National Sustainable, Responsible And Impact Investing Conference to Address Cutting Edge Issues

• By: admin
• On: 04/30/2015 15:51:05
• In: Events

US SIF: The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment will host its fifth annual conference, Sustainable Investing: Risk, Value, Impact, on May 5-6, 2015 at the Westin Michigan Avenue in Chicago, IL. Featured speakers at the conference include Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation, Kurt A. Summers, Jr., treasurer of the City of Chicago and John Taft, RBC Wealth Management US, as well as Eileen Fisher, founder of the clothing company that bears her name.

Our conference agenda is rich in topics on the front lines of the news---the multiplicity of investor efforts to address climate change; confronting racism, poverty and high incarceration rates; and the increasing interest in creating companies that put sustainability and human rights at their core, said Lisa Woll, CEO of US SIF.

Other critical issues that will be covered include:

• Sustainability as a driver in private equity value
• Advancing impact investing
• Manager research and selection around ESG performance characteristics
• Major issues in the 2015 proxy season
• Responding to the low-carbon energy challenge.

Conference attendees and speakers will include representatives from SRI investment management and advisory firms, research firms, financial planners and advisors, broker-dealers, community development financial institutions and asset owners such as pension funds and foundations, along with policymakers and corporate leaders.

• John Adams, Managing Director, XMS Capital Partners
• Michael P. Brady, President and CEO of Greyston Bakery
• Anthony Cortese, Co-Principal of the Intentional Endowments Network
• Michelle DePass, Dean, Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy, The New School
• Eileen Fisher
• Holmes Hummel, Founder, Clean Energy Works
• Nancy Pfund, Founder and Managing Partner, DBL Investors
• Frederick Rogers, vice president and treasurer of Carleton College
• James Rogers, Former CEO and Chairman of the Board, Duke Energy
• Sonal Shah, Executive Director of the Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation at Georgetown University
• Julia Stasch, President, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
• Kurt A. Summers Jr., Treasurer, The City of Chicago
• John Taft, CEO, RBC Wealth Management-US
• Darren Walker, President, The Ford Foundation

Breakout session speakers include:

• Deno Andrews, Owner, Felony Franks
• Mark Campanale, Founder and Executive Director, Carbon Tracker Initiative
• Patrick Doherty, Director of Corporate Governance, New York State Office of the State Comptroller
• Eve Ellis, Senior Partner, The Matterhorn Group, Morgan Stanley
• Elizabeth E. McGeveran, Director of the Impact Investing Program, McKnight Foundation
• Will Sarni, Director and Practice Leader, Enterprise Water Strategy | Sustainability, Deloitte Consulting LLP

Immediately preceding the conference on May 4, US SIF will hold a training session on Fundamentals of Sustainable and Responsible Investment, for financial advisors, financial planners and consultants. This event is a unique opportunity to learn about sustainable, responsible and impact investing and meet with other investment professionals in this growing field.

The conference is sponsored by an array of companies including Cornerstone Capital Group, Bank of America, Boston Common Asset Management, the Kresge Foundation, Intel, Neuberger Berman, Northern Trust, Pax World Investments, RBC, Trillium Asset Management and Ariel Investments. For additional sponsor information, please click here.

Additionally, the conference is offering the Peter DeSimone Student Scholarship Program, a special educational program of the US SIF Foundation in collaboration with its Diversity and Inclusion Initiative. The program enables undergraduate or graduate students who are committed to or interested in a career in sustainable investment to receive scholarships to cover the registration costs for the conference. These scholarships are made possible through the support of Campbells Soup Company and the Calvert Foundation.

For full conference agenda details, including a list of breakout sessions, please click here.

For registration information, please click here.

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About US SIF

US SIF: The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment (http://www.ussif.org) is the US membership association for professionals, firms, institutions and organizations engaged in sustainable, responsible and impact investing. US SIF and its members advance investment practices that consider environmental, social and corporate governance criteria to generate long-term competitive financial returns and positive societal impact. US SIF members include investment management and advisory firms, mutual fund companies, research firms, financial planners and advisors, broker-dealers, banks, credit unions, community development organizations, non-profit associations, and pension funds, foundations and other asset owners.