Summit’s Overview
The adoption of environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria in the investment decision-making process and investment selection is a rapidly emerging trend from the point of view of both investors and asset managers worldwide. Companies’ non-financial performance is examined through corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports and risk profiles.
Climate risk and green investments are an increasingly dominant topic of political, social and economic debate. Despite the difficulty of dealing with these risks – mainly due to the lack of reliable and consistent data – many banks and businesses have begun to incorporate ESG climate risk factors into their risk processes and strategic planning.
At the 1st Athens ESG & Climate Crisis Summit, keynote speakers and institutional and business policymakers will analyze the main benefits and challenges of climate risk integration and expectations regarding the ESG indices.
Language options: English & Greek
The 1st Athens ESG & Climate Crisis Summit, conceived and organized by Kathimerini, will take place on October 19 and 20 at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center.
Participants in this first “Kathimerini Summits” conference include Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, leading government ministers, Executive Vice President of the European Commission for the European Green Deal Frans Timmermans, as well as several leaders, the United States and German ambassadors, commercial heavyweights, and policymakers from both the public and private sector.
The summit will focus on the great challenges, expectations, and the solutions of businesses and regulatory authorities in confronting climate change and adopting environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) policies and standards.
On the afternoon of the first day of the summit, Tuesday, October 19, Todd Stern, United States special envoy for climate change and the US chief negotiator at the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, will be sharing his insight.
On the same day, of particular note will be a conversation between the Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Christos Stylianides, who previously served as European commissioner for humanitarian aid and crisis management, and high school and university students. The young people will share their worries and concerns on the threat of climate change with the minister.
Additionally, Alexandra Sdoukou, the secretary-general of energy and mineral resources at the Ministry for the Environment and Energy, Dimitri Papalexopoulos, chairman of the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises, members of the European Parliament, and many other leading figures from both the political and business world will provide a framework for sustainable growth and the value of ESG criteria. The important role of the European Green Deal and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations in entrepreneurship, as well as the legal and regulatory framework of ESG criteria, will all be discussed.
On Wednesday, October 20, the focus of the 1st Athens ESG & Climate Crisis Summit will turn to climate change and its associated risks, which often exclusively set the political, social and economic agenda. Kostas A. Karamanlis, minister of transport and infrastructure, and Vassilis Kikilias, minister of tourism, will share their crucial insight on the matter.
A fireside chat between the prime minister and renowned Columbia economist Jeffrey Sachs, sustainable development specialist and author of multiple best-selling books, promises to be very interesting.
Other confirmed speakers include Environment and Energy Minister Konstantinos Skrekas, United States Ambassador to Greece Geoffrey R. Pyatt, German Ambassador to Greece Ernst Reichel, President of the Regulatory Authority for Energy Dr Athanasios Dagoumas, Chair of the Hellenic Capital Market Commission Vassiliki Lazarakou, Director the Bank of Greece’s Climate Change and Sustainability Center Theodora Antonakaki, Chief Markets Operation and Business Development Officer at the Athens Exchange Group Michael Andreadis, Chair of the Board of Directors at CSR Hellas Maria Alexiou, and others.
