Agenda

Participants will benefit from the expertise of a distinguished speaker: Sir Simon Gass who is a former UK Ambassador to Iran and former chair of the Joint Intelligence Committee from 2019 to 2023. In this interview style session, the speakers will explore the geopolitical dimensions shaping the future of sustainable investing, delivering valuable knowledge and practical perspectives for immediate application in leadership roles. 

Explore all the Exhibit Hall has to offer including product demos.

In 2025, the sustainability landscape is more complex than ever. Corporate sustainability leaders are navigating a rapidly evolving regulatory environment and heightened scrutiny around ESG communications while aiming to build resilient, long-term strategies. At the same time, ESG-linked financing is under pressure, with companies treading cautiously amid market volatility and reputational risks. Banks find themselves at the intersection of these competing forces grappling with declining structuring flow, shifting client expectations, and increasing pressure on sustainable finance business lines. Despite these headwinds, the investor appetite for credible, high-impact ESG investments remains strong. 

This roundtable session brings together corporate sustainability executives and sustainable finance leaders to unpack the most urgent challenges they face today. Together, they’ll explore how organizations are adapting their strategies, innovating under pressure, and finding new ways to drive meaningful progress in an uncertain marketplace.

Showcase how Morningstar Direct helps cut through ESG complexity by finding and contextualizing the right data. Direct helps institutional investors uncover opportunities, stay ahead of regulation, and clearly communicate portfolio impact. Highlight advancements in Direct’s tools that provide clarity in ESG data, integrate regulatory changes, and support customized reporting to demonstrate real-world impact.

To navigate the growing ESG backlash, it’s essential to build a narrative rooted in data and focused on delivering measurable investor outcomes. By examining the issue through multiple research lenses—such as materiality, human capital, and more—we can provide a clearer, evidence-based perspective to address concerns and highlight the value of ESG research.

Private capital AUM has surpassed $14.5 trillion, with the private markets projected to reach nearly $20 trillion by 2028. With private investment vehicles subject to very different dynamics compared to public ones, approaches to ESG and Impact investing vary greatly. Amid a rapidly changing geopolitical environment and shifting investor priorities, asset managers and allocators must work to find common ground on the question of how sustainability is best incorporated into private fund strategies.

Join Vitaline Yeterian from Morningstar DBRS as she presents her latest research.

More details to follow soon.

This year's season of shareholder meetings felt very different compared with prior years, amid plenty of market and regulatory volatility. Lindsey Stewart examines what institutional shareholders' voting patterns this year tell us about what's changed, and what hasn't, when it comes to investor views on sustainability and governance.

The private market landscape has been characterized by profound uncertainty amid shifting investor preferences, unpredictable political forces, and precarious economic recovery. Questions arise around what the future holds for three of the core themes in the private sustainable investment space: climate, ESG, and DEI. Private fundraising, performance, diversity, and survey data provide key insights, connecting the dots between present and future.

Closing day 1 with the extraordinary story of the only person to swim every ocean on planet Earth — a powerful call to courage, climate action, and an unstoppable human spirit. Stay tuned for speaker announcement.Lewis Pugh, UN Patron of the Oceans, has pioneered swims in the world’s most fragile ecosystems, from the North Pole to the Red Sea, to highlight the urgent need for ocean protection. In this keynote, he shares stories from these remote places, the global campaigns they sparked, and the quiet diplomacy - from Downing Street to the Kremlin - that helped turn them into lasting change. He also reflects on what these experiences reveal about courage, resilience, and purpose in a rapidly changing world.

Ollie Smith will reflect on the day's learnings and prepare for what's ahead.

Join us in the Exhibit Hall to close the day off with a networking reception open to all attendees. 

This showcase is a must for industry professionals that are looking to stay up to date on cutting-edge ESG technologies transforming Digital Finance, Wealth and Asset Management. 

With finance increasingly pivoting toward sustainable and responsible investments, this showcase offers a crucial glimpse of the latest innovations propelling this shift. 

Fuel your day ahead and take the opportunity to network with fellow attendees. Share insights and prepare for the exciting breakout sessions that follow.

Sovereign sustainable bonds might have arrived late to the sustainable finance scene, but they’re quickly proving to be powerful tools for change.

With countries gearing up to update their climate pledges (NDCs) and with COP 30 being framed as the “COP of transition plans,” sovereign issuers are uniquely positioned to set the tone for the future of climate financing and adaptation strategies. 

Regulatory uncertainties, the powerhouse Chinese electric vehicle industry and its EV first-mover advantage, and a mature European vehicle market are some of the uncontrollable realities facing European auto OEMs, whilst navigating a historic technological evolution. We examine whether their drive to be more sustainable will succeed.

Sustainability is core to the purpose of many European asset owners. But our research shows that their high ambitions on environmental, social and governance issues is being matched less and less often by many of the largest asset managers. On top of that, regulatory regimes that once designed to accommodate financially material ESG issues are starting to deprioritise – and in extreme cases, oppose – their inclusion. In this rapidly changing context, what can be done to bolster collaboration and ensure goal-alignment among institutional investors? Join us for an open discussion with this panel of experts.

Fund naming and labelling rules in Europe have transformed how sustainable investment products are structured and marketed. This session will discuss the evolving ESG fund landscape and how key regulations such as SDR and the ESMA fund naming guidelines are driving transparency, reducing greenwashing, and aligning products with investor preferences and sustainability outcomes. We will also discuss what to expect going forward.

James, in his roles as Chief Executive of UKSIF and Chair of the Global Sustainable Investment Alliance, offers a unique perspective that connects UK-focused priorities with the broader international landscape. He will explore the sentiment both towards and within green finance, the issue of misaligned incentives and what investors need at a global level to accelerate green growth, particularly in the run-up to COP30. 

European defense companies have outperformed in equity markets throughout 2024 and 2025. However, many ESG mandates continue to exclude them from consideration. How do institutional asset owners and portfolio managers navigate their Defense sector allocation and issuer selection in the context of ESG requirements and considerations?

Forests hold immense value—not just as ecosystems but as critical assets in the fight against climate change. Despite this, deforestation continues at an alarming pace, revealing deep flaws in how we currently finance forest conservation. 

In this session, Ivo Mulder will share how UNEP is partnering with countries to implement innovative financial solutions, driving action to combat deforestation and secure the future of our planet's forests. Join us to learn how we can turn these challenges into opportunities for lasting impact.

Your host, Ollie Smith, will provide a thoughtful recap of the key insights and highlights from the summit, ensuring you leave with a comprehensive understanding of the discussed sustainable investing strategies.

Enjoy the final networking lunch to build valuable connections with peers and discuss sustainable investing trends.