UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) hosted its Regional Roundtable on Sustainable Finance for Europe on 12-13 September 2023 in Madrid, Spain. This important event helped define the role of banking, insurance and investment in proactively accelerating a greener economy whilst transitioning to a low-carbon, inclusive and sustainable future in the region.

UNEP FI’s biennial Regional Roundtable for Europe, part of its major five regional event series on sustainable finance in 2023, showcased the cutting-edge responses to emerging global trends in sustainable finance, the responsible banking and insurance agendas as well as action on biodiversity loss. The event convened 450+ finance professionals to discuss the most pressing sustainability issues in the region such as climate and nature risk, financing the net zero transition, regulation affecting sustainability integration in the finance industry, and those further out on the horizon like circularity and plastics.

Watch event recordings here.

 

Platinum Sponsors

                    

 

Time Day 1 – 12 September
  Opening of UNEP FI Regional Roundtable Europe – Room Toledo 1+2
08:45 Opening keynote

  • H.E. Teresa Ribera, Vice-President of the Government of Spain and Minister for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge
09:00 Welcome address 

  • Eric Usher, Head, UNEP FI
09:20 Panel: Europe at the crossroads of mainstreaming sustainable finance

  • Ana Botín, Executive Chair, Santander
  • Antonio Huertas Mejías, Chair, MAPFRE
  • Carlos Torres Vila, Chair, BBVA
  • José Ignacio Goirigolzarri, Chair, CaixaBank
  • Moderator: Liesel van Ast, Deputy Head, UNEP FI
10:30 Break
11:10 Dialogue: The world’s foremost sustainable banking framework: reflecting on 4 years of the Principles for Responsible Banking

  • Antoni Ballabriga, Global Head of Responsible Business, BBVA
  • Laura Barlow, Group Head of Sustainability, Barclays
  • Moderator: Karine Bueno, PRB Individual Review Lead, UNEP FI
11:50 Panel: Regulatory perspectives on promoting sustainable finance in Europe

  • Marcel Haag, Director for Horizontal Policies, DG FISMA, European Commission
  • Patrick Amis, Head, Directorate General Specialised Institutions and LSIs, European Central Bank
  • Burçak İnel, Director of Financing Sustainable Growth, European Banking Federation
  • Moderator: Daniel Bouzas, Regional Coordinator Europe, UNEP FI
Deep dive sessions (Room Toledo 1+2)  Deep dive sessions (Room Toledo 3+4)
13:00 Financial services regulation in Europe: What’s next for sustainability and net zero?

  • Christian Castro, Head of Public Affairs, CaixaBank
  • Marta García de Oteyza Kindelan, Director, Responsible Banking, Banco Santander
  • Tennessee Soudain, Head of Regulatory Advisory, ECOFACT
  • Frida Mekoui, Director, Public Affairs, Societe Generale
  • Moderator: Daniel Bouzas, Regional Coordinator Europe, UNEP FI
 Towards Nature-positive – from the drawing board to action

  • Elisa Vacherand, Interim Global Finance Practice Leader, WWF
  • Laura Barlow, Group Head of Sustainability, Barclays
  • Judson Berkey, Managing Director, Chief Sustainability Office, UBS
  • Dimitrios Dimopoulos, Head of ESG, Piraeus Financial Holdings
  • Moderator: Romie Goedicke den Hertog, Co-Head of Nature, UNEP FI
13:50 Lunch  
14:50 State of ESG data in Europe: challenges and outlooks

  • Patricia Pina, Head of Research & Innovation, Clarity AI
  • Murat Bozdemir, Head, Product Development for ESG & Climate Risk Enterprise Data solutions for EMEA & APAC, Bloomberg
  • Marco Tormen, Europe & DACHLI Regional Lead, Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF)
  • José Manuel Marqués Sevillano, Head, Financial Innovation Division, Bank of Spain (Banco de España)
  • Moderator: Michal Piechocki, Chairman, Business Reporting – Advisory Group (BR-AG P.S.A.)
 Financing the Just Transition: Guidance for the finance industry

