UN Global Compact Network UK Annual Summit

Welcome speeches from:

Rt Hon the Lord Mayor
Alderman Nicholas Lyons
City of London

David Schofield
Chair
UN Global Compact Network UK

10:15-11:10 • Mon, 16th Oct
PANEL
Driving a Just & Green Transition

How are business, finance, and government driving a just and green transition that delivers a sustainable, resilient, and inclusive zero-carbon economy? 

Delivering the net zero transition is essential. But the transition must be fair and inclusive to successfully transform to a sustainable and resilient zero-carbon economy that leaves no one behind. Recognising the urgent need to address climate change and inequality, businesses are looking for the UK to lead in delivering a just and green transition.

The panel discussion with high-level executives and government representatives explored the intersectionality of environmental and social issues, the social and economic opportunities of a just transition, why delivering a just transition will be critical to achieving a zero-carbon economy and reducing systemic risks, how the UK’s policy frameworks are supporting a just transition, and what we need to do to accelerate progress through collaboration between government, business, and civil society.

SPEAKERS:

MODERATOR
Dr Sue Armstrong-Brown
Global Director, Environmental Impact and Thought Leadership
CDP

Benj Sykes
Head of Environment, Consenting & External Affairs
Ørsted

Chris Hayward
Policy Chairman
City of London Corporation

Elaine Mitchel-Hill
ESG & Human Rights Director
Marshalls

Tessa Vincent
Race to Zero Policy & Engagement Lead
Climate Champions

11:15-11:50 • Mon, 16th Oct
FIRESIDE CHAT
Advancing Culture Change for Transformational Governance

Does the ‘G’ in ESG hold the key to real progress on environmental and social sustainability?

The 2023 Net Positive Employee Barometer survey found that two-thirds of UK employees want to work for a company that positively impacts the world, and almost two-thirds say efforts by businesses to tackle environmental and societal challenges do not go far enough. Many employees who responded to the survey believe their senior leaders don’t care.

Kate Gibson, Head of ESG at Diageo, and Hannah Pathak, International Managing Director at Forum for the Future, discussed how transformational governance can help companies serve the communities in which they operate, more closely align with external stakeholder expectations, and keep employees engaged, and how senior leaders can create the culture change necessary to advance corporate sustainability.

SPEAKERS:

Hannah Pathak
International Managing Director
Forum for the Future 

Kate Gibson
Global Head of ESG
Diageo

11:50 - 12:45 • Mon, 16th Oct
PANEL
Innovating to Accelerate the Climate Transition

How are businesses using creative and innovative technologies and products to meet their net-zero ambitions? 

As new innovative technologies appear at an increasingly rapid rate, it can be difficult to understand and gauge those that show genuine promise to deliver overall positive outcomes and advance sustainability objectives, minimising the risk of unintended consequences.

Emerging technologies will play an important role in supporting the transition to a net zero, nature positive future. In this webinar we heard from businesses investing in innovative new technologies to support existing solutions (e.g., decarbonisation of the grid system; regenerative agriculture) to the climate and nature-related risks faced by governments and businesses around the world.

We explored how innovators can demonstrate how their new technologies address genuine barriers to a better world, as well as how large businesses can effectively identify and assess the opportunities and potential drawbacks of new technologies.

This session was supported by HH Global.

SPEAKERS:

MODERATOR
Harriet Lamb
CEO
WRAP

Kevin Dunckley
Chief Sustainability Officer
HH Global

Chris Kimmett
Chief Operating Officer
Reactive Technologies

Natalie Smith
Head of Sustainable Agriculture
Tesco

13:45 - 14:35 • Mon, 16th Oct
PANEL
Accelerating the SDGs through Corporate Investment

How can CFOs align investment opportunities with the Sustainable Development Goals as a catalyst for growth and social impact?

CFOs are uniquely positioned to reshape the future of corporate finance and investment. Responsible for trillions of pounds worth of investment, it is increasingly acknowledged that their capital can and should be used as a catalyst for growth and social impact. Yet the United Nations has estimated that the world will need to spend between $3 trillion to $5 trillion annually to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, and according to the Institute of International Finance, ESG debt issuance fell by $200 billion in 2022.

This interactive fireside chat brought together CFOs to share how they are mobilising corporate finance and investments to achieve their business objectives and contribute to the SDGs. 

