Overview
Sustainability has been front and centre of this year’s Federal Election campaign reflecting the importance the community places on the future of the planet.
Organisations have, so far, been ahead of politicians in addressing the challenges of climate change. But how well are they implementing structural reform in their day-to-day operations? And how are they communicating their actions to their employees and key stakeholders? What is Government’s role in encouraging societal change, and will the businesses who go above and beyond mere compliance reap the rewards of the new paradigm? Is having climate-friendly policies the new cost of doing business, and how do you ensure that your actions will make a discernable difference and not be viewed as an exercise in greenwashing.
This Summit will analyse the political appetite for regulatory reform, assess how Corporate Australia can balance responsibility with shareholder return, and showcase organisations who are already seeing measurable results for their sustainability commitments.
2021 Speakers
Professor Jim Skea
Co-Chair, Working Group III, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Professor of Sustainable Energy, Imperial College London
Liz Chatwin
Country President,
AstraZeneca Australia
The Hon. Matt Kean MP
NSW Treasurer, and Minister for Energy and Environment
Emily Woodland
Co-Head Sustainable Investing APAC,
BlackRock
Brad Banducci
CEO,
Woolworths Group
Matthew Halliday
Managing Director and CEO,
Ampol Limited
Steven Worrall
Managing Director,
Microsoft Australia
Alex Holt
Chief Sustainability Officer,
Woolworths Group
Janette O’Neill
Group Head of Sustainability,
QBE Insurance
Ian Learmonth
CEO,
Clean Energy Finance Corporation
Paul Gleeson
Group Director, Sustainability and Managing Director – Energy, Resources & Water,
Aurecon
Laureate Professor Veena Sahajwalla
Director, Centre for Sustainable Materials Research & Technology,
UNSW Sydney
Gyanam Sadananda
Director, Government & Public Sector, Supply Chain and ESG,
PwC
Richard Smith
Director of Sustainability,
Amcor Flexibles Asia Pacific
Sanjay Dayal
Managing Director and Group CEO,
Pact Group
Sally Reid
Executive General Manager, Global Client Solutions, Institutional Banking & Markets,
Commonwealth Bank of Australia
Chris Foley
Head of Energy and Environment,
Kmart Group
Emma Herd
CEO,
Investor Group on Climate Change
Alex Toone
Managing Director and Global Head of Commodities and Trade, Institutional Banking & Markets, Commonwealth Bank of Australia
Meredith Banks
Head of Sustainability,
Vicinity Centres
Tom Penny
Head of Environment,
Telstra
Michael Bartsch
Managing Director,
Volkswagen Group Australia
Dr Alan Finkel AO
Special Adviser to the Australian Government on Low Emissions Technology and Chair, Technology Investment Advisory Council, Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources
Lisa McLean
CEO,
NSW Circular
John Tomac
Partner,
PwC
Rory Lonergan
Executive Director – Head of Infrastructure,
Clean Energy Finance Corporation
Katie Barnett
Partner and Energy lead,
PwC Australia
Davina Rooney
CEO,
Green Building Council of Australia
David Craig
TNFD Co-Chair and Strategic Advisor to London Stock Exchange Group
2021 Agenda
11 November 2021
All times are in Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT)
8:00
OPENING | Opening Remarks from the Chair
Tory Maguire, Executive Editor, The Sydney Morning Herald
CLIMATE EMERGENCY
8:05
ADDRESS FROM THE IPCC | The science, the risk, and the opportunities
Please note this is a pre-recorded session
Professor Jim Skea, Co-Chair, Working Group III, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Professor of Sustainable Energy, Imperial College London
Moderator: Nick O’Malley, National Environment and Climate Editor, The Sydney Morning Herald
8:35
MINISTERIAL ADDRESS
The Hon. Matt Kean MP, NSW Treasurer, and Minister for Energy and Environment
Moderator: Tory Maguire, Executive Editor, The Sydney Morning Herald
8:50
TACKLING NATURE-RELATED RISKS
David Craig, TNFD Co-Chair and Strategic Advisor, London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG)
EMBEDDING SUSTAINABILITY IN THE BUSINESS
9:00
EXECUTIVE ROUNDTABLE | The view from the top: transforming business for the better
- Sustainability in culture, strategy and corporate identity: how businesses made the transformation
- How to harness the power of employees
- The perspective of the board
- What courageous leadership looks like
Panellists
Liz Chatwin, Country President, AstraZeneca Australia
Steven Worrall, Managing Director, Microsoft Australia
Sally Reid, Executive General Manager, Global Client Solutions, Institutional Banking & Markets, Commonwealth Bank of Australia
Paul Gleeson, Group Director, Sustainability and Managing Director – Energy, Resources & Water, Aurecon
Moderator: John McDuling, National Business Editor, The Sydney Morning Herald
9:40
THE STATE OF THE CLIMATE: COP26 REVIEW
Caroline Mara, Partner, PwC Australia
10:20
Networking and refreshment break
NET ZERO EMISSIONS
11:00
PANEL | The tools, strategies and capabilities needed for a low carbon transition
- How are companies measuring, estimating and tracking GHG emissions and carbon offsets?
- What are the tools and technologies that the most sustainably-minded companies are using?
