Keynote session: ESG Masterclass
Interview with Professor Beate Sjåfjell, specialist in company law and corporate governance
 
Beate Sjåfjell is Professor at the University of Oslo, Faculty of Law, Adjunct Professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Faculty of Economics and Management, and the head of the Oslo Faculty’s Research Group Companies, Markets and Sustainability.

Her publications include the edited volumes The Cambridge Handbook of Corporate Law, Corporate Governance and Sustainability (Cambridge University Press, 2019, co-editor Christopher M. Bruner), Creating Corporate Sustainability, Gender as an Agent for Change (Cambridge University Press, 2018, co-editor: Irene Lynch Fannon), and Company Law and Sustainability: Legal Barriers and Opportunities (Cambridge University Press, 2015, co-editor: Benjamin Richardson). Many of her papers are available at ssrn.com/author=375947

Impact of ESG on M&A transactions
This session will consider the role of ESG in times of COVID-19, ESG due diligence, and its big players such as institutional investors, private equity funds, and the rise of shareholders’ activism. The impact on transaction documents will also be discussed as well as the matter of sustainable finance for sustainable deals.

Moderator: Anne Toupenay Schueller, Jantet, France
Speakers:

• Antti Sailakivi, HPP Attorneys, Finland
• Anna Mateusiak, Arendt & Medernach, Luxembourg
• Matteo Vernizzi, Studio SAT,  Italy
• Roman Graf, Lenz & Staehelin, Switzerland

Corporate aspects: ESG in the boardroom and the impact of M&A on diversity and inclusion
The focus of this session will be on corporate aspects of ESG and D&I. It will start with talks on corporate-related ESG policies and their implementation and how its reporting works. Then, a debate on shareholders vs. stakeholders and their impact in the boardroom regarding D&I practices will follow. 

Moderator: Xavi Costa, Roca Juvent, Spain 
Speakers:

• Milena Prisco, CBA, Italy
• Philip Rosenauer, PHH, Austria
• Pieter Van den Broeck, Monard Law, Belgium

The role of law firms in the transition towards sustainability
Presentation of the Report “The Law Firm Climate Change Scorecard”: the last academic session will raise questions on diversity and sustainability measurement within the law firms and share practical knowledge on how to reduce the impact of our work to the benefit of everyone.

Moderator: Michael Eitle, Blum&Grob, Switzerland
Speakers:

• Roberto Randazzo, ESELA / R&P Tax and Legal, Italy
• Giuseppe Taffari, ESELA / R&P Tax and Legal, Italy
• Hugo Texeira, Abreu, Portugal
• Tim Hirschel-Burns, Law Students for Climate Accountability, USA