09.30am | KEYNOTE 

Hope in Hell: A Decade to Confront the Climate Emergency

In this speech, Sir Jonathon Porritt, Co-Founder and Founder Director of Forum for the Future, emphasizes the nature, scale, and impacts of the current climate scenario. With reference to this year’s theme, Align, Act, Accelerate, Sir Jonathon highlights the importance of stakeholders being aligned with the science and truth of climate change. Sustainability is a comprehensive agenda that requires full transparency from organisations. As every individual is affected by climate change, top-to-bottom level commitment to sustainability is required in order to act effectively in  response to climate-related risks. With the effects of global warming already felt around the world, Sir Jonathon stresses the need to accelerate the transition out of fossil fuel sectors, reduce our consumption of finite resources, and implement energy efficient practices as quickly as possible.

09.50am | PANEL DISCUSSION

Stakeholder Demands and Implications for Seekers of Capital

Some business leaders see sustainability as a compliance cost while others realise it as a competitive advantage. However, the view on sustainability is changing and it’s happening fast. Civil society activism is on the rise, with NGOs and the public stepping up their demands as stakeholders.

Luanne Sieh, Head of Group Sustainability at CIMB Group,  moderates this session, with Bernadette Victorio, Regional  Programme Lead at Oxfam Fair Finance, and Teoh  Su  Yin, Trustee of WWF-Malaysia, Senior Independent Director of CIMB Group, and Chairperson of CIMB Investment Bank Bhd., sharing their perspectives on how the increasing role of civil society is impacting businesses. Paul Milon, Head of Stewardship (Asia Pacific) at BNP Paribas Asset Management, shares the views of investors in face of this activism and Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift, Chief Executive Officer of Bursa Malaysia Bhd., addresses regulatory development in ASEAN and how this will affect businesses. Find out more about the future of sustainability in business operations and company culture in this panel discussion. 

01.30pm | FIRESIDE CHAT

Can Board of Directors be Held Responsible for Contributing to Climate Change? 

The risks of climate change are growing, regulations are changing, and stakeholders are increasingly scrutinizing businesses. With mounting pressure from the risk of legal implications, Directors need to look beyond legal frameworks and compliance requirements to future-proof their businesses from climate change. Understanding the business risks and opportunities of adopting and integrating sustainability into a company is crucial. Therefore, the responsibility falls upon the Board of Directors to steer their businesses in the right direction in the face of climate change. However, can they be held responsible for the decisions that fail to mitigate climate change?

Find out in this session moderated by Dr. Kishore Ravuri, Founder and Chief Impact Officer at IMPACTO Sdn. Bhd., with To’ Puan Janet Looi, Senior Partner and Head of Corporate Division and Environmental Practice Group, Skrine, and Dr. Joseph Chun, Partner of ESG Practice at Shook Lin & Bok (Singapore), sharing their thoughts.  

02.00pm | PANEL DISCUSSION

How are Boards Accelerating their Sustainability Readiness? 

The topic of sustainability is advancing rapidly and Board agendas are falling short of increasing stakeholder demands for greater environmental stewardship. How will the growing prioritization of ESG practices affect capital allocation and risk management? Should the adoption and integration of sustainability into business operations occur instantly with quick changes and practices or gradually with systems in place? 

Find out more about how Boards are accelerating their sustainability readiness in this discussion moderated by Dr. Jayanthi Desan, Managing Director at Synergio and Independent Non-Executive Director at Berjaya Corporation Bhd., with participation from Philippe Joubert, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Earth on Board, Su-Yen Wong, Chairperson of the Governing Council of Singapore Institute of Directors, Didi  Syafruddin Yahya,  Independent Director and President Commissioner of CIMB Group, CIMB Investment Bank Bhd., and PT Bank CIMB Niaga Tbk, and Sharmila Sekarajasekaran, Independent Non-Executive Director of Top Glove.

03.00pm | SPEECH

Building a Resilient Future: The Early Mover Advantage  

Indonesia is the second biggest global contributor to marine plastic waste. As a result, more than 80% of the country’s reef areas are at risk. Danone-AQUA, the pioneer of bottled water and light beverages in Indonesia, is committed to driving a circular economy. From the collection of plastic bottles to the use of recycled materials to reducing waste exports, Danone-AQUA is reducing their environmental impact with their circular economy actions. 

