Sustainability Leaders

Jonathan Hackett is joined by Elizabeth Shirt, Managing Director from GLOBE Series, to talk about working towards a more sustainable, prosperous, and socially just future. In this interview, hear about how GLOBE Series is part of a group of organizations, each of which brings something different to the table, creating a powerful drive toward a common vision. For a transcript of this episode visit...

Michael Torrance is joined by Eric Usher, who heads of the UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) to discuss the Principles for Responsible Banking, the impacts of climate change and the transition to a lower-carbon economy. For a transcript of this episode please visit bmo.com/sustainabilityleaders

Dan Barclay is joined by Tom Butler, CEO for the International Council on Mining and Metals in a discussion on how ESG policy has evolved in the metals and mining space and how mining stepped up during the pandemic. Hear also about how the industry’s views and approaches to the issues like Climate Change, Water Stewardship and Biodiversity have radically changed over recent years, moving from “nic...

On the next episode of Sustainability Leaders, Darryl White, CEO, BMO Financial Group, leads a discussion with BMO experts and special guests Sean Cleary, Executive Director, Institute for Sustainable Finance Queen’s University and Eric Usher, Head, UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative, on BMO’s climate ambition and on the role of financial institutions in achieving a net zero world. Visit...

Sustainability Leaders’ special guest host Eric Smith, Vice-Chair of BMO Harris Bank is joined by Shelley Stewart III, a Partner at McKinsey & Company and one of the leaders of their Institute for Black Economic Mobility, and Andrea Zopp, a Managing Partner at Cleveland Avenue, a venture fund that fosters growth in the food, beverage and restaurant industries. Andrea previously served as CEO and P...

To celebrate Black History Month and International Women’s Day and in keeping with our commitment to building a society with zero barriers to inclusion, we invite you to listen to this special episode of Sustainability Leaders featuring the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Canada’s 27th Governor General, and the first Haitian-Canadian to hold the office, and a panel of BMO executives including Dar...

In this episode, Michael Torrance speaks with Pavan Sukhdev, an internationally recognized authority on the integration of sustainability impact and natural, human and social capital into accounting and disclosure for the private sector. They discuss how natural capital is defined, different disclosure frameworks, and how companies should approach this subject.

In this episode of Sustainability Leaders, Michael Torrance talks to Eric Smith, Vice-Chair, BMO Harris Bank, and Christine Canning, Managing Director of Supplier Relationship Management at BMO, about the importance and benefits of sourcing from minority-owned businesses. They’ll offer tips on how businesses can create a successful framework for sourcing from minority-owned firms, who should be at...

BMO Global Asset Management’s Responsible Investing team celebrated there 20th year of investor engagement in 2020. In that time, corporate engagement on ESG issues has gone from niche to relatively mainstream, but there is still much work to do help companies align their bottom lines with positive ESG changes in their business. Jonathan Hackett is joined by Vicki Bakhshi, a Director in BMO GAM’s...

Bloomberg recently hosted its third annual Sustainable Finance Week with BMO as a presenting sponsor for the second consecutive year. Bloomberg Sustainable Finance Week brings together corporations, clients and thought leaders for a discussion on sustainable finance, focusing on ideas and innovations that drive environmental and social improvement on a global scale. Bloomberg brings together a num...

November 18 marked the start of World Antimicrobial Awareness Week 2020, which aims to bring attention to the ever-evolving public health crisis of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) due to the overuse and misuse of antibiotics around the world.    Dame Sally Davies, UK Special Envoy on Antimicrobial Resistance, and James Anderson, Head of Corporate Government Affairs at GlaxoSmithKline, who leads the...

In the second episode of our two part series Canadian Energy and Innovation, Jonathan Hackett takes us through two case studies of companies that have found ways to innovate to directly address the problem of greenhouse gas. First he is joined by Steve Oldham, CEO of Carbon Engineering, a Canadian company that has developed a technology for Direct Air Capture of carbon dioxide. The later in the ep...

