Managing Investment Director of Board Governance and Sustainability, CalPERS
James assumed the role of interim managing investment director in January 2022.
He is responsible for developing and executing CalPERS’ Sustainable Investment Strategy across the portfolio.
As the investment manager for financial markets, James draws on past experience as a corporate partner at a global law firm (K&L Gates) and his deep industry and regulatory experience to effectively coordinate the development and execution of financial market strategic priorities for CalPERS. He uses this expertise to identify, shape, and respond to policy and regulatory developments that impact investors.
James provides an expert voice for institutional asset owners in a number of national and international forums. He covers financial reporting around the globe through service on the Financial Accounting Standards Advisory Council (FASAC), including as a member of its Steering Committee, and the International Financial Reporting Standards Advisory Council. He also Co-Chairs the Financial Capital Committee of the International Corporate Governance Network, which serves investors representing assets under management in excess of $54 trillion.
James has worked collaboratively across stakeholder groups, partisan affiliations, and geographic boundaries to drive investor favorable policies forward. He also has a history of service to his country and his local community. He is a former U.S. Army officer. He served as President of the King County Bar Association representing more than 14,000 lawyers in Seattle/King County, Washington. He also served as a board member and finance committee chair of Pioneer Human Services, an $80,000,00 social entrepreneurship organization with 1,000 employees running manufacturing, distribution and services businesses to assist people with criminal, alcohol or drug histories to become productive citizens.
James graduated West Point and the University of Texas School of Law.
10:05 – 10:50 AM ET
ESG Outperformance: Understanding Investors’ Short and Long-term Expectations—and How to Exceed Them
Head of ESG Investing, Neuberger Berman
Jonathan Bailey, Head of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Investing at Neuberger Berman. Jonathan joined the firm in 2017 and is responsible for the integration of material ESG factors into investment processes firm-wide. He works with portfolio managers and analysts across our equities, fixed income and private investment portfolios both to enhance existing strategies and to launch new impact investing strategies. Jonathan oversees the firm’s proprietary ESG rating system and research process. Jonathan chairs the firm’s ESG Committee and sits on the firm’s Governance and Proxy Voting Committee. He also leads client engagement and thought leadership on ESG topics. Previously, Jonathan was the founding Director of Research at Focusing Capital on the Long Term (FCLT Global) a think tank backed by BlackRock, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, Dow, McKinsey & Co., Tata Sons and forty other leading investors and corporates. FCLT Global developed quantitatively robust research on short-termism along the investment value chain as well as practical solutions. He spent the bulk of his prior career at McKinsey & Co where he was an Associate Partner working with asset owners and asset managers on investment strategy and ESG investing topics. Jonathan has also worked for Generation Investment Management, the sustainable investment fund co-founded by former Vice President Al Gore, and as a governance advisor for former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Jonathan holds an MBA (with high distinction) from Harvard Business School, an MPP from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and an MA (Oxon) from the University of Oxford. Jonathan is a board member of Instiglio, a developing market social impact bond advisory non-profit.
10:05 – 10:50 AM ET
ESG Outperformance: Understanding Investors’ Short and Long-term Expectations—and How to Exceed Them
Board Member, Loews Corp. and New America High Income Fund
Dr. Joseph L. Bower is an Independent Director at Loews Corp., an Independent Director at New America High Income Fund, Inc. and a Professor-Emeritus at Harvard Business School. He is on the Board of Directors at Loews Corp., New America High Income Fund, Inc., decordova Sculpture Park & Museum and New England Conservatory of Music. Dr. Bower was previously employed as a Professor by The Baker Foundation, an Independent Director by Anika Therapeutics, Inc., an Independent Director by Sonesta International Hotels Corp., an Independent Director by Brown Shoe Co., Inc., and an Advisor by SV Investment Partners LLC. He also served on the board at TH Lee Putnam EOP Fund and TH Lee Putnam Investment Trust. He received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University, a graduate degree from Harvard University and a doctorate degree from Harvard University.
