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until Ethical Finance 2020
Ethical Finance 2020 (EF2020) convened the world’s foremost business, political, civic and social leaders for a virtual summit to network, share, co-develop and shape a fairer, more sustainable financial system. The annual Ethical Finance summit is organised by the Global Ethical Finance Initiative (GEFI), which coordinates a series of programmes to promote finance for positive change.
It is now widely recognised that the financial services sector has a fundamental role to play in delivering universally supported targets such as the Paris Agreement and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, as well as supporting economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, despite its potential, the current financial system can be a cause – rather than a solution – to some of the pressing challenges our planet and its people currently face. Ethical Finance 2020 will explore how the finance services can support inclusive economic growth without depleting natural resources or leaving anyone behind.
Ethical Finance 2020 was hosted on EFx, the new home of the leading ideas in sustainable and responsible finance. Visit EFx now!
Agenda - click session titles to view
Banking: challenges & opportunities
The first day of the virtual summit focused on banking and the climate. It looked at the risks, challenges and opportunities posed by the climate crisis, and feature contributions from leaders in the fields of banking and climate change mitigation, discussing their experiences and views of the future.
Climate Action – Path to Net Zero
Global banking leaders
Green Finance Charter
Principles for Responsible Banking
Leadership During a Time of Crisis
Banking: technical challenges, regulation & cooperation
The second day of the virtual summit focused on banking, and the upcoming COP26 summit. It looked in particular at issues surrounding measurement of social and environmental impact, and the technical challenges this poses, featuring contributions from central banks, commercial banks, regulators and multilateral institutions.
Lessons from COP21
Climate finance
Finance for Nature
Looking to COP26
Accounting for sustainability
Investment: challenges & opportunities
The third day of the virtual summit featured leaders from the world of investment. They discussed their perspectives on the biggest challenges facing the industry, and the opportunities going forward, as well as looking to understand the deeper implications of COVID-19, and the role for venture capital to create a better world.
Radical uncertainty & investing
Global investment leaders
Bonds With Purpose
Principles for Responsible Investing
The Mission Vision
Investment: greenwashing, campaigning & institutional perspectives
The final day of the virtual summit focused on investment and public engagement. It asked how big the greenwashing challenge is for the industry, as well as speaking to leading public campaigners about their experiences democratising finance. It concluded with a session focusing on large public sector pension funds and their role in the world of responsible investment.
Environmental & social bonds
Greenwashing
Comprehensive Corporate Reporting
Make My Money Matter
Asset owners & sustainability (Part 1, Part 2)
Speakers

Manuel Pulgar-Vidal
Climate & Energy Global Practice Leader, WWFManuel Pulgar-Vidal is WWF's Climate & Energy Global Practice Leader, a former Environment Minister of Peru and Chair of COP20.

Fiona Reynolds
CEO, Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI)
Kate Forbes, MSP
Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Scottish GovernmentKates Forbes is a Member of the Scottish Parliament for the SNP, and serves as Cabinet Secretary for Finance in the Scottish Government.

Keith Skeoch
Chair, Aberdeen Standard Investments Research Institute
Alison Rose
Chief Executive, NatWest Group
Dame Susan Rice
Chair, Banking Standards Boards and GEFI Global Steering GroupDame Susan Rice is the Chair of the UK's Banking Standards Board and Chairs the GEFI Global Steering Group

Eric Usher
Head, UNEP FI
Anne Simpson
Interim Managing Investment Director (Board Governance & Sustainability), CalPERS
Professor Heather McGregor
Executive Dean, Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University
David Pitt-Watson
Investor & Visiting Fellow, Cambridge UniversityDavid is a leading thinker & practitioner in responsible investment.

Michael Moe
CEO & Founder, GSV
Chris Stark
CEO, Committee on Climate Change (CCC)
John Kay
Author & Economist
Omar Shaikh
Managing Director, Global Ethical Finance Initiative
Modupe Ladipo
Managing Partner, Prosperar Development ConsultingModupe Ladipo is a financial inclusion expert and financial sector development specialist with over 25 years’ experience.

Erika Karp
CEO, Cornerstone Capital GroupErika Karp founded Cornerstone Capital Group to bring finance and economics together for a more regenerative and inclusive capitalism.

Simon Thompson
Chief Executive, Chartered Banker Institute
Rafe Haneef
Chief Executive Officer, Group Transaction Banking at CIMB
Nigel Topping
UK's High-Level Climate Action ChampionNigel Topping is the UK's High-Level Climate Action Champion, appointed by the UK Prime Minister in January 2020.

