Jim Hagemann Snabe – Chair, A.P Moller – Maersk, Chair, Siemens, Vice-Chair, Allianz & Member of the Board of Trustee, World Economic Forum
Jim Hagermann Snabe is Vice Chairman of Allianz SE (D) and a member of the Board of Trustees at World Economic Forum. Jim has developed his career through 24 years of service in the IT industry. Throughout his career Jim has had leadership roles at SAP and IBM, leading global consulting, sales and product development organizations. He was appointed as an executive board member of SAP in 2008 responsible for Innovation and Product Development. In 2010 Jim Hagemann Snabe was appointed co-CEO alongside Bill McDermott. Together they successfully reinvented the software giant SAP from 2010 to 2014. Through his involvement with the World Economic Forum, Jim is actively engaged in efforts related to the Digital Transformation of business and society. Jim Hagemann Snabe has an M.Sc. (Economics and Business administration) from Aarhus University and is an adjunct professor at Copenhagen Business School, CBS.
Jim is also a co-author of the newly released book Dreams and Details.
Paul Polman – CEO, Unilever, Chair, International Chamber of Commerce, Chair, The B-Team & Vice-Chair, United Nations Global Compact
Paul Polman has been Chief Executive Officer of Unilever since 2009. Under his leadership, Unilever has set out an ambitious vision to decouple its growth from overall environmental footprint and increase its positive social impact.
Paul actively seeks cooperation with other companies to implement sustainable business strategies and drive systemic change. He is Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce, Chair of the B Team and Vice-Chair of the UN Global Compact. Paul previously served as Chairman of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.
Paul has been closely involved in global discussions on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and action to tackle climate change. In 2016, Paul was asked by the UN Secretary-General to be a member of the SDG Advocacy Group, tasked with promoting action on the 2030 Agenda. Prior to this, Paul served on the High-Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, presenting recommendations on behalf of the private sector. Paul is a member of the Business and Sustainable Development Commission. He also served on the International Council of the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate, under former Mexican President, Felipe Calderon.
In recognition of his contribution to responsible business, Paul has received numerous awards and accolades including the Rainforest Alliance Lifetime Achievement Award (2014), the Oslo Business for Peace Award (2015), the UN Environment Programme’s Champion of the Earth Award (2015) and the Singapore Government Public Service Star (2016). In 2016, he received France’s Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur, in recognition of his efforts in galvanizing business action on sustainability and for his involvement during the historic 2015 UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris. In 2018, Paul was named an Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) for services to business.
Annette Verschuren, O.C – CEO and Chair, NRStor Inc., Board Member, Liberty Mutual Insurance, Board Member, Air Canada, Board Member, Saputo Inc., Board Member, Canadian Natural Resources Limited & Chair, MaRS Discovery District
Annette Verschuren is Chair and CEO of NRStor Inc., an energy storage development company. Formerly she was president of The Home Depot Canada and Asia, overseeing its growth from 19 to 179 stores (1996-2011) and entry into China, and president and co-owner of Michaels of Canada, the country’s largest chain of arts and crafts stores. Ms. Verschuren began her career with the Cape Breton Development Corporation, a coal mining operation in Nova Scotia.
Ms. Verschuren holds corporate board positions with Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, Air Canada, Saputo, and Canadian Natural Resources Limited, She is on the not for profit boards of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Foundation (CAMH), and Smart Prosperity and is Chair of the MaRS Discovery District Board. Annette Verschuren is Chancellor of Cape Breton University and an advisor to the university’s Verschuren Centre for Sustainability in Energy & the Environment (VCSEE).
Annette Verschuren sits on the Canada US Women’s Business Council and the NAFTA Advisory Council. She co-chairs the Smart Prosperity Initiative, which is mapping out a course to a stronger, cleaner economy for Canada.
Annette Verschuren recently wrote a business book “Bet On Me, Leading and Succeeding in Business and in Life” published by Harper Collins in April 2016. She lives in Toronto with her husband but returns to her familial roots often.
