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ESG Investment Strategies and Performance Measures Used within the Financial Sector in Geneva and Switzerland


Topic of our conference

According to a recent study carried out by Swiss Sustainable Finance in 2020, the Swiss market for sustainable “ESG” investment is rapidly expanding with a two-digit annual percentage growth. Geneva and Switzerland are home to some of the most prominent experts in this field.
The international acronym “ESG” refers to the Environmental, Social and Governance related criteria used to analyse medium and long-term effects of corporate and infrastructure projects.


Objectives and Guest Speakers

Prof. Eric JONDEAU HEC
Full Professor in Finance at HEC Lausanne (University of Lausanne), and Faculty Member of the Swiss Finance Institute
A graduate of the French School of Statistics and Economics in Paris (ENSAE), Prof. Jondeau holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Paris-Dauphine and is also a member of the Institut français des actuaires.
Before joining the faculty of HEC Lausanne in 2004, he worked within the French banking sector (Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, Banque Indosuez et Banque de France), and was the Head of the Institute for Banking and Finance 2006-2012. Since 2012, he heads the Center for Risk Management Lausanne (CRML) focusing on quantitative risk management methodologies and tools, as well as on knowledge capitalisation and dissemination relating to the systemic risks and their impact on sustainable futures.
In 2019, Prof. Eric Jondeau teamed-up with several colleagues and partners from the academic hub of the University of Lausanne, EPFL and IMD (as part of the E4S – Enterprise for Society Initiative) to create SyRIS, a platform for Systemic Risk and Sustainability Monitoring. The aim of this platform is to measure and manage systemic risks, including environmental and financial and economic risks.

Dr. Antonios KOUMBARAKIS Linkedin
Head Sustainability & Strategic Regulatory, PwC Switzerland
Dr. Antonios Koumbarakis is driving the Sustainability & Strategic Regulatory team within PwC Switzerland. In this context, he advises financial institutions, regulatory authorities, central banks and governments in Switzerland, Europe, Asia and the Middle East in the area of sustainable, circular finance and regulatory initiatives. He is leading several ESG transformation projects, and is the representative of PwC in several associations and working groups such as the SSF and SIF on sustainable finance. His achievements include:

  • Leading sustainability and strategic regulatory go-to-market initiatives of PwC Switzerland (>100 projects)
  • Leading projects related to sustainability on an operational and strategic level from Asset Management, Wealth Management, Risk & Compliance, Treasury and ESG Reporting (>50 projects)
  • Shaping sustainability value proposition for asset managers (Ethical Value Chain, Sustainable Finance, Climate Change and ESG Investment Strategy) (>40 projects)


Edouard CUENDET
Linkedin
Director, Fondation Genève Place Financière
Edouard Cuendet obtained his law degree in German from the University of Bern, prior to passing his bar exam in Geneva. After several years of working for leading law firms, he joined the Association of Private Bankers (le Regroupement de banquiers privés) in 1999 as Head of legal affairs, and was promoted Secretary General in 2010.
Since 2014, he is at the helm of the Fondation Genève Place Financière, an organisation which promotes the banking sector with its over 35’000 jobs in the Canton of Geneva. Since 2004, he is also active in local and regional politics and is a member of the local Parliament / Grand Conseil, focusing on financial, fiscal and economic issues relating to one of the biggest metropolitan areas in Switzerland.

Our Guest Speakers will provide us with insights pertaining to:

  • The implementation of concrete ESG investment strategies
  • Monitoring and measurement tools relating the analysis of systemic risks
  • The regulatory aspects of sustainable finance and ESG Reporting
  • How the circular economy works
  • Examples of how local financiers are developing their sustainable investment portfolios

EMBA Alumni Career Coaching activities

The EMBA Alumni Career Coaching and Networking Group organises several annual events in Geneva and/or online for the broader alumni community (EMBA students, Alumni, Professors of the GSEM – Geneva School of Economics and Management) on current topics relating to the curriculum of the EMBA program. The high-level speakers come from either the alumni community and/or key academic and operational specialists in their respective fields.