Canada (CEC)
Climate Engagement Canada is a finance-led initiative that drives dialogue between finance and industry to promote a just transition to a net-zero economy.
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Global Unions’ Committee on Workers’ Capital (CWC)
With over 700 participants from 25 different countries, the CWC is an international labour union network for dialogue and action on the responsible investment of workers capital.
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Reconciliation and Responsible Investment Initiative (RRII)
The RRII works with Indigenous and non-Indigenous investors to align capital with reconciliation, and to amplify investor voices in support of Truth and Reconciliation.
Read MoreOur closing plenary focused on corporate Indigenous relations and investor due diligence.
The conversation focused on building reciprocal relationships with Indigenous Peoples, using capital to advance Indigenous interests, and importance of providing feedback on the Canadian Sustainability Disclosure Standards. The panel featured compelling conversation between:
- Chief Leanne Joe – Squamish Nation
- Aaron Lambie – Executive Director, Pehta Foundation
- Adelaide Chiu – VP, Head of Responsible Investing, NEI Investment | Aviso Wealth
- Geordie Hungerford – CEO, First Nations Financial Management Board
Day 2
We began Day 2 with a plenary on accountability in private equity.
Navigating the nuances of private equity continues to be a growing topic of interest for Canadian asset owners, and the dialogue focused on unique ESG issues specific to private funds, including the growing demand for ESG data.
The panel brought together speakers with experience at both the trustee and portfolio manager level, including Jeff Chan, Director of ESG Investing at Canada Post Pension Plan, Danielle Pal, Senior Associate, ESG at Onex, and Ramon Rubalcava, Chair, Pension and Health Benefits Committee at CalPERS.
Asset owners continue to grapple with new and emerging issues across the ESG spectrum, and this year’s closing plenary focused on a topic at the top of everyone’s minds—artificial intelligence.
Investors are currently working through a plethora of conflicting details related to AI, and it can be difficult to sift through the discourse and figure out how the topic fits in among your responsible investing values. The conversation focused on the complex nature of communicating concerns around AI, specifically how to translate said concerns to regulation and accountability mechanisms. The panel featured speakers Emma Pullman, Head of Shareholder Engagement & ESG at BC General Employees’ Union, and Wilneida Negron, Founder of the Future of Workers Initiative.
In addition, this year’s events featured several opportunities for investment decision-makers to convene on next steps and collaborative opportunities, including caucuses for asset owners, asset managers, and specific convenings for Indigenous investors, foundations, pension funds and trustees.
“We can choose to do the right thing because it is the right thing, rather than just a risk mitigation or a recommendation to fulfill.”
– The Right Rev. Dr. Carmen Lansdowne, Moderator, The United Church of Canada
Save the date for the 2025 Summit!
March 5 to 6, 2025 | Vancouver, B.C.
