BEC EnviroSeries Conference - Safeguarding the Future of Our Climate and Ecosystems: Aligning Hong Kong’s Actions with UN Biodiversity and Climate Change Conferences
Date: 29 November 2024 (Friday)
Time: 9:30a.m. – 5:00p.m.
Format: Hybrid
Venue: The Ballroom, Level 7, Cordis Hotel and Online
Programme
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9:10 – 9:30a.m. |
Conference Registration |
| 9:30 – 9:35a.m. |
Opening Remarks Mr Kevin O’Brien, Chairman, Business Environment Council |
| 9:35 – 9:50a.m. |
Keynote Speech Ms Nancy Gillis, Senior Director, Industrial Decarbonization, World Business Council for Sustainable Development |
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9:50 – 10:50a.m. |
Session 1: Outcome of COP29 and Towards COP30 – Strengthening Climate Commitments As countries set to submit their next nationally determined contributions (“NDCs”), this session shares the highlights of COP29, discusses if the outcome is paving way to raise global climate ambitions in alignment with 1.5°C pathway, and determines how Hong Kong should leverage its expertise in stepping up its climate goals together with the business sector. Panel Discussion Moderator: Mr Merlin Lao, Head - Policy and Research, Business Environment Council
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10:50 – 11:20a.m. |
Networking Break |
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11:20 – 12:25p.m. |
Session 2: Futureproofing Businesses Against Rising Climate Risks and Impacts The warming climate is leading to increased disruptions to global supply chains and businesses. While businesses have started to assess physical climate risks and impacts, quantification and making the business case for adaptation action remain challenges for many corporates. This session explores how forward-looking businesses invest to increase climate resilience. Presentation
Panel Discussion Moderator: Mr Michael E. Long, Group Head of Sustainability, New World Development Company Limited
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12:25 – 2:00p.m. |
Lunch Break |
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2:00 – 2:10p.m. |
Keynote Speech
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2:10 – 3:10p.m. |
Session 3: COP16, Policy and Actions in Building Business Cases for Biodiversity and Nature To mainstream the business cases for biodiversity and nature, global narrative and policy landscape need to be shifted, more capacity building and knowledge sharing including solutions at scale are required for businesses that are yet to include biodiversity and nature in their sustainability considerations. The session would underpin the essential components in building the business cases. Panel Discussion Moderator: Dr Andy Cornish, Founder & Chief Strategist, Cornerstone Strategies
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3:10 - 3:25p.m. |
Presentation
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3:25 – 3:50p.m. |
Networking Break |
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3:50 – 4:55p.m. |
Session 4: Identifying, Assessing and Disclosing Material Nature-related Issues in Value Chains Nature is now widely recognised as a strategic risk management issue for business and finance. The launch of TNFD disclosure recommendations have mobilised companies to start disclosing material nature-related issues. This session discusses how businesses assess, report and act on their nature-related dependencies, impacts, risks and opportunities, as well as the enabling factors needed to support corporate disclosure. Presentation
Panel Discussion Moderator: Mr Derek Wu, APAC Consulting Lead, Climate and Nature, AXA Climate
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4:55 – 5:00p.m. |
Closing Remarks
Mr Simon Ng, Chief Executive Officer, Business Environment Council |
Speakers *arranged in order of appearance
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Ms Nancy Gillis Nancy Gillis is Senior Director, Industrial Decarbonization at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) focused on accelerating the decarbonization, equality and nature positivity of the Mobility, Energy and Built Environment sectors. She previously led the First Movers Coalition, the currently $15 billion demand-side initiative for innovative clean technology, at the World Economic Forum (WEF). Her experience includes being CEO of the Global Electronics Council (GEC) and serving as the Global Lead for Resilient and Responsible Supply Chains at Ernst & Young (EY). During the Obama Administration, Nancy was the Director of the Federal Supply Chain Office at the General Services Administration (GSA), the public procurement agency for the US government, where she was responsible for the inclusion of sustainability criteria in approximately $64 billion of procurement spend. She currently serves on the Advisory Boards of the Scope 3 Peer Group and the Sustainable Procurement Pledge. Nancy received her graduate degree in Information Technology from Georgetown University.
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Dr Fan Dai Dr Fan Dai is a Research Committee Member of Institute for Climate and Carbon Neutrality HKU. Dr Dai is also a Senior Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. She also served senior positions at the California Environmental Protection Agency and the California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development Dr Dai was awarded the Clean Energy Champion by State of California in 2024. Her research expertise includes market mechanisms for climate change mitigation, climate diplomacy and governance. Dr Dai is a graduate from School of Law, University of California, Berkeley and holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Economics and Policy form the State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry.
