Events

EVENT OVERVIEW:

Regulatory and investor expectations on climate change risk governance, assessment and disclosure continue to ratchet upwards in FY20, while sustainable finance markets continue to grow apace – often well in advance of associated regulations and standards. So why is climate change a material risk for Singaporean companies, and what are the emerging liability exposures that we should now consider?
In a session that will provide both an introductory overview and advanced insights, MinterEllison's Head of Climate Risk Governance Sarah Barker will cover issues including:

• The evolution of climate change from an 'ethical', 'environmental' issue to one that presents material financial risks (and opportunities)
• International regulatory developments – including net-zero emissions, prudential stress testing, and the EU's proposed capital regulatory reforms
• The significant uplift in investor expectations
• Directors' duties and disclosure – international insights from Australia, the UK and Canada – and a preview of the Singaporean 'Chan Opinion'

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

• An understanding of the evolution of climate change from an 'ethical', 'environmental' issue to one that presents material financial risks (and opportunities)
• An understanding of contemporary developments on corporate governance with regard to climate change – heightened regulatory and investor expectations
• An understanding of what the international trends signal for corporate governance and directors' duties in Singapore

SPEAKER PROFILE:

Sarah Barker leads the climate and sustainability risk governance team at MinterEllison and is a director of one of Australia's largest pension funds, the Victorian state government's $30 billion Emergency Services & State Super. She has more than two decades' experience as a corporate lawyer and is regarded as one of the world's foremost experts on climate change liability risks.

Sarah's leadership in the field of climate change-related risk and liability is internationally recognized and has been called upon by governments and institutions from the Bank of England to the OECD and United Nations PRI. 

She teaches as part of the Cambridge University's Institute for Sustainability Leadership (convened by EY) and is an academic visitor at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at Oxford University.  She is a member of the Steering Committee of the Australian Sustainable Finance Initiative, the only lawyer amongst a committee comprising senior executives from the Australian banking, finance, and insurance sectors.

Sarah was the instructing solicitor on a brief to Mr. Noel Hutley SC that is widely cited as the authoritative exposition on directors' duties with regard to climate change risk in Australia (including by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, Australian Securities & Investments Commission and the Reserve Bank of Australia). 

She brings an overtly practical, governance-focused perspective to her advice from her own experience as a director on the board of government- and private-sector boards.  In addition to her role as a non-executive director of Emergency Services & State Super, she has recently completed two terms on the board of the Responsible Investment Association Australasia and has been actively involved as an examiner, lecturer and course materials author for the Australian Institute of Company Directors.