The world’s largest investors at the International Corporate Governance Network’s (ICGN) summit, which runs from October 6 -7 in San Francisco, will gather institutional investors representing almost US $10 trillion in assets under management.
“California’s two top public pension funds are delighted to host this important Mid-Year Conference, and to welcome investors to California and San Francisco, a strategic state and key city in our global economy,” said Anne Stausboll, Chief Executive Officer of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS). “The ICGN has made great strides in advancing the goals of this conference to bolster financial sustainability and restore market stability, corporate value and public trust. We look forward to using this time together to set a path forward in pursuing those goals.”
“Governance and sustainability are significant risk factors facing investors today. These important issues will be comprehensively addressed at the ICGN summit, including the launch of the ICGN Corporate Risk Oversight Principles,” said Jack Ehnes, Chief Executive Officer of the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) which, along with the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS), is serving as a co-host.
“The theme of ‘Sustainability’ will cover many issues that face our economy such as the sustainability of our pension plans, financial institutions and corporations as well as how we integrate sustainability into accounting and risk management of investment portfolios and executive compensation practices,” said Christianna Wood, Chairman, ICGN Board of Governors.
Phil Angelides, Chairman, Financial crisis Inquiry Commission, and Lord McFall, his British counterpart, will open the conference with a keynote debate about the state of the financial industry.
More than 25 speakers will tackle a range of subjects including:
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The new US corporate governance landscape after the introduction of say-on-pay and access to the proxy;
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How to best implement environmental, social and governance issues into the investment process;
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Integrating sustainability-related performance targets into remuneration policies;
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The challenges to managing portfolio risk;
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Redefining the management and oversight of corporate risk.
Leading speakers include:
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Phil Angelides, Chairman, Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, USA
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Ann Byrne, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Council of Super Investors
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Donald MacDonald, Trustee of the BT Pension Fund & Chairman, Principles for Responsible Investment, UK
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Lord John McFall, Former Chairman, House of Commons Treasury Select Committee & Member of the Future of Banking Commission, UK
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John A. Seethoff, Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Corporate, Microsoft Corporation, USA
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Anne Sheehan, Director of Corporate Governance, CalSTRS, USA
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Anne Stausboll, Chief Executive Officer, CalPERS, USA
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By video link; Warren E. Buffet, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., USA interviewed by Nell Minow Editor and Co-Founder, The Corporate Library, USA
The ICGN Corporate Risk Oversight Principles will be launched at the conference. The new guidelines on corporate risk help investors assess how well a portfolio company’s board is effectively overseeing risk management.
The ICGN San Francisco Conference is being hosted by the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS), two of USA’s largest institutional investors and proponents of good corporate governance. Full details of the programme can be found at www.icgn.org/conferences