Around the world, livestock is responsible for more gas emissions than every car, airplane and train put together. What changes can be made to the food production system to support an ever-growing population while also mitigating impacts on our environment? David Sneyd is joined by Jo Raven from FAIRR Initiative to discuss the progress that is already underway to create a more sustainable system,...

The Canadian energy sector is a leading source of sustainable energy and innovation that will make Canada a leader in the decades to come. It is subject to some of the world’s highest environmental and social regulatory requirements, building on Canada’s strong governance approach to these topics. In order to meet international climate goals and raise standards of living, the energy sector require...

On this episode, Michael Torrance speaks with report co-author, Tytti Kaasinen Associate Director, Engagement Services at Sustainalytics and Simon Chorley, International Programs Manager at UNICEF Canada. In 2019, UNICEF and Sustainalytics partnered to develop Investor Guidance on Integrating Children’s Rights into Investment Decision Making. The resulting guidance is directed at investors and ESG...

On this show, Whitney McWade, a Senior Advisor in a Sustainability Group at BMO, talks with Careen Abb from the United Nations Environment Program Finance Initiative.  Careen leads the Positive Impact Initiative (PII), which is a think and do tank at the United Nations. The PII aims to capitalize the finance sector’s ability to finance sustainable development and the transition to an impact-based...

Today’s guest, Dr. Mekala Krishnan, is one of the author’s of the Mckinsey Global Institute’s ground-breaking report, “Climate risk and response - Physical hazards and socioeconomic impacts”. Dr. Krishnan’s research focuses on various topics related to inclusive growth and economic development, including climate risk, globalization, productivity growth in advanced economies, and women’s role in la...

The Paris Agreement target to limit temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels is widely discussed, but there is also a less cited part of the Agreement - the Preamble, which mentions that the transition to a net zero carbon economy should be a just one. Underpinning the concept of a just transition is the inclusive wealth model. On today’s episode, special guest host...

Our guest on this episode is Diane Damskey, Head of the Secretariat of the IFC’s Operating Principles for Impact Management. Diane is a senior member of the team that developed the Operating Principles for Impact Management that established a framework to bring greater discipline and transparency to the impact investing market. Prior to joining IFC, Diane was an Adviser to the Managing Director an...

The fight against COVID-19 has seen border closures, trade disruptions and restrictions on foreign workers, putting unprecedented strain on the food supply chain, including in Canada, where we hear stories of dairy farmers dumping milk as restaurants closed and demand plummeted; restrictions on temporary foreign workers have dramatically impacted the production of everything from strawberries to s...

In this episode we are joined by Jon Hale, Head of Sustainable Investing Research for Morningstar in a discussion on how COVID-19 has impacted ESG funds, and how Morningstar goes about assessing and examining this type of investing.

Our episode today focuses on a company’s purpose and why it matters for sustainability. A company’s purpose matters now more than ever, and social purpose and social impacts have taken a front seat these days as COVID-19 changes the landscape for all economies. Our guests today are experts in creating purpose statements and leading companies on the journey to find their purpose. Cathy Carlisi, Pre...

Michael Torrance moderates a round table discussion with BMO sustainability experts Manju Seal and David Sneyd to discuss the role that sustainable finance can play in our current environment.

Investors and other stakeholders are demanding tools to better measure the sustainability and performance of the mining industry. On this episode, guest host Dan Barclay, CEO, BMO Capital Markets is joined by Tom Butler, CEO, International Council on Mining & Metals (ICMM), in a discussion about how the industry is increasing transparency to make it easier for investors and other stakeholders to q...

Biodiversity is the natural variety of species and ecosystem services that we – and our economies – all depend on. But leading international researchers are concluding that biodiversity is being lost at a rate that is unprecedented in human history. Our first guest is Professor Kai Chan, from the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability at the University of British Columbia. Kai is...