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Mr CF Wong Mr CF Wong is currently the Commissioner for Climate Change in the Environment and Ecology Bureau of HKSARG. He was an Assistant Director of the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) before joining the Bureau. Throughout his service with EPD, Mr Wong had taken up a wide range of responsibilities, including international collaboration, development of environmental infrastructures, environmental impact assessment, waste reduction and law enforcement.
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Ms Serena Mak Serena Mak is currently Executive Director, Sustainable Finance, Institutional Banking Group at DBS Hong Kong. She provides strategic direction and guidance on sustainable finance transactions while also fostering a culture of sustainability within the bank. Prior to joining DBS, Serena was the Head of ESG Funding Asia for Home Credit, where she successfully contributed to the group’s sustainability-linked financing in Asia. She also held several positions at Goldman Sachs in Singapore and Hong Kong, with a focus on liquidity management across the APAC region. Serena holds a Master of Science degree in Financial Analysis as well as a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Global Business & Management of Organizations from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. She is a Certified ESG Analyst (CESGA), CPA (Australia), and FRM. Serena also serves as Board Governor and Honorary Secretary at Friends of the Earth (Hong Kong) and is on the examiner team for the Certified ESG Analyst (CESGA) program by the European Federation of Financial Analysts Societies (EFFAS).
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Ir Dr Shelley Zhou Ir Dr Shelley Zhou is currently Head of Corporate Sustainability at Hang Seng Bank. Prior to joining Hang Seng, Dr Zhou led ESG services in APAC for Capco, where she developed ESG products and solutions for financial institutions in Asia-Pacific, established a capable team to deliver net-zero strategy advisory and ESG consultancy services, and provided internal capacity-building and external executive training on climate and ESG related topics. Dr Zhou is a sustainability professional, has 20+ years’ experience in corporate sustainability, environmental and carbon management consultancy, new energy and biotechnology in Hong Kong, China and Singapore, covering government, banking, financial, real estate and retail sectors. Shelley holds a PhD in Environmental Engineering from the National University of Singapore and a Master of Philosophy degree in Civil Engineering from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). She is also Adjunct Professor at HKUST and has offered carbon management courses since 2010.
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Mr Michael E. Long As the Head of Sustainability at New World Group, Michael drives the company's vision of sustainable business leadership. Under his guidance, New World Group has launched a Sustainability Vision SV2030+ Strategy, revalidated its Science-Based Targets, and published its first group-wide Decarbonisation Roadmap, which has reaffirmed the company's unwavering commitment to creating future-fit buildings, enhancing organizational resilience, and improving lives. Michael is an Environmental Scientist with over thirty years of sustainability experience advising private and public sectors across Asia, Australia, and the United Kingdom. He works closely with the Board and Executive Leadership to embed sustainable practices within the company operations, emphasizing an approach that fosters economic growth while delivering social benefits and respecting the natural environment. An active participant in industry-led partnerships, Michael promotes collaboration on sustainability challenges across the built environment value chain. He is a respected public speaker and more recently holds positions on the Steering Committee of the Climate Governance Initiative's Hong Kong Chapter, the BEC Climate Change Business Advisory Forum, HKGBC Green Labelling Committee, the Urban Land Institute Net Zero Product Council, and the FSDC Impact Investing Working Group. Michael's extensive expertise and dedication to sustainability make him a distinguished authority in his field. He continually strives to innovate and inspire by simplifying business sustainability for a broad audience.
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Dr Calvin Kwan Dr Calvin Lee Kwan oversees Link Asset Management’s governance and strategy for sustainability and risk management, ensuring alignment with the Group’s long-term strategic objectives.
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Mr Dipjay Sanchania Dipjay is an intrapreneur with a passion for and a proven record of developing business solutions at the intersection of energy, economics, and the environment. At adidas, he leads the decarbonization and energy transition across the global supply chain. This involves program development, target setting, and providing technical guidance to a portfolio of 400+ factories across 24+ countries in areas such as Renewable Energy, Phasing out Coal, and Energy Efficiency. Given that the supply chain contributes close to 90% of adidas’ carbon footprint, Dipjay’s team plays a vital role in achieving corporate carbon reduction targets and communicating their progress through the Annual Integrated Report, CDP, etc. Additionally, Dipjay is involved in policy advocacy and industry alignment on decarbonization aspects through periodic engagement with Governments, UNFCCC’s Fashion Charter, USAID, and industry associations. Dipjay, an Electrical Engineer and MBA, has served companies/clients like Tata Chemicals, Ernst & Young (EY), CLP, Amazon, and adidas over the last 20 years, providing energy and decarbonization solutions.
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Ms Chelsea Jiang Chelsea Jiang is the Chief Technical and Innovation Officer of General Insurance for Greater China for AXA Group. Chelsea has held previous position in underwriting, distribution and claims working with most APAC countries, notably Australia, China, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, Korea and Philippines. Her focus is to drive technical excellence, business strategy and delivery using data, analytics and innovation. Chelsea holds degrees in Law and Commerce from the University of Melbourne and Masters of Business Administration from University of Hong Kong.