  • Piotr Dmuchowski, Vice President of the Board and Chief Investment Officer, PZU TFI
  • Miguel Rescalvo, Managing Partner, Neyen
  • Ekaterina Chubarova, Sustainable Finance and Just Transition Specialist, International Labour Organization (ILO)
  • Moderator: Wendy Dobson, Senior Managing Director, FTI Consulting
15:50 Networking Break
16:15 Making sense of the busy impact and sustainability management landscape

  • Carlota de Paula Coelho, Sustainable Finance and Advocacy Lead, B Lab Europe
  • Careen Abb, SDGs and Impact Lead, UNEP FI
  • Eric Usher, Head, UNEP FI
 Embedding sustainability in investment banking

  • Pablo Pérez-Montero González, Global Head of Sustainable Finance & ESG Advisory CIB&IB, CaixaBank
  • Nathalie Jaubert, Group Corporate Social Responsibility, Deputy Head, BNP Paribas
  • Lucas Arangüena, Global Head of Green Finance and SCIB Head of ESG solutions, Santander
  • Liesel van Ast, Deputy Head, UNEP FI
17:15 End of Day 1

 

Time Day 2 – 13 September
09:00 Opening remarks Day 2 – Room Toledo 1+2
09:05 Panel: Enhancing finance industry collaboration to achieve the SDGs: a global perspective

  • Ivani Benazzi, Sustainability Superintendent, Bradesco Seguros (Brazil)
  • Patty Karuaihe-Martin, Managing Director, NamibRe
  • Vincent Damas, Group Head of CSR, CNP Assurances
  • Moderator: Eric Usher, Head, UNEP FI
10:00 Dialogue: Harmonizing sustainability standards in finance

  • Ravi Abeywardana, Director, Strategic Affairs and Capacity Building, IFRS International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB)
  • Gemma Sanchez-Danes, Acting Head of Secretariat, Sustainability reporting (ESRS), EFRAG
  • Moderator: Careen Abb, SDGs and Impact Lead, UNEP FI
10:40 Break
11:10 Panel: Outlooks on climate adaptation and mitigation

  • Cinzia Losenno, Senior Climate Change Specialist, Project Directorate, European Investment Bank
  • Nicola Ranger, Leader, Resilience & International Development Programme, & ED, Oxford Martin Programme, Oxford
  • Mauro Accurso, Senior Business Development Manager for Iberian Peninsula, South Pole
  • Moderator: Remco Fischer, Climate Lead, UNEP FI
12:15 Lunch
Deep dive sessions (Room Toledo 1+2) Deep dive sessions (Room Toledo 3+4)
13:15 Principles for Responsible Banking 2030: A new paradigm for the banking sector

  • Kristin Parello-Plesner, Head of Group Sustainability, Danske Bank
  • Dimitrios Dimopoulos, Head of ESG, Piraeus Financial Holdings
  • Lara de Mesa, Global Head of Responsible Banking, Santander
  • Moderator: Johanna Dichtl, PRB Implementation Lead, UNEP FI
   Building resilience and protecting the most vulnerable

  • Vanessa Otto-Mentz, Partner, Deloitte
  • Alejandra Díaz Agudelo, Director of Sustainability, Banco Davivienda and Seguros Bolívar
  • Josh Ling, Actuary and Disaster Risk Finance Specialist, Global Shield Solutions Platform and Frankfurt School of Finance & Management
  • Moderator: Butch Bacani, Insurance Lead, UNEP FI
14:05 Promoting real-world impacts and the
steps taken to deliver on targets

  • Filipa Rodrigues Carmona, Deputy Director Sustainability, Caixa Geral de Depósitos
  • Massimiano Tellini, Director, Global Head Circular Economy, Intesa Sanpaolo
  • Nathalie Jaubert, Group Corporate Social Responsibility, Deputy Head, BNP Paribas
  • Frank Jan Risseeuw, Chief Operating Officer/Chief Transformation Officer, ING
  • Moderator: Karine Bueno, PRB Individual Review Lead, UNEP FI
 Nature positive insurance in a post-Global Biodiversity Framework world