Charles Haresnape
CEO, Gatehouse Bank
Jamison Ervin
Manager, Nature for Development
Margret Trilli
CEO & CIO, ImpactAssetsMargret's 25-year career includes executive leadership, investment and operating roles for large and small companies.

James Talbot
Director (International Department), Bank of England
Barbara Buchner
Global Managing Director, Climate Policy InitiativeBarbara is heads CPI and its widely renowned Climate Finance program. She has been named in the 20 most influential women in climate change.

Dr. Rhian-Mari Thomas
Chief Executive, Green Finance Institute
James Anderson
Partner, Baillie GiffordJames has been the Manager and then Joint Manager of Baillie Gifford's Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust since 2000.

George Littlejohn
Senior Adviser at the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI)George is now the Senior Adviser at the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI)

Richard Curtis
Filmmaker & Co-founder, Make My Money MatterLove Actually and Bridget Jones director Richard Curties recently founded the Make My Money Matter campaign to democratise pensions.

Dr Bandar Hajjar
President, IsDB GroupDr Bandar has driven the IsDB towards significant reform, making the organisation more globally facing.

David Hickey
Portfolio Manager & ESG Lead, Lothian Pension FundDavid manages Lothian’s European Equity portfolio, and leads the Fund's work on responsible investment.

Clare Foster
Partner, Shepherd + WedderburnClare is a partner in the banking team and is head of Clean Energy at S&W.

Michele Giddens
Co-CEO and Founding Partner, Bridges Fund ManagementMichele co-founded Bridges in 2002 and plays a key role in the growth of the impact investing movement in the UK.

Saker Nusseibeh, CBE
CEO, International, Federated HermesSaker is CEO of the international business of Federated Hermes, appointed November 2011, having joined in June 2009 as CIO.

Kaisie Rayner
Sustainable Investment Lead, Royal London
Prof. Michael Mainelli
Executive Chairman, Z/Yen Group, and Alderman & Sheriff of the City of London
Eila Kreive
Head of Capital Markets, European Investment BankEila is a Director at the European Investment Bank, and is Head of Capital Markets

Simon Culhane
Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute for Securities & InvestmentSimon Culhane was appointed Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment in May 2004

Mark Van Ness
Founder, Real LeadersMark is the founder of Founder of Real Leaders magazine.

Leonie Schreve
Global Head Sustainable Finance, INGLeonie leads ING's Global Sustainable Finance Team

Charles Munn
Board Member, EPFACharles Munn is an ethical finance veteran and Board Member of the European Financial Planning Association

Scott Forrest
Head of Capital Strategy, The Royal Bank of ScotlandScott is Head of Capital Strategy at The Royal Bank of Scotland, part of NatWest Group

Hasan Al Jabri
CEO, SEDCO Holding GroupHasan Al Jabri has been CEO of SEDCO Holding Group since April 2018, and has over 35 years of banking experience in senior positions.

Samer Abu Aker
CEO, SEDCO CapitalSamer Abu Aker is the CEO of SEDCO Capital. Since joining the Firm in 2011 he has also held the positions of COO and CFO.

Andrew Cave
Head of Governance and Sustainability, Baillie GiffordAndrew is the Head of Governance and Sustainability at Baillie Gifford.

Anne Adrain
Head of Sustainability and Assurance, ICASAnne is the Head of Sustainability and Assurance at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.

Louise Pryor
President-Elect, Institute and Faculty of ActuariesLouise is a renowned climate actuary and President-Elect of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries

Alex Smith
Acting Head of Department, Strategic and Cross-cutting Policy, Financial Conduct AuthorityAlex is Acting Head of Department, Strategic and Cross-cutting Policy at the Financial Conduct Authority, and specialises in governance.

Diandra Soobiah
Head of Responsible Investment, NESTDiandra is Head of Responsible Investment at the National Employment and Savings Trust, the UK's largest autoenrolment pension provider.

Amy Clarke
Chief Impact Officer for Tribe Impact Capital and GEFI Global Steering GroupAmy is a co-founder of and Chief Impact Officer at Tribe Impact Capital, a leading impact investor.

George Hay
Associate Editor - Breakingviews, Thomson Reuters
Manuela Sperandeo
Head of Smart Beta, Sustainable and Thematic ETFs, BlackRockManuela Sperandeo, Managing Director, is EMEA Head of Smart Beta, Sustainable and Thematic ETFs for EII at BlackRock.

Farmida Bi
Chair (Europe, Middle East and Asia), Norton Rose FulbrightFarmida Bi is Norton Rose Fulbright EMEA Chair and European Head of Islamic Finance.

