This conference has been approved for 6.5 credit hours by The Institute for Advanced Financial Education
Canada’s investment landscape has surpassed a major milestone, with more than half of total AUM now invested in ESG principles – and this is just the tip of the iceberg. Join us at Canada’s inaugural invest ESG summit to gain invaluable insight into the current Canadian ESG market and walk away with a greater understanding of the ESG movement and how to make it profitable in your portfolio.
ESG Basics Breakfast Workshop
Registration & Networking Breakfast
Invest ESG kicks off with it's ESG University workshop, offering advisors an in-depth look into the world of ESG, SRI and impact investing, what opportunities and risks exist and how to use them in portfolios.
Hosted by:
ESG, SRI & Impact Investing: Understanding the Difference & Their Principles
It's critical for advisors to be able to distinguish between the various ESG strategies and determine how to choose the right strategy for their portfolio. Our expert will lay the foundation for ESG principles, opportunities and risks and how to successfully align your investments and values.
Main Conference Begins
Welcome to Invest ESG 2020!
Chairperson Remarks
The Rise of ESG: What’s in Store for 2020 and Beyond?
It's all the rage right now, and while the concept of ESG investments are becoming popular with advisors, generating high returns from ESG products are proving to be challenging. We invite the smartest ESG experts we know to answer your toughest questions on the ESG phenomenon and help you understand where the market is headed.
Moderator:
James Burton
Senior Editor, Wealth Professional, Key Media
Panelists:
Judy Cotte
CEO, ESG Global Advisors
Jackie Daitchman
Vice President, ESG Client Coverage, MSCI
Linda Zhang
CEO, Purview Investments, New York City
Put Your Money Where Your Value Is!
The idea of having to give up market returns when investing for the greater good is nonsense. Understanding the products' core values... now that needs far greater clarity. Join our panel as they look under the hood at how to avoid 'greenwashed' products, help you navigate product availability/familiarity and generate returns without sacrificing your values.
Moderator:
Victor Ferreira
Investing Reporter, Financial Post
Panelists:
Jessica Clark Barrow
EVP, Investor Relations, Waratah Capital Advisors
David O’Leary
Founder, Kind Wealth
Stephan Ouaknine
Managing Partner, Inerjys Ventures
Networking Break
Why Do Advisors Not Sell ESG: The Unconventional Conversation
What the client wants and what advisors are offering within the ESG realm doesn't seem to be matching up. Why is that? Why are advisors shying away from positioning SRI/ESG products into their portfolio? Are robo advisors one step ahead? Take a seat, lead the conversation and let's find out together.
Moderator:
Darren Matte
Editor, Key Media
Panelists:
Rajan Bansi
President & CEO, RBC InvestEase
Jason Pereira
Partner & Senior Financial Planner, Woodgate Financial
Carol Smith
Investment Fund Advisor, Desjardins Financial Security
Lightning Round – ESG Always
Purpose Investments in October 2019 announced that it was one of the first firms in the world to embed ESG principals across their entire investment process. We sit down with the Founder & CEO of Purpose Financial, Som Seif for a candid conversation on what initiated the change, risks that were faced and why ESG principals are crucial in all investment vehicles.
Moderator:
James Burton
Senior Editor, Wealth Professional, Key Media
Panelists:
Som Seif
Founder & CEO, Purpose Financial
Portfolio Construction Using ESG/SRI Products
Constructing any type of portfolio is no walk in the park; and trying to align your entire portfolio with sustainable goals, seems near impossible. Join us for this well-crafted session to give you the ins and outs of how to construct a winning portfolio using ESG products and maximize returns without sacrificing your principles. Ask your toughest questions and get real actionable answers.
Moderator:
Claire Van Wyk-Allen
Director, Head of Canada, Alternative Investment Management Association Canada
Panelists:
Anne Quintal
Manager, Millani
Mark Raes
Managing Director, Head of Product, BMO GAM
Liz Simmie
Co-Founder, Honeytree Investment Management
Networking Lunch
The ESG Apocalypse
ESG investing isn't going away. In fact, it's being driven further and further into the investment food chain. In this provocative 20-minute session, ETF.com's Dave Nadig explains how ESG-focused investors are dragging the entire investment management industry into the future, and creating chaos, casualties and disruption at every step.
Dave Nadig
CIO & Director of Research, ETF Trends & ETFdb
Getting Real About the Carbon Free Movement
Climate change is one of the biggest drivers of change in the world economy today and advisors need to realize that economic issues will have serious implications for markets. Learn firsthand, why you need to get ahead of these exposures, why it matters for your investments and what opportunities and climate strategies are available now for you to climate proof your portfolio.
Moderator:
Clare O’Hara
Wealth Management Reporter, The Globe & Mail
Panelists:
Sarah Keyes
CPA, CA, Principal, ESG Global Advisors
Tim Nash
Founder of Good Investing,
Adam Scott
Director, Shift: Action for Pension Wealth and Planet Health
Change is Coming – Are you Ready for the Next Wave of Investments?
How do you start if you already have a full, traditional (non ESG) practice? Do you go all in? Do you toe-dip? Can you have a traditional offering and an ESG or SRI option? How do you talk to existing clients? Let us show you how to take the first steps to succeed as an ESG investor.
David O’Leary
Founder, Kind Wealth
Networking Break
Lightning Round: Impact Investing
These not-to-be missed sessions are devised with you the advisor in mind. We put an ESG expert in the hot seat for a 20-minute candid conversation on critical issues facing advisors today.
Hyewon Kong
Associate Portfolio Manager, AGF Investments
ESG + ETF: A Healthy Relationship?
Assets and interest in ESG ETFs are on a steadily rise, with 2019 seeing the largest burst of activity. Fast-forward to 2020 and ETF providers large and small are tuning their offering and shifting their lineup for what could be a sea of change in the Canadian asset management industry -- but this shift brings unique problems for investors trying to get under the hood of new products. Join Daniel Straus for a deep dive into the Canadian & U.S. ESG ecosystem, the various flavour of ESGs that out in the market, and how the transparency of an ETF portfolio is the perfect match for ESG ETF investors!
Daniel Straus, PhD, M.Fin
Vice President, ETFs & Financial Products Research, National Bank of Canada Financial Markets