- The 9th edition of 'ESG Spain 2021 - Corporate Sustainability Forum' addresses the importance for companies to increase ambition in sustainability and accelerate action, enabling them to foster a sustainable, green and inclusive post-crisis recovery COVID-19
- The meeting, whose Honorary Committee is chaired by His Majesty King Felipe VI, was attended by Carme Artigas, Secretary of State for Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence, and Rodrigo Buenaventura, President of the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV), as well as prominent international leaders such as Michele Wucker, one of the most influential experts in ESG risk management, or the director of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), Diane Holdorf.
- ESG Spain 2021 - Corporate Sustainability Forum' consolidates its position as the benchmark business meeting on sustainability (environmental, social and good governance), with more than 1,800 attendees.
ESG Spain 2021: Corporate Sustainability Forum', organized by Forética, held its 9th edition today, consolidating its position as the benchmark business meeting on sustainability (environmental, social and good governance) in Spain, with more than 1,800 attendees. In this forum, the more than 20 speakers have highlighted the importance of accelerating business action on sustainability, from the highest ambition that allows us to respond to the important challenges we face in the context of transformation and reconstruction post COVID-19, addressing key national and international trends from the ESG angle.
The meeting was attended by Carme Artigas, Secretary of State for Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence - First Vice-Presidency and Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation; Rodrigo Buenaventura, President of the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV); Antonio Garamendi, President of the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations (CEOE) and José Luis Bonet, President of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce.
The event also featured the participation of international opinion leaders, noted for their contribution to business sustainability, such as Michele Wucker, one of the most influential experts in risk management and identification, author of the 'Grey Rhinoceros' theory. At the international level, one of the key trends in sustainability this year is the 'Vision 2050' roadmap launched globally by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), with the aim of guiding companies in the development of actions that shape the systemic transformations necessary to ensure that more than 9 billion people live in dignity, within planetary boundaries, which has been presented by Diane Holdorf, Managing Director of Food and Nature of WBCSD.
Raúl Grijalba, Chairman of Forética and President of ManpowerGroup in Spain, Portugal, Greece and Israel, addressed the moment of business transformation and referred to the recent constitution of the Spanish Business Council for Sustainable Development. Spanish Business Council for Sustainable Development led by Forética and made up of the Presidents and CEOs of Forética's sponsoring partner companies. The action and capacity for innovation of organizations is essential to address the greatest environmental and social challenges and trigger the necessary transformations to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a particularly relevant issue after the celebration of the 6th Anniversary of their adoption.
Germán Granda, CEO of Forética and Secretary of the Spanish Business Council for Sustainable Development, said: "We are facing a new post-COVID-19 recovery scenario, with profound transformations in all sectors and areas. Setting a date to be zero emissions and zero waste; guaranteeing the protection of nature, the absence of discrimination and respect for human rights; and operating with the highest standards of corporate governance, among others, are emerging as key objectives in the business sustainability agenda. In 'ESG Spain 2021: Corporate Sustainability Forum' we see how companies globally are reformulating new sustainability strategies that accelerate recovery from the crisis, anticipate risks, strengthen the work in alliance with their stakeholders and show, in a future of great uncertainty, the great opportunity for business leadership and action aligned with sustainable development".
Concretamente, en esta 9ª edición, el Comité de Honor de ‘ESG Spain 2021 – Corporate Sustainability Forum’ está presidido por Su Majestad el Rey Felipe VI e integrado por el Presidente del Gobierno de España, D. Pedro Sánchez; la Presidenta del Congreso de los Diputados, Dña. Meritxell Batet; the President of the Senate, Mr. Ander Gil; the President of the Economic and Social Council, Mr. Antón Costas; the President of the CEOE, Mr. Antonio Garamendi; the President of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, Mr. José Luis Bonet; and 35 Presidents and CEOs of Forética's sponsoring partner companies .
Business transformation from an ESG perspective
ESG trends from a business perspective were introduced by Jaime Silos, Director of Corporate Development at Forética. On environmental matters, the promotion of business action in this field was addressed by the European Commission's Director of European and International Carbon Markets of the Directorate General for Climate Action, Beatriz Yordi, and at the national level, by the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, by the Director General for Environmental Quality and Assessment, Ismael Aznar.
Social leverage as a fundamental part of business strategy was analyzed by Gerbrand Haverkamp, Executive Director of the World Benchmarking Alliance, an international organization of which Forética is a member. From the perspective of transparency, the latest advances in reporting were presented by Jonathan Labrey, Chief Policy Officer at The Value Reporting Foundation, an organization resulting from the merger of the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) and the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB).
The forum also featured the vision and business experience of various leading companies in their sectors, such as Accenture, with Ana Millán, General Manager of the Accenture Foundation in Spain and Director of Responsible Business for Accenture in Spain, Portugal and Israel; Amazon, with Mariangela Marseglia, Vice President and General Manager for Italy and Spain; CaixaBank, with Severiano Solana, Director of Strategy and Sustainability Monitoring; Chiesi, with Giuseppe Chiericatti, General Manager of Chiesi Spain; Grupo Mutua, with Lorenzo Cooklin, General Manager of the Mutua Madrileña Foundation and Deputy General Manager of Communication, Institutional Relations and CSR of Mutua Madrileña; ManpowerGroup, with Montse Moliner, Director of Sustainability; Naturgy, with Nuria Rodríguez Peinado, Director of Environment and Social Responsibility; and P&G, with Elio Estevez, Director of Sustainability of P&G Spain and Portugal. The strategic approach to sustainability from the perspective of Atresmedia was addressed by its CEO, Silvio González. The meeting also included the vision of the third sector, sharing the reflections of the member of the Board of Directors of Forética and Deputy Director General of the Ayuda en Acción Foundation, Marta Marañón.
- All the information about the event at: http://foretica.org/esgspain/
- See press release here
- Download press release here
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