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Mr Mickey Lai Mr Mickey LAI joined the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department in 1996 and rose to be a directorate grade officer in 2015. He was Assistant Director (Fisheries) of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation from 2015 to 2021, Deputy Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation from 2021 to 2024, and has been serving as Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation since May 2024. Under the leadership of Mr LAI, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department is committed to facilitating production and sustainable development of Hong Kong’s agriculture and fisheries industries; managing government fresh food wholesale markets; conserving flora, fauna and natural habitats; managing country parks, the geopark, special areas, marine parks and the marine reserve; protecting endangered species; promoting animal welfare; and controlling animal and plant diseases.
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Dr Andy Cornish Andy Cornish grew up in Hong Kong, and completed a Ph.D on reef fishes at The University of Hong Kong in 2000. He spent 16 years working for the world’s largest conservation organisation WWF, first as the Conservation Director for WWF-Hong Kong, and then as the leader for a global marine conservation program for WWF International. He is currently the Founder and Chief Strategist for Cornerstone Strategies, a boutique consultancy that provides tailored strategic planning support to charities, foundations and corporations in Asia Pacific and beyond. He also helps coordinate coalitions including the Hong Kong Expert Biodiversity Group and Hong Kong Sustainable Seafood Coalition.
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Ms Susan Hu Susan Hu, currently working at the World Economic Forum Beijing Representative Office, is responsible for promoting the Nature's Action Agenda initiative in China. The Initiative aims to accelerate transition to nature positive across the three key socio-economic systems- Food, land and ocean use, Infrastructure and built environment, Energy and extraction. In 24-25, the Initiative's priorities in China include but not limited to: researching and supporting key sectors to take transition actions towards nature positive; connecting frontier international agendas with insights and practices from China; engaging pilots in nature-positive transition for key international fora and communities; and working with multi-stakeholders to support creating an enabling environment for nature-positive transition.
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Mr Simon Chan Mr CHAN Kin Fung, Simon is Assistant Director of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, overseeing nature conservation efforts in Hong Kong. With 28 years of experience in the Department, he has been actively involved in a broad spectrum of nature conservation initiatives, encompassing wildlife management and protection, endangered species protection, habitat management, biodiversity conservation, ecological surveys and EIA etc. Mr Chan led the formulation and implementation of the first city-level Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (BSAP) for Hong Kong to step up biodiversity conservation and support sustainable development. He is now leading the updating of BSAP and the establishment of a system of Wetland Conservation Parks under the Northern Metropolis Development Strategy.
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Mr Patrick Ho Mr Patrick Ho is responsible for formulating and executing a corporate sustainability strategy for Swire Properties’ global operations across Hong Kong, Chinese Mainland and USA portfolios. Through engaging stakeholders, setting targets and developing action plans, he leads a team to manage the full spectrum of the Company’s environmental, social and economic impact and to integrate ESG considerations into every facet of Swire Properties’ business. In his role, Patrick works with senior leaders to establish the 1.5°C Science-Based Targets (SBT) to align with the pathway of limiting global warming to 1.5°C, and to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. He also worked on developing the Green Finance Framework for Swire Properties’ first US$500 million green bond and HK$500 million sustainability-linked loan, responding to emerging areas of sustainability such as Climate-related Financial Disclosures aligned with TCFD, embodied carbon emissions analysis for new development projects, and a strategic assessment of the climate-related physical and transition risks and opportunities under various future climate scenarios. Patrick also led Swire Properties maintains its top listings on several global and regional sustainability indices and ratings, including the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (ranked 7th globally, 1st in Asia in 2021), Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB, Global Sector Leader in Mixed Use Developments for 6th consecutive year), MSCI ESG Ratings (highest “AAA” for 5th consecutive year) and Hang Seng Corporate Sustainability Index (No. 1 in Hong Kong for 5th consecutive year). Patrick is a Chartered Environmentalist, a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) and a Certified Carbon Auditor Professional. He sits on the Board of Business Environment Council and Corporate Advisory Board of World Green Building Council, and is a Member to the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) Expert Advisory Group for Building Sector, and a Steering Committee Member of Climate Change Business Forum of the Business Environment Council.
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Ms Sophia Zhu Ms. Sophia Yibing Zhu is the Special Advisor for Development and Strategy at Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden (KFBG), a leading biodiversity conservation organization. She spearheads initiatives that weave biodiversity conservation into the fabric of organizational practices and economic activities, bridging the gap between ecological responsibility and operational effectiveness. With over two decades of experience in risk management and internal audit within the financial sector, Sophia brings a sharp analytical lens and a pragmatic approach to advancing KFBG's conservation mission.