Karyanto Wibowo, Sustainability Director at Danone-AQUA, dives deeper into the company’s circular and reusable business model in this speech, highlighting their social, economic, and environmental work.

03.45pm | PANEL DISCUSSION

The Race Towards A Low Carbon Economy: Implications for Businesses

With the agenda of a low-carbon economy growing, there is a large focus on managing energy-related emissions – the biggest contributor to global and local greenhouse gas emissions. 

This panel session provides insight into different decarbonisation pathways adopted by businesses across ASEAN, the conditions to integrate such pathways into operations and the resulting implications for businesses. 

Moderator, Prof. Dr. Wayne Viser, Chair in Sustainable Transformation at Antwerp Management School, is joined by H. E. Michalis Rokas, Ambassador and Head of the EU Delegation to Malaysia, Dave Sivaprasad, Managing Director and Partner of Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Charlotte Wolff-Bye, Chief Sustainability Officer of PETRONAS, and Toru Kubo, Director (Southeast Asia Energy Division) at Asian Development Bank. This session is a collaboration with WWF-Malaysia who is undertaking an independent study with BCG on potential net-zero pathways for Malaysia.

05.00pm | CEOs IN ACTION

CEO Action Network (CAN) 1st Anniversary Showcase - Demonstrating Sustainability Leadership: CEOs in Action

CEO Action Network (CAN) is a network of CEOs and Board Members that focus on shaping future-ready and ESG-integrated business models and ecosystems through dedicated Working Groups, Workstreams and bespoke initiatives.

In celebration of their 1st Anniversary, the theme of the showcase is Demonstrating Sustainability Leadership: CEOs in Action. 

Tengku Muhammad Taufik, Chair of CAN Steering Committee and President and Group Chief Executive Officer of PETRONAS, delivers the welcome speech to officially launch the showcase.

Sessions on the Network’s Collective Commitments and Policy Recommendation Highlights followed, with moderation by Luanne Sieh, Chair of CAN Working Group and Head of Group Sustainability at CIMB Group, and Datin Seri Sunita Rajakumar, CAN Policy Advocacy Workstream Lead and Founder of Climate Governance Malaysia, respectively. Andrew Chan, CAN Capacity Building Workstream Lead and Sustainability and Climate Change Leader at PwC South East Asian Consulting Services, concludes the last session of the showcase with the Network’s work and progress in Capacity Building. 

The showcase ends with a montage video of CEO Action Network members pledging a commitment to sustainable business practices.

02.00pm | MASTERCLASS 4

Responsible Recruitment and Management of Foreign Workers

In recent years, events such as the death of more than 1000 garment workers at Rana Plaza and the allegations of forced labour in local manufacturers have increased public awareness, stakeholder action, and the scrutinisation of businesses. Failure to address such issues and other risks associated with foreign workers pose significant threats to businesses and their operations.

These organisations can potentially lose their investor relations and social license to operate and may face civil and/or criminal legal actions. Sung In Marshall, Associate Director of Worker Engagement at ELEVATE, takes us on a journey in this masterclass. Gain insight into the experiences of foreign workers and learn about current solutions to recruitment and management issues such as geographic risk profiles and recruitment fee remediation.

03.30pm | MASTERCLASS 5

Time for Climate Action: Demystifying Science-based Targets 

Carbon neutrality is a state that many businesses are seeking to achieve. Why? The release of carbon dioxide emissions comes with responsibility and risks. As stated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, our current climate is a “Code Red for Humanity”, with the possibility of global warming exceeding the 1.5C - 2C threshold in the 21st century if greenhouse gas reductions do not materialise. Science-Based Targets (SBTs) is an emerging  approach that businesses can adopt to manage their emissions. Join Paola Delgado Luna, Head of Corporate Engagement at the Science-Based Targets Initiative at WWF Climate and Energy Practice, and Cheol Woo Park, Head of Investor Relations at Shinhan Financial Group, in this masterclass as they break down the ins and outs of SBTs and highlight the case for such targets. 