1:30 – 2:10 PM ET
The Comp Conversation: Tying ESG to Executive Pay
Board Member, Regional Management Corp. and Former Commissioner, U.S. SEC (2002-2007)
Since February 2016, he has been an equity partner and, since 2021, he has served as Senior Counsel with the law firm of Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP. Mr. Campos has practiced in the areas of securities regulation, corporate governance, and securities enforcement. Prior to joining Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP, Mr. Campos was a partner with Locke Lord LLP (April 2011 to February 2016) and Cooley LLP (September 2007 to April 2011). Prior to that, he received a presidential appointment and served as a Commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) from 2002 to 2007. Prior to serving with the SEC, Mr. Campos was a founding partner of a Houston-based radio broadcaster.
Earlier in his career, he practiced corporate law and served as a federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, California. Roel C. Campos has served as a director of Regional Management Corp. (NYSE:RM) since March 2012. He currently serves as an independent director for the board of KPMG US LLP. Mr. Campos also previously served from January 2013 to May 2017 on the board of directors of WellCare Health Plans, Inc., a public company that provided managed care services (which was acquired and merged into Centene Corp., a multi-national health care enterprise). He was also a director of a private registered broker-dealer, Liquidnet Holdings, Inc., which in 2021 was acquired and merged into the TP ICAP group, a London-based broker dealer. Mr. Campos previously served from 2016 to 2020 on the Board of Visitors to the United States Air Force Academy.
Mr. Campos serves on various non-profit boards. From 2009 to 2013, Mr. Campos served on the Presidential Intelligence Advisory Board (the “PIAB”), comprised of selected private citizens who serve as outside advisers to the President on national intelligence issues. Mr. Campos earned his B.S. degree from the United States Air Force Academy, received an M.B.A. degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, and earned his J.D. degree from Harvard Law School.
11:35 AM – 12:05 PM ET
Unlocking ESG Value Starts in the Boardroom: How to Allocate Oversight
Lead Research Specialist, Diligent Institute
Kira Ciccarelli is the Lead Researcher of the Diligent Institute, the modern governance think tank and global research arm of Diligent Corporation. In her role, Kira researches and produces high-level modern governance reports, blog articles and podcasts designed to inform director decision-making and highlight best practices.
Before joining Diligent, Kira worked in a variety of data-driven research roles, including analyzing global aid funds to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and compiling a meta-analysis of political experimental findings for the Analyst Institute. She holds a BA in Public Policy from the College of William & Mary.
1:30 – 2:10 PM ET
The Comp Conversation: Tying ESG to Executive Pay
ESG Advisory Partner and Financial Services Senior Analyst, RSM US
As a Partner at RSM, Anthony has over 15 years of experience serving companies across numerous industries, including consumer products, manufacturing, health care, technology, financial services and real estate.
Anthony is a leading business voice in environmental, social and governance (ESG) related matters and has prepared research around this critical business theme. He has played a prominent role in researching and authoring thought leadership on the importance of developing and implementing an ESG strategy along with collecting, measuring and communicating the results.
As a lead advisor within RSM’s ESG Advisory practice, Anthony guides companies and boards of directors through ESG strategy development, data collection, and reporting and communications. Additionally,. Anthony has worked with dozens of firms to develop ESG policies and procedures and has developed RSM’s proprietary Rapid Assessment Methodology which caters to companies beginning their ESG mandate, as well as supporting the firm’s Societal Return on Investment Methodology which is a deeply quantitative analysis that correlates changes in ESG behaviors to improved financial and nonfinancial business results. He has led numerous ESG due diligence reviews across many industries as well as monitoring and reporting strategies for clients.
11:00 – 11:25 AM ET
The ABCs of ESG
Board Member, Amazon and Verisign
Jamie is a long-time member of corporate and non-profit boards and she counsels boards, including on environment, social and governance issues. Jamie is a member of the boards of Amazon, where she chairs the Nominating and Governance Committee, and Verisign and she previously served on the boards of United Technologies and Schlumberger.
As one of Washington’s best-known litigators, Jamie Gorelick has represented institutions and individuals in a wide array of matters, particularly in the regulatory and enforcement arenas. Routinely listed as one of the “Best Lawyers in America,” she was the 2018 American Lawyer “Lifetime Achiever,” she was profiled as “A Legend in the Law” in the Washington Lawyer, and she was listed by the National Law Journal as one of the “Thirty Greatest Washington Lawyers of the Last 30 Years.” She recently received the American Bar Foundation’s Outstanding Service Award.