SPEAKERS:

MODERATOR
Steve Kenzie
Executive Director
UN Global Compact Network UK

Catherine Howarth
CEO
ShareAction

Richard Colbert
Chief Financial Officer
Monica Vinader

Rakesh Thakrar
Group Chief Financial Officer
Phoenix Group

14:40 - 15:10 • Mon, 16th Oct
FIRESIDE CHAT
Measuring the S in ESG

How can organisations integrate social sustainability reporting into their broader corporate reporting and disclosure practices?

Proactive measures to achieve social sustainability can unlock new markets, help retain and attract business partners, and be the source of innovation for new products or service lines. Employee morale and engagement may rise while productivity, risk management, and company-community relations improve. Despite this, measuring impact of the ‘S’ in ESG has not become mainstream for companies in the way that measuring the ‘E’ has.

Industry leaders discussed what metrics they use to measure and report on their social sustainability performance, how they compare their social sustainability performance to their peers and industry benchmarks, how they tackle staying up to date with evolving standards and best practices, and how they communicate the value of their social impact to investors and other stakeholders.

SPEAKERS:

Richard Howitt
Former CEO
International Sustainability Standards Board

Professor Zoe Trodd
Director of the Rights Lab
The University of Nottingham

Matt Sparkes
Sustainability Director
Linklaters

15:25 - 15:35 • Mon, 16th Oct
LAUNCH
Launch of the SDG Playbook for SMEs

Accounting for 99% of businesses in the UK, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the engine of private-sector growth. By integrating the SDGs into business strategy and operations, SMEs can lower operational costs and risk, strengthen customer loyalty, unlock new revenue streams, and improve relations with employees, suppliers, and other stakeholders. In the face of increased investor pressure, SMEs struggle to balance operational costs and capital expenditure with the potential benefits of implementing robust, data-led, and transparent sustainability strategies.

The UN Global Compact Network UK, in partnership with Irwin Mitchell, launched the SDG Playbook for SMEs: a step-by-step guide to SDG implementation. You can download the report here.

15:35 - 16:25 • Mon, 16th Oct
PANEL
Raising Ambitions for Sustainable Development

How can businesses use the SDGs as a North Star to secure business benefits?

Despite increasing business engagement and stakeholder demand for action on the SDGs, many companies still feel overwhelmed and uncertain about how the Goals can be applied to their business.

This panel explored how companies can secure business benefits by supporting measurable, credible, and ambitious targets to attain the SDGs by 2030. Our expert speakers shared their insights on how businesses can identify which SDGs are most relevant to stakeholders, establish metrics and business processes to future-proof your business, and how you can collaborate with business, government, and civil society partners to advance the Goals – and secure business benefits.

SPEAKERS:

Lord McConnell
Co-Chair of the
UK All-Party Parliamentary Group on the UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development

Rt Hon. Andrew Mitchell MP
Minister of State
for Development and Africa

Solitaire Townsend
Co-Founder & Chief Solutionist
Futerra

Uzma Hamid-Dizier
Director of Responsible Business and Inclusion
Slaughter and May

Arielle Garton
Head of Partnerships
Save the Children

Nigel Tonks
UKIMEA Director for Sustainable Development
Arup

16:30 - 17:30 • Mon, 16th Oct
DEBATE
Bold Ambition or Greenwashing?

Debate motion: This house believes that if a company knows how it will achieve its sustainability goals, then they aren’t being ambitious enough.

Companies must take a clear stand and demonstrate bold leadership to transform business models and economies, so they become more just and inclusive – leaving no one behind. Delivering the necessary level of ambition will depend on continued technological advancement. However, senior business leaders have identified a gap between desired and achieved levels of innovation; leading companies to not always know how sustainability goals will be implemented. But is setting ambitious targets without knowing how to achieve them any different from greenwashing? Can we close the innovation gap without first addressing greenhushing? And is there any difference between ambition, empty promises, and deceptive disinformation?

In this formal debate, two teams of experts squared off to answer these questions.

SPEAKERS:

MODERATOR
David Schofield
Chair
UN Global Compact Network UK

Mattie Yeta
Chief Sustainability Officer
CGI

Stuart Hayward-Higham
Chief Technical Development and Innovation Officer
Suez

Ásthildur Hjaltadóttir-de la Fuente
Chief Sustainability Officer
GRI

Peter Bragg
Sustainability and Government Affairs Director
Canon EMEA