Peter Damgaard Jensen – CEO, PKA & Chair, Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC)
After graduating in 1981 from The University of Aarhus as a Master of Political Science he joined the Association of County Councils in Denmark. In 1985 he moved to the Danish Nurses Organization in Denmark where he held various management positions and left the Danish Nurses Organization in 2001 to join PKA.
Peter is a board member for The Danish Insurance Association (where he has previously been chairman and vice chairman of the board) and is the vice chairman in Forca Ltd (a company in the pension fund and life insurance industry). Peter was a member of the Board in DEAS (Dan-Ejendomme) – Denmark’s biggest property management company – from 2001-2006 and was also a member of the advisory board of The Danish Climate Investment Fund for climate investments in emerging markets, and a member of the advisory board in Axcel Ltd (leading Danish private equity Company).
Peter has been Chair of IIGCC since January 2017 and an IIGCC Board Member since December 2013.
Claus Stig Pedersen – Head of Global Sustainability & Public Affairs, EMEA, Novozymes & UN SDG Pioneer
Throughout his career, Claus Stig Pedersen has been driven by the vision of combining “good for the world” with “good for business”. Through his employment at Novozymes, a global sustainability leader, he lives that vision every day.
As Head of Global Sustainability & Public Affairs, EMEA for Novozymes, Claus sets the company’s global strategic direction for its sustainability goals and engagements and ensures good relations with the company’s government, public and NGO stakeholders across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He also helps the company’s customers and partners understand how to make their businesses more sustainable through the use of Novozymes’ products.
Claus has been professionally engaged in sustainability for more than 25 years. In 2016 he was named as one of ten Sustainable Development Goals Pioneers by the United Nations. He also helped pioneer the development of lifecycle assessment (LCA) methodologies and sustainability concepts for business.
Claus is currently Liaison Delegate to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and he represents Novozymes in the UN Global Compact LEAD initiative. Claus serves on the boards of Global Compact Denmark, Worlds Best News, Chora Connection and the United States Council for International Business (USCIB) foundation. Claus serves on the Sustainability Council for Ingersoll Rand and the Advisory Board for Sustainable Brands. He previously served on sustainability boards and councils for Walmart and Procter & Gamble.
Before joining Novozymes, Claus was leading the Global Sustainability and Quality activities of the Hartmann Packaging Group.
Claus holds an M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Sustainability Management and he is appointed Honorary Professor at the University of Aalborg.
Torben Möger Pedersen – CEO, PensionDanmark, Global Agenda Council on Investments, World Economic Forum, Advisory Board, OECD’s Centre on Green Finance and Investment & Advisory Board, UN Global Compact’s Financial Innovation Action Platform
Mr. Möger Pedersen is the CEO of PensionDanmark – one of the largest pension funds in Denmark. He holds a number of board and investment committee memberships including Arbejdernes Landsbank, the Danish Insurance Association, Copenhagen Infrastructure Fund I, II and III, the Danish Climate Investment Fund, the Danish Agribusiness Fund, Symbionfonden, the Danish Society for Education and Business (DSEB), the Board Leadership Society in Denmark, the Center for Pension Research (PerCent) at the Copenhagen Business School (CBS) and the University of Aalborg. Mr. Möger Pedersen holds an M.Sc. in Economics from the University of Copenhagen and is an adjunct professor at CBS.
Michael Treschow – Chair, Wallenberg Foundations Investment Committee, Former Chair, Unilever, Former Chair, Ericsson & Former Chair, Electrolux
Mr. Treschow serves as board chairman of the Wallenberg Foundation Investment Committee and board member of the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. He was previously Chairman of The Unilever Group, Ericsson Inc., and was a Supervisory Board Member of ABB Ltd. He has been a Member of the European advisory board of Eli Lilly and Company and is a Member of the Royal Academy of Engineering Sciences. Mr. Treschow has received many international awards including the Spanish order Insigna de Gran Cruz de la Orden del Mérito Civil for strengthening the trade relations between Sweden and Spain, and the French order Grade de Chevalier dans l’Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur for strengthening the trade relations between Sweden and France. He holds a Master of Engineering degree from the Institute of Technology in Lund, Sweden.