Jamie has been in and out of government for most of her career. She was one of the longest serving Deputy Attorneys General of the United States, the second highest position in the Department of Justice. She also served as General Counsel of the Department of Defense. Earlier in her career, Jamie was Vice Chair of the Task Force on the Audit, Inspection and Investigation Components of the Department of Defense. She was also Assistant to the Secretary and Counselor to the Deputy Secretary of Energy.
Jamie has also served on numerous government boards and commissions. She was a member of the Department of Defense Policy Board and served as a member of the bipartisan National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (the “9/11 Commission”) and she has served on senior advisory panels at the Central Intelligence Agency and the Department of Energy. She is currently a member of the Homeland Security Advisory Council.
Much of Jamie’s time has been devoted to non-profit service. She was a founder and board member of the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, and she has served on many non-profit boards, including those of the National Women’s Law Center, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She currently chairs the Board of the Urban Institute, the broadest and deepest research institution focused on domestic policy issues. She was a member of the Board of Overseers of Harvard University and a member of several of its Visiting Committees. She has taught at both Harvard Law School and Harvard College. Jamie has an active pro bono practice, focusing on the rights of women and immigrants. She has been a leader in the Bar, serving as President of the District of Columbia Bar and within the American Bar Association, principally in the area of legal ethics. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
11:35 AM – 12:05 PM ET
Unlocking ESG Value Starts in the Boardroom: How to Allocate Oversight
Author, Corporate Diplomacy: Building Reputations and Relationships with External Stakeholders
Deloitte & Touche Professor of Management and Founder, ESG Analytics Lab, The Wharton School, The University of Pennsylvania
Witold J. Henisz is the Deloitte & Touche Professor of Management in Honor of Russell E. Palmer, former Managing Partner at The Wharton School, The University of Pennsylvania. He is also Director of the Wharton Political Risk Lab and the founder of the Wharton ESG Analytics Lab. His research examines the impact of political hazards as well as environmental, social and governance factors more broadly on the strategy and valuation of global corporations. This work analyzes best practices in corporate diplomacy to win the hearts and minds of external stakeholders as well as the measurement thereof. He has published over three dozen peer-reviewed articles in top-ranked journals in international business, management, international studies and sociology, is the author of the book “Corporate Diplomacy: Building Reputations and Relationships with External Stakeholders” and co-authored over twenty teaching cases. Witold has won multiple teaching awards at the graduate and undergraduate levels including being named Iron Prof, 2019 and an Aspen Institute Ideas Worth Teaching Award Winner, 2020. He also teaches extensively on the topic of Corporate Diplomacy as well as ESG integration in open enrollment and custom executive education programs. He served as the academic co-Director in the development of the stakeholder engagement KEROVKA crisis management simulation and of Wharton Online’s Materiality of ESG specialization on Coursera. He is currently a principal in the consultancy PRIMA LLC whose clients span multinational firms, asset managers, intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations including Anglo Gold Ashanti, Rio Tinto, Gabriel Resources, Shell Corporation, Eaton Vance, Engine No 1, EY, Lockheed Martin, The World Bank, The Inter-American Development Bank, The International Finance Corporation and the World Wildlife Fund. He previously worked for The International Monetary Fund.
2:20 PM – 3:00 PM ET
Linking Purpose to Profits: Stakeholder Values and Value Creation
Managing Director, Okapi Partners
Alexandra Higgins is a Managing Director at Okapi Partners providing strategic counsel to corporate clients and their advisors with a focus on governance and compensation issues, as well as other ESG concepts.
Alex has over 15 years of experience in corporate advisory and governance roles. Prior to joining Okapi Partners, she served as VP and Head of U.S. Partner Advisory Services at Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (ISS) Corporate Solutions, where she managed advisory services for U.S. professional services firms on ISS policy, corporate governance issues, equity plan disclosure, and shareholder activism.
Alex also spent time as a reporter for CQ Roll Call, where she covered corporate governance regulation and activist investor campaigns. She began her career as an executive compensation analyst and research associate at The Corporate Library for six years before its merger with GMI Ratings, where she ultimately spent another four years advising law firms on corporate governance matters related to securities litigation.
In 2008, Alex was named a Rising Star of Corporate Governance by the Millstein Center for Corporate Governance and Performance. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Southern Maine.
10:05 – 10:50 AM ET
ESG Outperformance: Understanding Investors’ Short and Long-term Expectations—and How to Exceed Them
Global Head of Nasdaq OneReport; Vice President, Nasdaq, Inc.