- Examining the role of the Chief Sustainability Officer and how it is evolving
- Social license: balancing responsibility and profit
- Learning and engagement beyond the organisation, collaboration with partners
- Linking business strategy, sustainability and SDGs
Panellists
Tom Penny, Head of Environment, Telstra
Janette O’Neill, Group Head of Sustainability, QBE Insurance
Chris Foley, Head of Energy and Environment, Kmart Group
Meredith Banks, Head of Sustainability, Vicinity Centres
Moderator: John Tomac, Partner, PwC
11:40
CASE STUDY
Brad Banducci, CEO, Woolworths Group
12:10
RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT | Waste as a renewable resource: a new materials revolution
- Green steel and green tiles: Australian inventions shaking up construction
- The path to commercialisation in Australia and partnership possibilities for corporates
- How companies apply innovative, sustainable materials and processes today
- The need to align recycling and manufacturing through new technologies
- Creating circular economies and turning problematic waste into valuable materials
- Green SteelTM and Green CeramicsTM innovations and the need for greater cooperation and partnership with researchers and businesses
Laureate Professor Veena Sahajwalla, Director, Centre for Sustainable Materials Research & Technology, UNSW Sydney
Moderator: Matt Wade, Senior Economics Writer, The Sydney Morning Herald
12:30
Lunch and networking break
ENERGY
13:30
SCIENCE SPOTLIGHT | Australia’s energy transition
Dr Alan Finkel AO, Special Adviser to the Australian Government on Low Emissions Technology and Chair, Technology Investment Advisory Council, Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources
13:50
ENERGY EXECUTIVES ROUNDTABLE | Partners and pariahs in the new age of energy
- Stress-testing strategies for different climate scenarios
- The technologies and timeline behind Australia’s energy transition including carbon capture and storage, green hydrogen and gas
- How is the renewable energy sector ensuring supply and price stability?
- How are our energy generators, resource extractors and other heavy emitters reducing their emissions, and is this enough?
- Is Australia the automotive third world? What’s getting in the way? What government regulations and actions are needed for a robust EV strategy?
Panellists
Matthew Halliday, Managing Director and CEO, Ampol Limited
Michael Bartsch, Managing Director, Volkswagen Group Australia
Davina Rooney, CEO, Green Building Council of Australia
Katie Barnett, Partner and Energy lead, PwC Australia
Moderator: Elizabeth Knight, Senior Finance Columnist, The Sydney Morning Herald
14:30
Networking and refreshment break
CIRCULARITY
15:00
PANEL | What will it take to create a self-sustaining circular economy?
- Circularity in product design
- Where are we up to with a circular economy in NSW, and in Australia? What progress can we build on?
- What is the state of recycling infrastructure in Australia?
- Avoiding landfill: Which avenues do specific industries have to reduce waste, particularly industries such as e-waste?
- What is the role of government, industry and brand owners?
Panellists
Sanjay Dayal, Managing Director and Group CEO, Pact Group
Lisa Mclean, CEO, NSW Circular
Richard Smith, Director of Sustainability, Amcor Flexibles Asia Pacific
Alex Holt, Chief Sustainability Officer, Woolworths Group
Gyanam Sadananda, Director, Government & Public Sector, Supply Chain and ESG, PwC
Moderator: Matt Wade, Senior Economics Writer, The Sydney Morning Herald
CLIMATE FINANCE
15:40
INTERNATIONAL KEYNOTE
Please note this is a pre-recorded session
Emily Woodland, APAC Co-Head of Sustainable Investing, BlackRock
16:00
PANEL | Sustainable investment and low-carbon banking
- How can we fast-track a zero-carbon economy through climate finance and responsible investment in Australia?
- Restructuring the financial system: what kinds of reforms are needed? Are Australia’s financial institutions, the government and the market ready? How do we get there?
- Engagement versus divestment and the role of investors
- Expectations from customers, corporates and from within the company
- Applying and using SDGs to develop strategy and engage employers
- Measuring and tracking financed emissions
Panellists
Rory Lonergan, Executive Director – Head of Infrastructure, Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC)
Emma Herd, Former CEO, Investor Group on Climate Change
Charles Davis, Managing Director, Head of Sustainable Finance and ESG, Commonwealth Bank of Australia
Moderator: John McDuling, National Business Editor, The Sydney Morning Herald
16:40
CLOSING | Closing remarks from the Chair
16:50
END OF SUMMIT | Networking drinks
Health & Safety Commitments
When you join our event, you can expect to see that health and safety is a priority, and that a range of measures are in place to ensure everyone involved is able to enjoy a safe, hygienic, productive and high-quality organised event experience.
All Informa events will be run according to official government and local authority guidance in the first instance, as well as any venue or location-specific regulations. In addition, Informa Australia will follow some key health and safety priority commitments as part of “Informa AllSecure“.
Full vaccination against Covid-19 is required for all in-person attendees.
IMPORTANT: For more information on Informa’s Vaccination requirement for all in-person attendees, our Event Health & Safety measures in place and Conditions of entry, click here.
Sustainability
Our Commitment to Sustainability
In Australia, we are committed to running our events in an environmentally and socially responsible way. Across Informa Connect we are focusing on the short and long-term sustainability impacts we have on customers and colleagues alongside the communities we work in.
We recognise that it’s not just about the way we produce our events and products but recognising that we have a role to play in providing a space to work in partnership together with our markets to inspire the sustainable development of the industries we serve.
To read more on our latest sustainability reports and Faster Forward initiatives – click here.
Venue
Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour
12 Darling Dr
Sydney NSW 2000
www.sofitelsydneydarlingharbour.com.au
Media – 2020 Summit
2020 Promotional video – How Businesses are Spearheading Meaningful Change | The Sydney Morning Herald Sustainability Summit 2020
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