  • Amandine Favier, Head of Sustainable Finance, WWF
  • Reto Schnarwiler, Head Chairman’s Office, Swiss Re
  • Butch Bacani, Insurance Lead, UNEP FI
  • Moderator: Romie Goedicke den Hertog, Co-Head of Nature, UNEP FI
15:00 Networking Break
15:30 Promoting energy efficiency through finance

  • Carlos Sanchez Rivero, Team Leader, Energy Efficiency Finance, DG ENER, European Commission
  • Markus Seifert, Head of Nordic activities and Chairman of the Board, d-fine AB
  • Miguel Ángel Amores, Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Manager, Triodos Bank
  • Moderator: Flora Petrucci, Membership Lead and Capacity Building for Europe, UNEP FI
 Managing ESG risks in life & health insurance business

  • Adrita Bhattacharya-Craven, Director Health & Ageing, The Geneva Association
  • Deepak Jobanputra, Chief Sustainability Officer, Vitality
  • Teresa Fung, Head of Sustainability, Global Insurance, HSBC
  • Moira Gill, Associate Vice President, Environment, Government and Industry Relations, TD Insurance
  • Moderator: Butch Bacani, Insurance Lead, UNEP FI
16:30 Climate transition planning for banks: a
deep dive

  • Angélica Afanador, Director, Guidehouse and Executive Director, Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF)
  • James Close, Head of Climate Change, NatWest Group
  • Alenka Recelj Mercina, Head of Sustainability, NLB d.d
  • José Luis Blasco, Global Sustainability Director, ACCIONA
  • Moderator: Remco Fischer, Climate Lead, UNEP FI
 Achieving the SDGs, what is the role of insurance?

  • Monica Zuleta Diaz, Corporate Director of Sustainability, MAPFRE
  • Andrea Keenan, Executive Vice President, and Chief Strategy Officer, AM Best
  • Philipp Bäcker, Head of Sustainability, R+V Versicherung AG
  • Jordi Balcells Santolaria, Head of Sustainability, VidaCaixa
  • Moderator: Butch Bacani, Insurance Lead, UNEP FI
17:30 End of Day 2

Platinum Sponsors

                    

Gold Sponsor:

Bronze Sponsors

             

 

Partners

           

Careen Abb
SDGs and Impact Lead

Ravi Abeywardana
Director of Strategic Affairs and Capacity Building, the IFRS Foundation

Mauro Accurso
Senior Business Development Manager for Iberian Peninsula, South Pole

Angélica Afanador
Director, Guidehouse and Executive Director, Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF)

Patrick Amis
Head, Directorate General Specialised Institutions and LSIs, European Central Bank

Ivani Benazzi de Andrade
Sustainability Superintendent, Bradesco Seguros (Brazil)

Miguel Ángel Amores
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Manager, Triodos Bank

Lucas Arangüena
Global Head of Green Finance and SCIB Head of ESG solutions, Santander

Butch Bacani
Head of Insurance

Philipp Bäcker
Head of Sustainability, R+V Versicherung AG

Jordi Balcells Santolaria
Head of Sustainability, VidaCaixa

Antoni Ballabriga
Global Head of Sustainability Intelligence & Advocacy, BBVA

Laura Barlow
Group Head of Sustainability, Barclays

Judson Berkey
Managing Director, Chief Sustainability Office, UBS

Adrita Bhattacharya-Craven
Director Health & Ageing, The Geneva Association

José Luis Blasco
Global Sustainability Director, ACCIONA

Ana Botín
Executive Chair, Santander

Daniel Bouzas
Regional Lead, Europe

Murat Bozdemir
Head, Product Development for ESG & Climate Risk Enterprise Data solutions for EMEA & APAC, Bloomberg