Randall Hopkins has over twenty years’ experience at Nasdaq. Mr. Hopkins has held several senior leadership positions overseeing Sales, Product Management, Policy, Customer Service and Business Development teams, in addition to successfully integrating several major acquisitions. Mr. Hopkins also led Nasdaq’s Revitalize Initiative to improve the U.S. capital markets ecosystem by working with corporates, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the U.S. Congress, and other industry thought leaders to devise and implement both short term and long term improvements to address the needs of all stakeholders.
Currently, Mr. Hopkins leads the Nasdaq OneReport business, a fast-growing provider of ESG data management and reporting services, enabling clients to navigate the evolving ratings landscape and address relevant metrics efficiently. Nasdaq OneReport’s online software simplifies data collection, colleague engagement and oversight, reporting, and web publishing allowing organizations to be more strategic in their ESG efforts.
Mr. Hopkins holds Masters degrees in Business Administration, Information Science, and Philosophy, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Washington University in St. Louis.
11:35 AM – 12:05 PM ET
Unlocking ESG Value Starts in the Boardroom: How to Allocate Oversight
Chair of Human Capital and Compensation Committee, Reinsurance Group of America
Hazel McNeilage is an Independent Non-Executive Director of Reinsurance Group of America. She chairs the Human Capital and Compensation Committee and serves on the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Technology and Cyber Board Subgroup. NYSE listed RGA has over $15bn in annual revenue and is #207 on the Fortune 500 (2021). Hazel also serves on the Board of Scholarship America, a major non-profit that distributed more than $250m in scholarship payments in 2021, and she is a member of the Advisory Board of fintech company 9th Gear Technology.
Hazel’s expertise includes investment management, insurance/pensions, risk management (including cyber security); ESG, finance; distribution and M&A. She has a truly global perspective, having lived and worked on five continents. Her global experience has driven a deep appreciation of the value of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Hazel had a global executive career in financial services. Her last executive role was head of Northern Trust’s asset management business for Europe, Middle East and Africa. She has lived and worked for significant periods in each of South Africa, Australia, Singapore (where she had pan Asian responsibility), UK (where her responsibilities included Europe and the Middle East) as well as US. Her executive career included senior management roles in a large investment consulting business (now Willis Towers Watson), several major global investment management firms (including Principal Global Investors and Northern Trust Asset Management) and a large sovereign wealth fund.
Hazel has a first class honors degree in mathematics, economics and operations research. She is a Fellow of both the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (UK) and the Institute of Actuaries of Australia and a Board Leadership Fellow of the National Association of Corporate Directors. Hazel has earned a CERT Certificate in Cybersecurity Oversight from Carnegie Mellon University, a Certificate in Cyber Security: Managing Risk in the Information Age from Harvard University and a Certificate in Artificial Intelligence: Implications for Business from MIT.
1:30 – 2:10 PM ET
The Comp Conversation: Tying ESG to Executive Pay
Economist and Director of Environmental, Social and Governance, RSM Canada LLP
Tu Nguyen has a doctorate in economics and is an economist and director of environmental, social and governance (ESG) for RSM Canada LLP. Based in Toronto, she works with RSM’s global economics team to provide thought leadership and data-driven analysis on both the Canadian and global economies.
Tu works closely with RSM’s ESG practice to develop quantitative models and standardized processes to service clients, laying a practice foundation for the Canadian and global middle markets. She advises the firm’s ESG consulting group, leveraging her capabilities in econometrics and economic modeling to further expand RSM’s network and provide progressive services to clients. In collaboration with RSM Canada’s highly skilled ESG team, Tu assists the firm in providing real-time, middle market-relevant insights that help clients anticipate and address complex business issues.
Tu is passionate about sharing her knowledge with business leaders and RSM professionals to help them drive sustainability. She works closely with RSM’s cutting-edge industry eminence program to develop thought leadership and anticipate macroeconomic trends across the firm’s focus industries. Tu is working to standardize RSM’s ESG framework for clients to adopt in their efforts to achieve their ESG goals.
Before joining RSM, Tu received her Ph.D. in economics from Oregon State University. She has deep knowledge from her years of study, as well as her work advising U.S. and Canadian government officials and policymakers. Most recently, Tu worked in the policy space, using economic analysis and quantitative methods to assist governments at all levels in planning projects that benefit the public. She came to RSM for the opportunity to share her knowledge on fueling economic growth without social compromise with a wider audience.
