LAW firm CMS is joining forces with some leading experts in the Scottish business community to deliver ESG Exchange, a series of free to attend discussions focusing on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) issues.
Throughout March, CMS Partner Jae Fassam will be joined by specialist guest speakers to discuss the real-world implications of ESG through a series of five weekly conversations. The 30 minute sessions are designed to help company directors and senior management grasp practical ESG-related issues including the sustainability agenda, supply chain issues, business ethics, social justice concerns, employment practices, and board diversity and accountability.
The first session, Mindset, opportunity and culture: an introduction to ESG is available online on 2 March. It introduces an overview to ESG and features Professor Kenneth Amaeshi, Chair in Business and Sustainable Development at the University of Edinburgh Business School. Follow-up weekly sessions will focus respectively on Environment, Social, and Governance with the final session on 30 March exploring the ESG issues in disputes and investigations. Further guests will include Doug Heron, CEO of the Lothian Pension Fund; Bill McGowan, General Counsel for the Scottish National Investment Bank; and a number of specialists from CMS, including the firm’s UK Senior Partner, Penelope Warne.
Commenting on the launch of ESG Exchange, Jae Fassam said: “The risks and opportunities presented by the integration of ESG factors is an issue for all aspects of a business and is critical to long-term value and business resilience requiring a strong focus at board level. The pandemic has accelerated the ESG agenda making climate risk and responsible business principles an increasingly important feature as we begin to rebuild our economy.”
University of Edinburgh’s Professor Kenneth Amaeshi said: “I’m delighted to be supporting CMS’s ESG Exchange programme. In the opening session we’ll be exploring how businesses and organisations are engaging with ESG principles, the role of law and regulation, and what action is needed to translate good intentions into meaningful action.”
