Sustainability and Climate Considerations for Boards and Senior Teams

08 June 2023

11:00–12:30

Online

Sustainability thinking, proposals, expectations and requirements are growing and becoming an important area of consideration for those occupying key governing positions in organisations. This being so, some organisations are more advanced than others in this space, along a spectrum of adoption.

With this in mind, this event will consider the overall sustainability agenda, its sources and the policy framework in force, in Ireland and internationally. It will consider the challenges faced by state bodies, government departments and public sector and public benefit organisations generally in terms of the necessary changes to structures as well as the requirements of engaging with the sustainability agenda (policies and practices), and the manner in which they should report and account on progress and achievements.

With the help of three expert speakers, the event will consider issues such as:

The difference between ESG and sustainability, and how to maintain the right balance
Where the three global reporting regulations are aligned, and where they differ
How to apply double materiality
The capacity of the state to deliver on climate action (key capacity constraints and opportunities)
Leading climate action in your organisation: key considerations for board members and senior leaders
Challenges and opportunities for public sector organisations in adopting, and reporting on, sustainability initiatives
Current good practices and lessons learned

The speaker line-up will include:

Caoimhe Donnelly, Chief Sustainability Officer, CIÉ
Peadar Duffy, Global ESG Practice Lead, Archer and member of ESG exchange
Laura Shannon, Research Specialist, IPA

Speakers

Caoimhe Donnelly

Caoimhe is Chief Sustainability Officer at CIÉ Group, responsible for delivering sustainability strategy across the group. She is also Chair of Global Action Plan, Ireland, a not-for-profit organisation driving sustainability initiatives across Ireland. Before joining CIÉ, she worked in ComReg as an Advisor and Senior Manager.

Peadar Duffy

Peadar is currently Global ESG Practice Lead Global at Archer Integrated Risk Management where he provides assistance to various sectors on strategic planning, strategy mapping, developing risk appetite frameworks, and advising on critical national infrastructure and devising responses when abnormal and adverse events occur.

Peadar represents Ireland on ISO’s technical committees for Risk Management (TC 262) and the Governance of Organisations (TC 309) and is also Chair of The ESG Exchange Technical Committee, a not-for-profit working on ESG reporting and is a Commissioner on the Value Commission of Capitals Coalition.

Laura Shannon

Laura is a Research Officer at the Institute of Public Administration, part of a research team which is the only dedicated public management research resource nationally. As part of this team, Laura works with senior stakeholders at both local and central government level offering valuable research and advisory support to shape policies and promote effective practices. Her current work includes a review of the State’s capacity to effectively implement its climate agenda. Laura is also currently pursuing an MSc in Climate Change at Dublin City University.