Sustainability as a Core Strategy Beyond Compliance or Competition

Impact Boards EM's "Virtual Boardroom" series are an opportunity for our members and guests to meet virtually for networking and sharing knowledge on specific board themes.

Our next discussion in this series will focus on Sustainability as a Core Strategy Beyond Compliance or Competition.

Despite controversies in the USA about climate science, ESG, pollution control and sustainability, the evidence is clear: businesses are already feeling the impact. Many companies have seen insurance costs rise as climate risks increase. 

​Over the past decade, insurance claims have surged due to hurricanes, wildfires, heat damage and other climate-related events. As a result, making assets and operations resilient to extreme weather has become a top priority for company boards worldwide. At the same time, regulators around the world are introducing standardised and increasingly stricter rules on emissions reporting, hazardous waste handling, recycling and other environmental and societal impacts derived from company operations.   Investors are also factoring these risks into their decisions.

Companies that fail to address environmental issues, or lack future plans to do so, often face higher financing costs. There is growing evidence that sustainable business models are linked to stronger company ratings, creating financial rewards for companies that comply and penalties for those that do not. Whilst many companies see sustainability Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) as a regulatory compliance hurdle, many others envision sustainability as a competitive advantage. 

​With speakers Clarisse Simonek who is Executive Director and Founding Partner of WeESG; Arun Kelshiker, Head of Sustainable Investments at Invesco, a global investment firm; and Mehmet Nane, Chairman of the Board at Pegassus Airlines, an international airline based in Turkey with global routes.

Whether your board’s focus is on ”comply or compete“  this Virtual Boardroom will offer valuable insights. 

Moderator:

Gregorio Saichin, CEO & Co-Founder, Impact Boards EM

About the Speakers: Clarisse Simonek has over a decade of experience in the field of sustainable finance, working with various stakeholders to promote and implement responsible finance practices and strategies. She is the Executive Director of ReDefine (formerly WeESG), a firm that provides strategic advisory and training on ways to navigate the complex changes from sustainability occurring across the global financial services sector.

As a recognised expert and thought leader in her domain, Clarisse also serves as a member of the Global Sustainable Finance Scientific Council at S&P Global Ratings, and a member of the Editorial Board of London Institute for Banking and Finance, where she contributes to the development and exchange of ideas on tools and practices that advance the debate on sustainability.

She is a visiting lecturer at HEC Paris and was an academic advisor for the CFA Institute. Clarisse holds the Chartered Financial Analyst and the Certified Internal Auditor credentials, and is passionate about ventures that meaningfully combine profitability and sustainability at both the company and market level.

View Clarisse's LinkedIn profile here

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Arun Kelshiker CFA, CAIA is the Head of Sustainable & Impact Investing at Invesco, leading the firm's initiatives around impact investing.   

He has close to 20 years of multi-asset and sustainable investing experience, having managed institutional assets and provided responsible investment advisory services at leading global firms. Prior roles include Head of Asset Allocation and Portfolio Strategy at Standard Chartered Bank, Senior Portfolio Manager at Allianz Global Investors.  

Arun has worked on sustainable investment solutions and green finance projects for stakeholders including the University of Cambridge for the Commonwealth Secretariat, as well as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. He is a board member for Philanthropy Impact and a member of the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change’s Working Groups.  

He has an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, a Master’s in International Economics and Management from SDA Bocconi and is a CFA and CAIA Charterholder.

View Arun's LinkedIn profile here

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Mehmet Tevfik Nane (born 1966) is a Turkish business executive and Chairperson of Pegasus Airlines. He studied International Relations at Boğaziçi University and later earned a masters in International Banking and Finance from Heriot-Watt University. He is also a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Programme.

He began his career in banking, holding managerial roles at Türkiye Emlak Bankası, Demirbank and Demir Invest, before moving to Sabancı Holding, where he took on senior strategic and leadership positions.

Nane later became CEO of TeknoSA (2005) and then CEO of CarrefourSA (2013–2016). He joined Pegasus Airlines as CEO in 2016, transitioned to Vice Chairperson & Managing Director (2022–2023), and has served as Executive Chairperson since April 2023.

In addition to his corporate roles, he is actively involved in international aviation governance through IATA and participates in various foundations, NGOs and associations in Turkey.

View Mehmet's LinkedIn profile here