Marking the milestone in Hong Kong 28-29 September
ASrIA 10th Anniversary Conference
HONG KONG--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sustainable finance will be at the top of the agenda for policy makers, asset owners, fund managers, advisers and corporations from across the value chain when they meet in Hong Kong to explore common ground and mark a significant industry milestone at the ASrIA 10th Anniversary Conference on 28-29 September 2011, at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Hotel.
International leaders and experts from the Asia Pacific region will examine the progress, share perspectives on key challenges facing the industry to shape Asia's next decade. ASrIA is at the forefront of sustainable growth, providing industry leadership, in-depth studies and valuable resources to sovereign wealth funds, regulators, asset managers, corporates, service providers and policy groups.
"As the global centre of gravity shifts towards Asia, this unique opportunity will examine how Asian financial markets are approaching sustainability and highlight best practice and innovation in both the developed and emerging economies," says ASrIA chair Alexandra Tracy. "Participants from across the financial eco-system will debate key issues to explore the opportunities and challenges for scaling up sustainable finance in Asia Pacific region. We hope ASrIA's 10th Anniversary Conference will chart the path for the next ten years of responsible investment and sustainability practice."
"Investing in a socially and environmentally sustainable way has emerged as a winning value proposition in Asia -- it's prudent risk management and leaves lasting benefits for communities and investors," says Sérgio Pimenta, East Asia and Pacific Director at IFC, the member of the World Bank Group focused on private sector development in emerging markets. "We are a key sponsor of ASrIA's 10th Anniversary Conference because we need to discuss how to scale-up sustainable investments dramatically. Our future depends on it."
Delegates will identify and address issues that are common to and unique within markets across this diverse region, such as China, India, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippine, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Australia and Vietnam. Respected industry leaders will tackle climate change, shareholder engagement and disclosure, environmental, social, minority rights and discuss the current status of the sustainable finance industry in industrialised, maturing and emerging markets across Asia. Attendees include senior executives and decision makers comprising representatives from listed equities, debts, alternative assets and impact investing, regulators, capital markets, SRI pioneers, corporates, civil society and NGOs.
IFC is a major sponsor and other sponsors include SAM (founding ASrIA member), Dow Jones Indexes, Bloomberg LP, Sindicatum Carbon Capital and NewForests enabling participants to seek industry agreement on key priorities for the next decade when setting goals for sustainable finance in the region and beyond. Details about sustainable finance are available at www.ASrIA.org, providing the latest information, online resources and the 10th Anniversary Conference registration.
More Quotes for Editors' Use
Sponsors
Rodrigo Amandi of Sustainable Asset Management (SAM) "The conference allows for discussion of balancing the economy, society and environment, and the advancement of international best practice in sustainable finance in Asia. I am confident that in the next decade, Asia's financial markets will become increasingly aware of the opportunities from sustainable investment and financing."
"We are delighted to be a sponsor of ASRIA's 10th Anniversary Conference," said David Brand, Managing Director of New Forests, Pty Ltd. "The conference will showcase best practice in sustainable and responsible investment and demonstrate that the Asian economy is not only a great growth opportunity, but a place where economic, social and environmental issues will need to be integrated. These opportunities are not solely in the debt and listed equity markets, but also in alternative assets such as natural resources and infrastructure."
Delegates
"I believe it is important to understand how our institutional investor peers work with their investment managers to incentivise inclusion of corporate governance issues in asset allocation and portfolio construction for the future sustainability and growth of Asia's investment industry, especially investments for the pension plans/funds. I look forward to working with ASrIA to advance the industry's development," said Ka Shi Lau, Vice-Chair of the Hong Kong Trustees' Association.
Speakers
"There seems to be an emerging consensus that ESG issues need to be at the heart and centre of the plan, as India embarks on the growth journey for the next decade," says Sumantra Sen, Founder and Principal Researcher at Responsible Investment Research Association (RIRA). "It may be great opportunity for the domestic institutions, policy makers and other key stakeholders to participate in ASrIA's 'Across the Value Chain' conference in September this year to learn and share some of the best practices with peers in the region."
"As the market regulator, we want to strengthen ESG reporting among listed companies for their own benefit, and also for the benefit of investors," says Mark Dickens, Head of Listing Division, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing.
"At ASrIA's 10th Anniversary Conference I look forward to sharing our experiences in responsible investing with my institutional investor peers in Asia," says David Russell, Co-Head of Responsible Investment at Universities Superannuation Scheme. "USS helped establish the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change a decade ago. We hope to provide insights into effective investor collaborations and believe climate and environmental concerns remain critical - no more so than in Asia."
"This is an exciting time to invest in Pakistan," says Haroon Askari, Deputy Managing Director & Chief Operating Officer of the Karachi Stock Exchange. "As we move towards becoming a demutualised publicly-traded company, KSE is looking for insights into not only how to manage that transition but also to explore ways to encourage Pakistani companies to disclose more environmental, social and corporate governance information to investors and other stakeholders. By gathering stock exchange representatives, the ASrIA 10th Anniversary Conference will be of tremendous value to share practical experiences."
About ASrIA
Launched in 2001, The Association for Sustainable and Responsible Investment in Asia (ASrIA) is a not for profit, membership association taking a leadership role in promoting corporate responsibility and sustainable finance practice in the Asia Pacific region. Members are drawn from the Asian and international financial services industry with an interest in sustainable investment. ASrIA's goal is to build market capacity for SRI by fostering the creation of SRI products and services and providing training and support services, including conferences, seminars, workshops, research projects and publications to raise the standards of SRI practice and build momentum for SRI in Asia and beyond.
Contacts
For media enquiries please contact:
ASrIA
Rebecca Mikula-Wright, +852 3105 3701
General Manager
FAX+852 3105 9707
EMAIL rebecca@asria.org
WEBSITE www.asria.org
or
For conference enquiries and bookings, please contact:
ASrIA
Elsa Li, +852 3105 3701
Marketing & Events Manager
FAX+852 3105 9707
EMAIL events@asria.org
WEBSITE http://conference.asria.org/2011/