Kevin Coon – Managing Partner, Baker McKenzie Toronto, Chair Policy Committee, Baker McKenzie International & Member of the United Nations Global Compact Advisory Group on Supply Chain
Kevin Coon acts as counsel, and as trusted and strategic adviser to government, corporate and not-for-profit organizations, on human resource, regulatory, compliance and risk management, with emphasis on international labour standards; corporate social responsibility; ethics; codes of conduct; due diligence; human rights; workplace investigations; occupational health and safety; collective bargaining; workplace harassment; positive employee relations; local and global labour relations; government relations. Mr. Coon is certified as a specialist in Labour Law by the Law Society of Upper Canada and has been ranked as a leading management-side labour and employment lawyer in Canada by Who’s Who Legal: Canada 2012 and recognized by Legal 500 2015 for labour and employment.
Erika Karp – Founder and CEO, Cornerstone Capital Inc.
Erika Karp is Founder and CEO of Cornerstone Capital Inc. Cornerstone was created to catalyze the flow of capital toward a more regenerative and inclusive global economy. The firm seeks to optimize investment performance together with social impact through rigorous research that systematically integrates Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors into portfolio design. In seeking positive societal impact at scale, Cornerstone offers investment advisory and capital markets advisory services, underpinned by rigorous research.
Prior to launching Cornerstone, Erika was Managing Director and Head of Global Sector Research at UBS Investment Bank, where she chaired the UBS Global Investment Review Committee and managed a global team of analysts and strategists. Erika served on the UBS Securities Research Executive Committee and the Environmental and Human Rights Committee of the UBS Group Executive Board. While at UBS, Erika created and drove key branded global investment research products including the UBS Q-Series®, the Global I/O®, Global Signals™ and the weekly “UBS Global Portfolio Manager’s Spotlight”.
Erika is a founding Board member of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), an Ambassador for the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC,), a member of CECP’s Strategic Investor Initiative Advisory Council, and an advisor to the Omidyar Network’s Know the Chain initiative. Erika was a member of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Agenda Council on Financing and Capital and an advisor to the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Market-Based Approaches Track initiative. She also sat on the Program Design Advisory Council for Harvard Business School’s Executive Education Program on Innovating for Sustainability. Erika speaks at events including those of the OECD, the UN Global Compact and PRI, Oxford University, The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investing, Ceres, The Aspen Institute, and the White House. She holds an MBA in Finance from Columbia University and a BS in Economics from the Wharton School.
Erika presents and writes extensively on topics including sustainable investing and finance, corporate strategy and business models, transparency and excellence in the areas of Environmental, Social and Governance performance, and employee engagement/diversity in the workplace. Her work has been featured by Bloomberg Businessweek, Euromoney, the Financial Times, Investor Relations Magazine, The Guardian, and Forbes. For driving collaboration across the capital markets, she has been named among the nation’s “Top 50 Women in Wealth” by AdvisorOne; one of the “Purpose Economy 100,” the “Good 100” and one of 50 “Conscious Capitalists” who are “Transforming Wall Street”.
Bjarne Graven Larsen – Former CIO, Ontario Teacher’s Pension Plan & Former CIO, ATP
Mr. Graven Larsen served as the Chief Investment Officer and Executive Vice President at Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan from February 2016 to April 2018, where he led the global investment program for Ontario Teachers. He previously served as the Chief Financial Officer at Novo A/S, the Co-Chief Executive Officer of FIH Erhvervsbank A/S, and the Chief Investment Officer of ATP Group. Mr. Graven Larsen has more than 25 years of experience in the investment and finance industries and is an Asset Management and Actuarial Department professional. He holds an M.A. in Economics from Aarhus University in Denmark.