Sharing knowledge, reaching new people and supporting development will benefit everyone

To convene and educate responsible investors, we have committed to:

  • focusing global recruitment on growing the number of asset owner signatories;
  • reaching new markets and institutions;
  • introducing an associate member category for asset owners new to responsible investment; and
  • expanding the reach of responsible investment training.

Convene

PRI in Person

PRI in Person 2019 was held in Paris, where we welcomed nearly 1,800 investment professionals. It was the largest responsible investment event ever held, surpassing the previous record we achieved at PRI in Person 2018 in San Francisco.

The conference theme was responsible investment in an age of urgent transition. This was highlighted from the outset in a welcome message recorded by President Emmanuel Macron, who stressed the urgency of investor action to safeguard the climate and called for increased protections for the Amazon rainforest. Other discussion topics included the role of policymakers in driving a sustainable financial system, the transition towards a low-carbon economy and the work of the Financial Sector Commission on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking, chaired by PRI CEO Fiona Reynolds.

The event attracted high-profile speakers, including:

  • Bruno Le Maire, Minister of the Economy & Finance, France
  • Jean Raby, CEO, Natixis Investment Managers
  • Cécile Cabanis, CFO, Danone
  • Ben van Beurden, CEO, Royal Dutch Shell
  • Alberto de Paoli, CFO, ENEL
  • James Kofi Annan, President, Challenging Heights
  • Timea Nagy-Payne, Founder, Timea’s Cause Inc.
  • Sylvia van Waveren, Director, Active Ownership, Robeco

The conference also featured thirty-five breakout sessions, on topics including various ESG issues, regulatory updates and the role of the SDGs.

Due to the continuing impact of COVID-19, we have taken the difficult decision to postpone the next PRI in Person conference, originally due to be held in Tokyo this October, until 14-16 September 2021. We look forward to hosting an informative, impactful event next year.

Reducing our footprint

PRI in Person 2019 was a carbon-neutral event. We offset 2,272 tonnes of carbon emissions through our partnership with Allianz Global Investors. Furthermore, using water fountains to serve 352 litres of water saved 1067 plastic bottles from use, and landfill. More information on our in-house sustainability measures can be found here.

Incredible opportunity to collaborate and learn, given high quality content and engaged attendees.

Great event, fantastic networking opportunities and good learning opportunities.

One of the few opportunities to hear from leaders in responsible investment.

Key targets

 

Signatories attending at least one PRI event: 45%

(PRI target: 50%)

 

Participants at PRI in Person rating it ‘excellent’ or ‘good’: 92%

(PRI target: 85%)

Regional forums

This year we held our first regional forum series, designed to provide a more intimate, tailored setting for signatories, speakers and the PRI to discuss relevant ESG issues. Hosted by a signatory in each location, we held events in New York, Frankfurt, the Hague, Stockholm and London, with over 800 attendees representing 520 organisations.

We continue to pursue our commitment to convening and educating responsible investors and as such, have expanded our calendar of webinars for the coming months, to ensure that signatories can hear the latest insights from the PRI, leading investors, corporates and policymakers. A schedule of webinars can be found at here.

Educate

The PRI Academy

3,992 professionals enrolled

We continued to experience significant interest in the PRI Academy’s offering, with enrolments increasing by 37% over the last year, from 2,904 to 3,992 participants, and crossing the threshold for the 10,000th course participant since we acquired the Academy in 2015.

The PRI Academy successfully launched a coordinated responsible investment training program for 1000 staff and practitioners from a major corporate bank, while over 500 professionals from investment consultant AON received training in responsible investment practices through our core course offering.

After comprehensively assessing our course offerings in 2018/19, we are now exploring new course development opportunities for the year ahead.

Key targets

 

Satisfaction rating of PRI Academy courses: 98%

(PRI target: 85%)

 

Increase in the number enrolments on PRI Academy: 37%

(PRI target: 14%)

The Academic Network

The 2019 Academic Network Conference, held alongside PRI in Person Paris, was the largest to date with over 175 registered participants, including academics from 46 institutions and 60 representatives of asset owners and investment managers. Professor Renée B. Adams, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford and Martin Spolc, Head of the Sustainable Finance and Fintech, European Commission’s Directorate General for Financial Services, gave keynote speeches, while 15 academic papers were presented at the conference.

The academic network has also expanded its quarterly responsible investment publications into a weekly academic article series and monthly newsletter, showcasing the latest academic insights, while podcasts and academic ESG reviews aim to further educate and inform investors.

Key targets

 

Participants rating Academic Network conference as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’: 87%

(PRI target: 85%)

 

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