ESG Transformation: Conversation Series

In recognition of NAIDOC Week 2022, Mel is joined by First Nations colleagues Gemma McKinnon and Kishaya Delaney for a timely discussion, given Australia’s evolving political landscape and new government following the federal election, about the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the important progress we might expect. They explain its origin, how a First Nations Voice to Parliament could be enshr...

In this episode, Tim invites our disputes team to share climate change and ESG litigation insights. Jojo Fan from our Hong Kong office and Mark Smyth from the Sydney office discuss the rapidly increasing developments globally including greenwashing, inadequate disclosure and challenges for manufacturing and governments. They share their insights on what the future of climate litigation may hold fo...

In this short podcast, Tim Hunter-Jones, a senior associate in our asset finance team in London, looks at some of the issues in sustainable and green finance in the aviation sector, including the importance of the EU Taxonomy in determining what is sustainable, and the role of state aid in promoting a greater focus on ESG. Speakers: Emily Barry , Professional Support Consultant and Tim Hunter-Jone...

In this episode, Mel and Tim are joined by expert third wheel guest, Olga Klimczak, Executive Counsel, Employment, IR and Safety for Herbert Smith Freehills. Olga discusses the various parliamentary inquiries underway including sexual harassment and bullying in Australia’s parliament, sexual harassment against women in WA’s FIFO mining industry and the underpayment and job security inquiries – iss...

In this final episode for 2021, some very special guest hosts take the wheel! Barbie-Lee Kirby, Responsible Business & First Nations Engagement Executive and Allira Jeffery, HSF Graduate discuss Wiyi Yani U Thangani (Women's Voices): Securing our Rights, Securing our Future, a once in a generation report led by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, June Os...

In this episode, Mel celebrates International Women’s Day 2022 with HSF’s Chair and Senior Partner, Rebecca Maslen-Stannage and Andrew Pike, Executive Partner for Asia and Australia. Rebecca and Andrew share some personal reflections on progress made, and remaining challenges, in achieving lasting change in the legal profession. They discuss the importance of a diverse and inclusive culture to #Br...

Mel and Tim discuss a key battleground ahead of the election, climate change action, with Graham Phelan, ESG Lead for Frontier Economics. Graham takes a look back at previous election results to predict whether climate change action and the recent natural disasters will influence the 2022 election outcome – and considers if it’s time to put carbon pricing back on the agenda. Graham discusses the i...

In the first episode for 2022, Tim and Mel are joined by Silke Goldberg, HSF’s Global Head of ESG and Climate Change practice lead. Silke embarks on some time travel to tackle the big ESG questions. After a ‘COP of two speeds’ last year, Silke asserts there is everything to play for at COP27 in Egypt this November, including investment opportunities and the final building blocks for a long-awaited...

Tim and Mel discuss corporate purpose with HSF’s previous Chair and Senior Partner, James Palmer, one of the UK's leading M&A, capital markets and corporate lawyers, with deep experience in corporate governance and regulation. James explores the overall framing of ESG, and the importance of approaching company strategy with purpose and authenticity. James speaks with passion on navigating...

Will Breeze and Helen Beatty consider some of the trends they are seeing in the use of sustainability-linked loans in the oil and gas and mining sectors, respectively, and the opportunities and challenges that ESG finance throws up in this podcast with DJ Chak. Speakers: Dhananjaya Chak (chair) (Senior associate, Finance Division, London), William Breeze (Partner, Finance Division, London) and Hel...

In this latest podcast in our Pensions and ESG series, Professor Iain Clacher, Professor of Pensions & Finance at Leeds University Business School and Lead Researcher for Pensions and Asset Management for the new Centre for Greening Finance and Investment, joins Michael Aherne, Pensions Partner, to discuss the plans for the Centre. During the discussion Professor Clacher outlines: the aims of...

In this latest podcast in our series on Pensions and ESG, Michael Aherne, Of Counsel, discusses what it means to implement a responsible investment strategy in practice with Caroline Escott, Senior Investment Manager at RPMI Railpen. In particular, Caroline shares: how her interest in responsible investment and stewardship began and her career journey to date how RPMI Railpen is preparing for the...

In this second episode in our series on Pensions and ESG, Pensions Professional Support Lawyer, Tim Smith is joined by Emma Douglas, Head of DC at Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM) and they discuss: LGIM's approach to managing ESG risks in the context of its DC schemes and on behalf of its trustee clients the successes that LGIM has had through its engagement with companies and...

