The last couple of years have been full of disappointment, fear and, yes, opportunity. The awakening of public companies to the climate crisis, combined with the urgency of addressing equity in the workplace, and the dramatic shift in working culture, are just three of the forces at play as we look at the shifting talent landscape in 2022. Dubbed the Great Resignation, more than 19 million people have left their job since April 2021, many identifying a need for a “renewed and revived sense of purpose,” according to McKinsey. While this may sound alarming, it is actually an opportunity for individuals, as well as for companies, to find a role with more connection, impact and human engagement. And the booming ESG and sustainability market is an ideal opportunity for leaders to apply their experience. This panel, led by Ellen Weinreb of the Weinreb Group, will explore the current talent market from two perspectives - the employee and the employer. For individuals looking for a senior ESG or sustainability role, we will delve into the attributes of a successful candidate, the specific areas of opportunity, especially in the financial sector, and the expectations of “chiefs” in this growing field. For companies, the panel will identify and illustrate key strategies for attracting and retaining talent, including culture and a commitment to diversity.

The just transition is one of the most important priorities of the climate change agenda going forward post COP-26. This session will explore key elements of the just transition and how leading companies are working to not only decarbonize and achieve net zero but to do this in a way that is responsible and equitable to all. Please join us for a crackling discussion on this challenging topic and hear from corporate leaders deep in how to operationalize a just transition.

Join this lunch roundtable with Patrick Flynn, Global Head of Sustainability at Salesforce, for a discussion on how to create a unique climate action plan for your company and leverage your business as the greatest platform for change. Salesforce is Net Zero across its value chain and released its Climate Action Plan (https://sfdc.co/climate-action) to offer a blueprint for others to accelerate their journeys to Net Zero.

Roundtable Lunches are interactive lunch discussions, moderated by an expert or thought leader, held at roundtables of up to 10 participants. These are freeform discussions, so bring your own challenges, questions, and ideas to talk through and get to know your fellow conference participants. All roundtable lunches are first-come, first-served.

How can organizations go further and faster to embed ESG as a central framework to guide priorities and decision-making, at any stage in their sustainability journey? Our panelists will share their stories around activating ESG throughout the organization. Panelists will speak to the process of how they’re involving key stakeholders and ensuring board-level support for the ESG agenda, the drivers behind rapidly activating the program, motivators for escalating the ESG agenda within the business, and challenges and learnings along the way, with recommendations for other businesses.

The impact and influence of businesses on the world around us is immense. Our major challenges — from climate change and crashing biodiversity to deeply entrenched structural inequality — will continue to intensify, and there is an urgent need for the private sector to step up. We need to reset our ambition, viewing net zero not as our destination but as a milestone en route to something more ambitious: a just and regenerative future, which can be the key that unlocks the rapid transformation we need. But what does taking a "just and regenerative" approach to business actually mean for business leaders, how do we get there and what are the benefits of taking this approach? This session will focus on the ‘Compass for Just and Regenerative Business’ report recently published by Forum for the Future in partnership with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, which sets out a robust definition of what being just and regenerative means for businesses; shares a Business Transformation Compass as a navigation guide for the transformation needed; and provides detailed recommendations to apply this new approach to key sustainable development issues and business functions. Join this session to understand what just and regenerative means for business and the importance of this shift; how businesses can apply a systemic approach to transformative and ambitious action; and draw out implications of this approach on a range of issues and business functions.