04.15pm | MASTERCLASS 6

Are you ready for BCorp Certification? 

In this masterclass, Tom Stewart, Executive Director of BCorp Market Builder Southeast Asia, presents the case for certification and how to be certified. Every business is unique and so are their reasons for certifying. However, the common ground amongst all BCorp-certified organisations is their high level of social and environmental performance. BCorp certification ensures  these  companies are paving the way for a stronger economy and a regenerative planet while ensuring prosperity is shared equitably. We are in a time where business systems are transitioning from being primarily shareholder-driven to stakeholder-driven and it is high time companies redefine and accelerate their actions to be more sustainable, socially, environmentally, and economically.  

11.30am | MASTERCLASS

Meat-ing in the Middle 

The extensive use of our land and water sources for the production of animal-based food releases an enormous amount of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, greatly pollutes water bodies, and results in the significant loss of biodiversity and livelihoods. 

A sustainable diet like a plant-based one reduces impact on the environment as it focuses on whole foods and excludes or limits meat and animal by-products, supporting the health of our planet and ourselves all at once. In this session, Joyce Shih, Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and Founder of SSAYANG Life and Sunborne, conducted a masterclass to teach us how small dietary changes can make an impact on our environment when everybody is onboard.

01.30pm | MASTERCLASS

Future Proofing the Youth

A project that focuses on social impact requires a deep understanding of the existing issues within a community and what they need in response. What is the best way to grasp these issues and ideate sustainable solutions that will create measurable, meaningful, and lasting change? In this masterclass, we invited the team from Impact Integrated Malaysia, Ahmed Faris (CEO), Mastura Rashid (Vice President of Strategy and Development), Rizal Rozhan (Assistant Vice President of Strategy and Programs, Impact Development), Ben Farhan (Assistant Vice President of Strategy & Programs, Youth Development), and Zul Imran (Assistant Vice President of Business Development & Community), to provide some insights on how to start a social impact project from scratch. The session also included real-life scenarios which helped the audience envision the different methods and strategies used in project management.

03.00pm | SHARING SESSION

Future Proofing the Youth: Share to Care 

Wanting to make a change which brings impact within society is an idea which most people would like to do. However, bringing this idea to life and managing it in the face of challenges such as a pandemic can be difficult. 

In this session, we hear from youth changemakers who have started organisations to address a variety of social  issues  and  to make impact. This sharing session is moderated by Raenuga Indran, Marketing and Partnerships Executive at Yayasan Tunku Abdul Rahman, and joined by Lincoln Lee, Co-Founder of Rice Inc., Nila Tanzil, Founder of Taman Bacaan Pelangi, and Wan Shakila, Manager of Sekolah Alternatif.

04.15pm | PANEL DISCUSSION

The Voices of Today: The Education Dilemma 

Education has been a pertinent topic over the years - it is deeper than what is shown in the books and when it comes to attaining quality education, the focus is on the system, resources, and privileges. Due to the CoVid19 pandemic, the gap in access and quality of education gap has widened. 

With Cris Ngo, Learning Manager of PHINMA Education and Teach For the Philippines Alumni, moderating the session, Dato’ Shahira, the Trustee and Managing Director of Yayasan Hasanah, Azlina Kamal, Education Specialist from UNICEF, Chan Soon Seng, CEO of Teach for Malaysia, Hajar Fazillah as the Youth Representative from Sunway College, and Sarah Jane Fabito, Executive Director of Chapter Head of Batangas of WiTech Philippines, discussed the current education sphere. 

This session brought in industry experts who have worked on the ground to share their insights on the causes of education inequality, the solutions that they have come up with and what is needed to enhance the quality of education in the long run. As the current generation is mainly affected and facing online learning, the youth were given the space to voice out their experiences and thoughts on how we can shape our education moving forward.  

05.30pm | CLOSING

Datuk Mohd Nasir Ahmad, Chairman of CIMB Group Holdings Bhd., CIMB Bank Bhd., and CIMB Bank PLC Cambodia, concludes the final day of the Summit with an acknowledgement to all speakers and participants and a call for urgent and pragmatic climate action.