Sustainability, Investors and You: Understanding the IR implications of the increasing interest in sustainability issues

February 11, 2010 10:00 AM CT

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From the headlines about the Copenhagen Conference on climate change ... to the trend toward greater regulatory oversight and reporting on social and environmental impacts ... to an increasing number of MBA programs requiring students complete coursework on sustainability and social responsibility ... interest in environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors is truly mainstream. In fact, more than 600 institutional investors collectively representing about $18 trillion in assets under management are signatories to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment.

Every company needs to be cognizant of and address ESG factors because every company interacts with and impacts its social, physical and economic environments through its products, services and operations. Increasingly, investors view ESG performance as a proxy for management quality as it provides insight into how a company approaches and manages its opportunities and risks as it pursues its strategies to drive shareholder value.

Join us on this webcast to learn more about business and regulatory trends related to sustainability, growing investor interest in this area and how to more effectively communicate your messages.

Alya Z. Kayal, Esq.,
Vice President, Sustainability Research, Calvert Investments
Ms. Kayal oversees Calvert's company research and analysis in measuring ESG practices of companies and how those translate into performance. Ms. Kayal has focused on human rights and labor rights in the global supply chains of key retail sectors such as footwear, apparel and toys, as well as on corporate impact on the rights of Indigenous Peoples around the world. Her expertise has not only contributed to Calvert's leadership on these issues, but also earned her a reputation as one of the foremost human rights practitioners in the SRI community. Ms. Kayal serves on the Steering Committee of the International Working Group (IWG) of the Social Investment Forum. Before coming to Calvert in 1994, Ms. Kayal worked at the US Department of Labor's International Labor Affairs Bureau; the US Information Agency; and the United Nations. She is a co-author of The Forty-Fourth Session of the United Nations Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities and the Special Session of the Commission on Human Rights on the Situation in the Former Yugoslavia, 15 Human Rights Quarterly (1993) and authored the Human Rights chapter of the Calvert-Henderson Quality of Life Indicators. She earned a JD from the University of Minnesota Law School and a BA in Sociology and International Communications from Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey.

Elizabeth Elliott McGeveran
Senior Vice President, Governance & Sustainable Investment
For ten years, Elizabeth has led the North American corporate governance, social and environmental analysis and engagement activity for F&C Management, Ltd.'s, which manages $158 billion (as of 30 September 2000). Specializing in the oil and gas, banking and pharmaceutical sectors, she holds private discussions with companies on board structure, executive compensation, climate change, labor standards, human rights, and environmental management. She monitors US policy, votes proxies and joins or leads collaborative investor dialogue with US companies such as Citigroup, EMC, ExxonMobil, General Electric, Merck and Wal-Mart. Formerly, Elizabeth was the Managing Director of Co-op America and the Media Director of the US Social Investment Forum.

Mike Wallace
Director of Sustainability Reporting Framework, Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)
Mike has almost 20-years experience providing strategic advisory services to corporations, governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) seeking to develop sustainability initiatives. As Director of Sustainability Reporting Framework (SuRF), Mike is directly responsible for the team charged with maintaining the integrity and the development of the SuRF. In addition, Mike represents GRI externally with regards to the application and development of the GRI Sustainability Reporting Framework and is a member of the GRI's Senior Management Team. Previously, Mike headed his own consulting firm where he worked with well-known multinational corporations and internationally recognized non-profit organizations. Prior to this, Mike was a Senior Manager at Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), Program Manager for the California Center for Land Recycling (CCLR) and Environmental Resources Management (ERM).

Ruth Venning
Manager, Investor Relations, Hospira, Inc.
Ruth Venning is manager of Investor Relations for Hospira, Inc. (NYSE: HSP), a position she has held since January 2006. Before joining Hospira, she was director of Corporate Relations for Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. Prior to that, she was with United Airlines for five years in a financial communications and investor relations capacity. She began her career in international public relations, living in Japan and working primarily for the Japanese government. Ruth holds a master's degree in corporate communications from Northwestern University. She has been on the NIRI-Chicago board in various capacities since 2004, including the position of president in 2007 and chairman in 2008.

Moderator:
Lisa Ciota
Director, Investor Relations, McDonald's Corp.
Lisa Ciota joined McDonald's in 1992 as manager, investor services, eventually directing all of McDonald's retail investor communications and outreach efforts. Currently, she is responsible for financial communications and programs targeted to institutional investors. She has a bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois and an MBA from Northern Illinois University, and is a NIRI-Chicago director.

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Presentation by Alya Kayal Presentation by Mike Wallace Transcript