Gail Hurley
Consultant, Global Ethical Finance InitiativeGail is an expert on finance for development, specialising in blue finance focused on oceans.

Graham Burnside
Senior Advisor, Global Ethical Finance InitiativeGraham is a GEFI Senior Advisor and leading finance lawyer in Scotland, having created Scotland's first Islamic mortgage

Thom Kenrick
Head of Social Strategy & Impact, NatWest GroupThom is Head of Social Strategy & Impact at NatWest Group

David Jenkins
Global Head of Sustainable Finance, Corporate & Institutional Banking, NABDavid leads NAB’s Sustainable Finance team has been active in sustainable debt financing for over 10 years.

JB Beckett
Author, New Fund OrderJB Beckett is the author of New Fund Order and a member of the Independent Advisory Committee for Royal London.

Jill Jackson
Managing Director, The Big ExchangeJill Jackson is the Managing Director of The Big Exchange

Johan H. Andresen
Chair, Council on Ethics, Norwegian Government Pension Fund GlobalJohan H. Andresen is Chair, Council on Ethics, Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global

Jeffrey Hales
Chair of the SASB Standards BoardJeffrey Hales serves as the Chair of the 9-person Standards Board at SASB

Rebecca Jones
Founder, New MoneyRebecca Jones is the founder of New Money and a financial journalist, who has worked with the Make My Money Matter campaign
Over 1,000 delegates from around the world came together to network, share, co-develop and shape a financial system that delivers social, economic or environmental impact.
“Excellent conference, very well organised with great venue and speakers. We appreciate the introductions you made for us which will be valuable.” CEO, UK bank
“Congratulations on organising such a successful conference. I thoroughly enjoyed the presentations and panel discussions and the opportunity to make some great contacts.” Head of Department, global asset manager
“I really enjoyed myself, learnt something new and met new interesting people which in combination is always a sign of a fantastic event. I can appreciate how much effort must have been invested in ensuring that everything was of this high quality and ran smoothly so very well done.” Managing Director, global advisory
“Thank you so much for such an amazing event which we fully enjoyed. There was a lot of interesting and thought-provoking ideas addressed and raised at the conference.” Director, global bank
“Let me congratulate you on a spectacularly successful conference. I loved it, really meaningful discussions, really very interesting. Congratulations also to the speakers for their insights and eloquence. Excellent event.” CEO, global data provider
“It’s easy to get jaded about attending events, but when they are put together so thoughtfully, with a range of excellent speakers and moderators, and where the only things that are pitched to you are ideas, considered views and best practice examples, it really is a breath of fresh air. Well done to all at Global Ethical Finance Initiative (GEFI) for putting on an outstanding event. I’ve never found it easier to pay attention for a whole day.” Managing Director, UK advisory
“What an amazing 2 days we had in Edinburgh, lots to be energised about and take forwards, not least new connections.”CEO, UK credit union
“Thank you so much for the opportunity to speak at such a well-executed, well curated conference. I had a great time listening and meeting new people. Well done.” Senior Director – American think tank
“What is unique about GEFI is your holistic/systemic approach to the issues and your truly impressive convening power across the full range of stakeholders – the audience and the speakers. That doesn’t come about without a clear vision and a lot of hard work – congratulations on the success of that! A truly impressive event!” Managing Director, European bank
“It was a consistently superb event – it certainly gave me a good boost of confidence in the future.” Special Advisor, European bank
“Many thanks for the invitation – I thoroughly enjoyed contributing to the debate.” Executive Director, Central Bank
“It was my pleasure. You and the team did an excellent job. The event had energy, humour and purpose.” Trust Executive, UK foundation
Download the Ethical Finance 2019 Summary Report
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Interested in Sponsorship Opportunities?
There are an exciting range of sponsorship opportunities available to work with GEFI throughout the year. We are happy to work with you to tailor sponsorship packages to suit your marketing objectives and budget.
For Sponsorship, Media and Supporter opportunities please contact events@globalethicalfinance.org.
Register
Ethical Finance 2020 will be attended by over 1,000 senior representatives from 300+ companies and organisations from across the globe. As well as asset owners, banks and asset managers, the conference will be attended by governments, regulators, multi-lateral agencies, academics and representatives from a wide range of organisations engaged in the ethical finance sector. In light of our move to a virtual summit, we have decided to offer free access for all attendees in order to facilitate the delivery of genuine impact.
Please note that some digital content may also be offered on a paid-for or membership basis. Attendees can request refunds for any paid add-ons up to 30 days before the event start date.