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Dr David Gallacher Dr David Gallacher is an environmental specialist with AECOM and has worked across the Asia region, primarily based in Hong Kong but also spending time in Shanghai, Delhi and Singapore. He has an academic background in ecology and environmental management and possesses experience in a wide range of project types, including environmental planning, impact assessment and monitoring, nature-based solution design, sustainable urban planning, water-sensitive urban design and ESG Reporting. David is currently the chairperson of the Hong Kong Institute of Environmental Impact Assessment and a member of the Hong Kong Institute of Qualified Environmental Professionals.
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Mr Tom Hegarty Tom’s experience centres on building environmental sustainability into corporate strategies and creating innovative public policy to deliver more sustainable national economies. Prior to joining the TNFD team, he was working at Systemiq. There he helped food companies, agri-input providers and investors to identify the risks and opportunities they face from climate change and nature loss and to develop strategies to address these. He previously worked at the UK finance and economics ministry, HM Treasury, looking at the distributional impacts of decarbonisation in the UK, and natural environment and agriculture policy. Tom holds a Masters in the Economics of Public Policy from the Barcelona School of Economics (Universitat Pompeu Fabra and Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona), and BA in Economics from the University of Cambridge. Tom is based in Barcelona and speaks English, Spanish, French and German.
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Mr Derek Wu Derek works as the Lead Consultant APAC at AXA Climate to bring risk expertise onto the topics of climate and nature and advise financial institutions, corporates and non-profits in the APAC region. At AXA Climate, we aim to utilise our scientific expertise to enable climate-resilient and regenerative businesses. Derek has supported clients to navigate the increasing scrutiny and uncertainty posed by climate change and biodiversity loss. Working at the nexus of ESG, risk and strategy, he brings his interdisciplinary lens to advise organisations in addressing their climate and nature challenges, including climate and nature risk assessments and due diligences, corporate climate, nature and net-zero strategy development and ESG training and engagements. Prior to AXA Climate, Derek worked at a global sustainability strategy and insights consultancy advising management and operation teams on regional ESG trends and opportunities. He has an academic background in environmental management and is based in Hong Kong. Outside of work, he is an avid scuba-diver and mountain climber, which you will find him either out in the wild or planning for his next big expedition.
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Mr Eddie Tse Eddie has more than 27 years experience in construction and environmental field and specializes in sediment and land contamination assessment and remediation, carbon/energy management, renewable energy projects and waste/asbestos management. Eddie is the vice chairman of Environment Committee, Hong Kong Construction Association and member of Climate Change Business Forum of the Business Environment Council. He was appointed as a construction advisor in development of Construction Industry Council Carbon Assessment Tool and Sustainable Finance Certification scheme. Eddie is a co-opted member of the Sustainable Development Committee, Climate Change Framework for Built Environment Embodied Carbon Expert Group member and Green Product Market Taskforce member of the Hong Kong Green Building Council. He was also appointed by BEAM Society to be member of Materials Aspects and Construction Environmental Management Expert Panels. He is a member of UK CARES Assured Steel Certification Sustainability Technical Committee. Eddie graduated in Chemical Engineering from the University of British Columbia in Canada, and has a Master of Science (Major in Environmental Engineering) degree from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Eddie is a Fellow member of the Hong Kong Institute of Qualified Environmental Professionals, Certified Carbon Auditor (Cement/Steel/Concrete) under the CIC Green Product Certification Scheme, Certified Energy Manager/Carbon Audit Professional of US Association of Energy Engineer and a Qualified Project Assessor of BREEAM Infrastructure. He is also a qualified assessor of CIC Sustainable Finance Certification Scheme and a Certified ESG Analyst CESGA® of The European Federation of Financial Analysts Societies.
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Ms Hayley Wong Certified by the Global Association of Risk Professionals, Hayley is a climate risk and corporate sustainability strategist specialized in identifying, analyzing and communicating ecological, environmental, and social impacts. Drawing on her background in environmental management and communications, Hayley engages internally with cross functional teams and externally with companies of various sizes across Hong Kong and the UAE on our shared transformative journey beyond net zero towards nature positivity.
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Ms Lit Ping Low Lit Ping leads PwC’s Asia Pacific Climate Change practice and was a Senior Specialist to the World Bank’s Finance, Competitiveness and Innovation Practice. She is an experienced climate and sustainability strategy, policy and finance economist with over 20 years of experience providing advisory services to public and private sector clients on climate change, environmental and social issues and green finance. She has a track record of collaboration with international organisations on the development of the sustainability agenda including World Economic Forum, World Bank/IFC, World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) and others. She has also been part of the business delegation to several UNFCCC COPs in the past years.
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