In this podcast, Ashley Hamilton-Claxton, Head of Responsible Investment at Royal London Asset Management, shares her: views on how pension schemes and asset managers are responding to recent legal and regulatory changes relating to pensions and ESG insights on how attitudes to ESG risks are being affected by Covid-19 tips on how trustees should go about preparing their new investment implementati...

Fresh from presenting at the 12th Annual Sustainable Innovation Forum (SIF) which took place alongside COP26 in Glasgow, Timothy Stutt, Partner and Australian ESG Lead will share his key takeaways from the conference, in discussion with Graham Phelan, ESG specialist from Frontier Economics, Rebecca Maslen-Stannage, HSF Chair and Senior Partner and Melanie Debenham, HSF Partner in our environment,...

In this episode, Tim and Mel are joined by expert third wheel guest, Lewis McDonald, Global Head of Energy for Herbert Smith Freehills. Fresh from presenting at the 12th Annual Sustainable Innovation Forum (SIF) which took place alongside COP26 in Glasgow, Lewis observes the number of zeros committed to net zero, at least $133 trillion as announced by Mark Carney’s Glasgow Financial Alliance. He a...

In this episode, Mel and Tim are joined by expert third wheel guest, Brooke Massender, Global Head of Pro Bono for Herbert Smith Freehills. Brooke discusses how ESG could be the roadmap that makes corporate purpose more meaningful - and why ESG is different this time around. Recorded on the cusp of the Australian Reconciliation Convention, she shares her optimism around cultural competency in orga...

In this second episode of our podcast series, Mel and Tim are joined by their expert third wheel guest, Antony Crockett, partner in our Hong Kong office. He leads HSF’s global Business and Human Rights practice and is a member of the firm's ESG leadership group. Antony shares with our hosts what ESG means to him, mandatory ESG due diligence developments in the EU and Human Rights due diligenc...

In this episode, Tim and Mel are joined by two representatives from the Human Rights Resources and Energy Collaborative, Shaeron Yapp (South32) and Gemma Wilford (Fortescue Metals), who talk about practical approaches to implementing human rights diligence and remediation in significant global businesses. Contact the speakers: Timothy. Stutt@hsf.com Melanie. Debenham@hsf.com

In this episode, Mel and Tim are joined by expert third wheel guest, Mark Smyth, a partner in our litigation practice advising companies in relation to environmental, climate change and ESG issues, including responding to shareholder activism and defending ESG litigation. Mark shares the litigation themes he is seeing regionally and globally, including regulatory movements on greenwashing and the...

In this episode, Tim and Mel are joined by expert third wheel guest, Dr Cameron Kelly, head of the Legal, Governance and Secretariat team at the Australian Renewable Energy Agency. Dr Kelly discusses Australia’s role in the global hydrogen economy, renewable technologies of the not too distant future and the role of micro-grids in delivering not only environmental, but social benefits for regional...

Following the launch of the Future of Work Report 2021: Remote/Controlled, Barbara Roth and Tyler Hendry sit down to discuss the Future of Work in the US and the rise of ESG and employee activism following #metoo, Black Lives Matter and the Covid-19 pandemic. Speakers: Barbara Roth, Partner, Employment and Tyler Hendry, Senior Associate, Employment, Herbert Smith Freehills

In this first episode of our Australian ESG podcast Tim and Mel are joined by their inaugural third wheel, Herbert Smith Freehills CEO, Justin D’Agostino. Justin discusses what ESG means to him, how the firm approaches ESG as well as what he sees in the broader business community. Contact the speakers: Timothy. Stutt@hsf.com Melanie. Debenham@hsf.com

In this corporate governance podcast, we discuss the FRC Financial Reporting Lab's recent report on stakeholders, decisions and Section 172 statements with Phil Fitzgerald, Director of the Financial Reporting Lab, and Marie Claire Tabone, Project Manager of the Financial Reporting Lab. The report sets out investors’ expectations in relation to disclosures on stakeholders, the impact of decisi...

This podcast looks at some of the issues that can arise when sustainability-linked loans are used in extractives industries as part of the drive for energy transition, and some of the trends that we are seeing in the market in this area. Speakers: William Breeze , Partner, Nicola Kim , Senior Associate and Dhananjaya Chak , Senior Associate.