GRI in conjunction with Allen & Gledhill
ESG for legal practitioners and COMPLIANCE professionals
Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors are increasingly recognised worldwide as core indicators of an organisation’s long-term viability and value potential. With the rapid increase in ESG regulations being introduced globally in the past decade, legal and compliance departments of organisations are increasingly tasked with managing the legal and compliance risk exposure of their organisations to ESG issues. Legal and compliance teams also have a role to play in developing robust internal systems and controls to seize the opportunities that come along with strong ESG performance.
These trends are also observed in Asia, which has been identified as a key battleground in the war against climate change. Businesses in Asia are directly and indirectly impacted by the growth of ESG regulations from other key regions, as well as those that are emerging within Asia. It is projected that the market size for green business will grow to around US$4 - 5 trillion across various key sectors including transport, power, and carbon management by 2030. Organisations looking to capitalise on the growth potential of green businesses are faced with the challenge of making sense of these regulations and adapting their operations to comply with regulatory expectations.
Overview of our ESG Masterclass
This ESG Masterclass will be conducted by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and Allen & Gledhill. It will take an in-depth look at the changing ESG legal landscape and how the changing regulations in key markets globally may have a knock-on effect in Asia. A key focus of the ESG Masterclass will also be to provide guidance on a selection of legal frameworks and regulations particularly relevant to Asia, and how they may evolve as governments across the region begin to commit to more stringent controls regarding climate change, greenwashing, and sustainability reporting.
This ESG Masterclass will also help participants understand the legal impact that ESG has on businesses and enable them to find ways to adapt to future changes in the market. The sessions will include various case studies from around the world highlighting best practices and how these practices can be adapted to different industries.
Who should attend
This Masterclass is designed for legal counsel, compliance professionals, key decision makers, and business leaders alike to better understand the evolving ESG legal landscape. It will also touch on practical ways for organisations to implement ESG policies into various aspects of their operations to align themselves with industry best practices to safeguard against ESG-related legal risks.
Methodology
The Masterclass will be held over 1.5 consecutive days with interactive classroom seminars, and networking sessions for participants to discuss ideas and connect with like-minded individuals.
ABOUT THE ORGANISERS
GRI is the independent, international organisation that helps businesses and other organisations take responsibility for their impacts, by providing the global common language to report those impacts. The GRI Standards is amongst the most widely used sustainability reporting standards globally. GRI ASEAN is based in Singapore and established with the help of a consortium of 12 leading Singapore-based organisations operating across the region to provide guidance and support to organisations as they progress on their sustainability journey to better communicate and improve sustainability performance. GRI ASEAN liaises with governments, capital markets, civil society, and others to support and underpin high-quality sustainability reporting and ESG disclosures.
Allen & Gledhill is an award-winning full-service law firm providing legal services to a wide range of premier clients, including local and multinational corporations and financial institutions in Asia. The Firm is consistently ranked as a market leader in the region, having been involved in a number of challenging, complex, and significant deals, many of which are the first of its kind. The Firm’s reputation for high-quality advice is regularly affirmed by the strong rankings in leading publications, and by the various awards and accolades. With a growing network of associate firms and offices, it is well-placed to advise clients on their business interests in Singapore and beyond, on matters involving the Asia region. With offices in Singapore, Myanmar, Vietnam and China, as well as associate firms in Malaysia (Rahmat Lim & Partners) and Indonesia (AGI Legal), the Allen & Gledhill network known as A&G Asia has over 650 lawyers, making it one of the largest law firm networks in the region.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
| Speaker | Profile |
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Dr. Allinnettes Adigue |
Allinnettes (Ally) Adigue has led the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) in the ASEAN region since 2018. Based in Singapore, she oversees the team responsible for engagement and collaboration with Southeast Asian stakeholders and companies to create a conducive environment for sustainable business and sustainability reporting practices. Prior to GRI, Ally worked in both the public and private sectors in Australia, Philippines and Singapore. She has a PhD in Public Policy from the Crawford School of Public Policy (Australian National University). She also holds two Masters: in Development Studies (Erasmus University, The Netherlands); and Public Administration (Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Singapore). |
|
Elsa Chen |
Elsa Chen is Co-Head of Allen & Gledhill’s ESG & Public Policy Practice and Regional Co-Head of its Competition & Foreign Investment Review Practice. Elsa’s ESG and public policy experience ranges from assisting clients to map out ESG trends and implications, policy drafting, advocacy, and assisting on legislative changes. She also assists clients in navigating greenwashing and ESG due diligence risks, and the antitrust aspects of ESG. Elsa regularly assists clients in complex antitrust and foreign investments review matters in Singapore and beyond, including merger control, global cartel and abuse of dominance investigations. |
|
Allen Choong |
Allen Choong is dually qualified in Singapore and Malaysia. A Partner in Allen & Gledhill LLP and in Rahmat Lim & Partners, Malaysia, he is part of the inaugural batch of practitioners to be recognised as Accredited Specialists in Building and Construction Law by the Singapore Academy of Law. He advises clients on their obligations under environmental sustainability legislation across the South-east Asian region and on duties and responsibilities imposed by environmental and pollution control laws including requirements for environmental impact assessment reports. Allen maintains a keen interest in ESG-related matters and has participated in an energy transition group that aims to socialise what needs to be done to make a transition to clean energy to achieve net zero emissions. |