Tu is part of RSM’s culture, diversity and inclusion effort as a member of several of the firm’s employee network groups, including STAR, which supports the women of RSM; and InspirAsian, which focuses on career development for the firm’s Asian employees. In March 2020, she and several other female Vietnamese professionals started a virtual support group for women, holding a series of seminars on maintaining a work-life balance while working from home.
She received her Bachelor of Business Administration, economics, cum laude, from CUNY Baruch College, and her Ph.D. in economics from Oregon State University.
12:30 – 1:30 PM ET
Peer to Peer Roundtables
Managing Director and Head of Investment Stewardship (Americas), BlackRock
John Roe is the head of BlackRock Investment Stewardship (BIS) in the Americas. The team engages companies and others in the investment stewardship ecosystem to promote the governance and business practices aligned with long-term value creation by the companies in which BlackRock invests on behalf of clients. The BIS Americas team is responsible for engaging with and voting proxies at more than 4,500 companies across North America, Central America, and South America.
Previously, John was a Partner and co-leader of the ESG practice at the corporate communications firm Joele Frank. In this role he advised boards of directors and senior executives on ESG matters including board composition, diversity & inclusion, executive compensation, ESG disclosure and reporting, and shareholder engagement. He has additionally led the Analytics and Corporate Advisory teams at Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), a proxy advisory firm, and served as the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Compliance Officer of an investment advisor. John served on the White House staff supporting the development of the Office of Homeland Security in 2001-2002, was a consultant with McKinsey & Company, and served as an officer in the United States Coast Guard.
John is also a licensed pilot, a shade tree mechanic, and a recovering electrical engineer.
10:05 – 10:50 AM ET
ESG Outperformance: Understanding Investors’ Short and Long-term Expectations—and How to Exceed Them
Partner, Pay Governance
Tara Tays is a Partner in Pay Governance’s Los Angeles office has 20+ years of compensation experience and has advised management and boards of directors on a wide range of compensation matters, including the design and implementation of annual incentive and long-term incentive plans, the review and development of internal compensation policies and procedures, the assessment of risk associated with incentive programs, and the design of employment agreements and change-in-control/severance arrangements. She has extensive knowledge of shareholders’ and proxy-advisory firms’ concerns with executive compensation programs and works with companies to improve shareholder support on Say on Pay.
Tara is often a guest speaker at the National Association of Stock Plan Professionals and CCRcorp’s annual executive compensation conferences and the National Association of Corporate Director’s (NACD) Leading Minds in Governance conference, and has authored articles published in NACD Directorship magazine, Practical Law, and Deloitte’s On the Board Agenda.
Tara earned her BS in Accounting from the University of Southern California.
1:30 – 2:10 PM ET
The Comp Conversation: Tying ESG to Executive Pay
ESG and Sustainability Committee Chair, IperionX (formerly Hyperion Metals) President, AIF Institute
Melissa Waller is a trusted and innovative board director, executive, and institutional investor with extensive board service; $100B+ fund oversight; ESG and sustainability leadership; and
governance, crisis, risk management, and global M&A expertise.
Melissa serves as President of the AIF Institute, providing essential education, research, and resources to global Investors and investment firms with $50 trillion AUM. She is the Director of
Public and Private Partnerships for the Kenan Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, connecting private sector partners with public sector stakeholders. She is the Executive Program Director for the National Institute for Public Finance, which educates state treasurers and finance leaders nationally on fiscal leadership and public.
Additionally, she serves as a non-executive director for IperionX and chairs the ESG and Sustainability Committee.
Previously, Melissa served as Deputy Treasurer and Chief of Staff for the North Carolina Department of State Treasury, which includes the 10th largest public pension fund in the U.S. with assets in excess of $90 billion, where she oversaw strategic planning, operations, and
public-policy implementation, served as Chair for the Corporate Governance committee, and managed a staff of greater than 400 employees.
Melissa has been recognized globally for her organization transformation expertise and handling of multi-billion-dollar transactions and funds in highly regulated industries. Throughout her career she has maintained a focus on implementing wide-scale corporate governance and sustainability best practices organizationally, including valuable stakeholder communication.
11:35 AM – 12:05 PM ET
Unlocking ESG Value Starts in the Boardroom: How to Allocate Oversight
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