Karine Bueno
Individual Review Team Lead

Christian Castro
Head of Public Affairs, CaixaBank

Ekaterina Chubarova
Sustainable Finance and Just Transition Specialist, ILO

James Close
Head of Climate Change, NatWest Group

Vincent Damas
Chief Sustainability Officer, Covéa Group

Lara de Mesa
Global Head of Responsible Banking​, Santander (Spain)

Carlota de Paula Coelho
Advocacy and Sustainable Finance Lead, B Lab Europe & Member, EFRAG TEG

Alejandra Díaz
Chief Sustainability Officer, Banco Davivienda and Seguros Bolívar (Colombia)

Johanna Dichtl
Implementation Guidance Team Lead

Dimitrios Dimopoulos
Head of ESG, Piraeus Financial Holdings

Piotr Dmuchowski
Vice President of the Board and Chief Investment Officer, PZU TFI

Wendy Dobson
Senior Managing Director, FTI Consulting

Amandine Favier
Head of Sustainable Finance, WWF Switzerland

Remco Fischer
Co-head of NZAOA Secretariat; Climate Lead, UNEP FI

Teresa Fung
Head of Sustainability, Global Insurance, HSBC

Marta García de Oteyza Kindelan
Director, Responsible Banking, Banco Santander

Romie Goedicke den Hertog
Co-Lead, Nature

José Ignacio Goirigolzarri
Chairman, CaixaBank

Marcel Haag
Director, Horizontal Policies, DG for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union, European Commission

Antonio Huertas
Chairman and CEO, Mapfre

Burçak İnel
Director of Financing Sustainable Growth, European Banking Federation

Nathalie Jaubert
Group Corporate Social Responsibility, Deputy Head, BNP Paribas

Deepak Jobanputra
Chief Sustainability Officer, Vitality

Patty Karuaihe-Martin
Managing Director, NamibRe (Namibia)

Andrea Keenan
Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, AM Best

Josh Ling
Actuary and Disaster Risk Finance Specialist, Global Shield Solutions Platform and Frankfurt School of Finance & Management

Cinzia Losenno
Senior Climate Change Specialist, Project Directorate, European Investment Bank

José Manuel Marqués Sevillano
Head, Financial Innovation Division, Bank of Spain (Banco de España)

Frida Mekoui
Director, Public Affairs, Societe Generale

Vanessa Otto-Mentz
Partner, Deloitte

Kristin Parello-Plesner
Head, Group Sustainability Danske Bank

Pablo Pérez-Montero González
Global Head of Sustainable Finance & ESG Advisory CIB&IB, CaixaBank

Flora Petrucci
Capacity Building Coordinator for Europe

Michal Piechocki
Chairman, Business Reporting - Advisory Group (BR-AG P.S.A.)

Patricia Pina
Head of Research & Innovation, Clarity AI

Nicola Ranger
Leader, Resilience & Development Programme, & ED, Oxford Martin Programme on Systemic Resilience, University of Oxford

Alenka Recelj Mercina
Head of Sustainability, NLB d.d

Miguel Rescalvo
Managing Partner, Neyen

Teresa Ribera
Vice-President, Government of Spain and Minister for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge

Frank Jan Risseeuw
Chief Operating Officer/Chief Transformation Officer, ING

Filipa Rodrigues Carmona
Deputy Director Sustainability, Caixa Geral de Depósitos

Gemma Sanchez-Danes
Acting Head of Secretariat, Sustainability Reporting (ESRS), EFRAG

Reto Schnarwiler
Head Chairman's Office, Swiss Re

Markus Seifert
Head of Nordic activities and Chairman of the Board, d-fine AB

Tennessee Soudain
Head of Regulatory Advisory, ECOFACT

Massimiano Tellini
Head – Circular Economy, Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center

Marco Tormen
Europe & DACHLI Regional Lead, Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF)

Carlos Torres Vila
Chair, BBVA

Eric Usher
Head, UNEP Finance Initiative

Elisa Vacherand
Interim Global Finance Practice Leader, WWF

Liesel van Ast
Deputy Head

Monica Zuleta Diaz
Corporate Director of Sustainability, MAPFRE