4.00pm – 5.00pm (SGT)
Synopsis:
The session will brief attendees on the EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) and how this would affect financial institutions, including asset managers, in Singapore.
Moderator:
Mrs Candice Coppere, VP, Head of ESG, Client Solutions and Research, APAC, FactSet
Mrs. Candice Coppere is VP, Head of ESG Client Solutions and Research in Asia-Pacific. In this role, she offers ESG expertise to clients integrating sustainability goals into their investment processes, including thematic investing, the valuation process, portfolio construction, risk management, and corporate engagement. Prior to this, Mrs. Coppere was a Research Specialist, specializing in workflows and solutions for front office teams, including buy-side and sell-side fundamental and quantitative analysts. She holds master’s degrees in Engineering Physics from the Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon and Global Politics from the University of London.
Panellists:
Ms Amelia Sexton, ESG Product Specialist, AllianceBernstein
Amelia Sexton is AB’s ESG Product Specialist. She works closely with both the Responsible Investment and Business Development teams to serve as the key contact for client-facing individuals on RI initiatives, positioning, and product-related strategy. She is also responsible for developing and overseeing the quality and consistency of our ESG messaging, as well as maintaining a dynamic Thought Leadership agenda to support the firm’s RI brand, and contributing to new RI-focused product development. Outside of AB, she currently co-chairs the CFA UK Impact Investment Special Interest Group. Prior to joining the firm in 2020, Amelia spent 7 years at Holden & Partners, a London-based investment firm, where she was responsible for the management and development of the ‘Ethical, Sustainable, and Thematic’ investment proposition through a range of multi-asset portfolios. She holds a BA in History from the University of Nottingham and is a CFA Charterholder.
Ms Judith Boom, Senior Counsel Regulatory Affairs, NN Investment Partners
Judith joined NN IP in 2017 as Senior Counsel Regulatory Affairs and has been involved in implementations concerning MiFID II, the Benchmark Regulation and Brexit. Currently she is involved in the NN IP RI Regulatory Project which ensures implementation of legislation such as SFDR, Taxonomy and other sustainable finance related legislation.
Judith began her career in the financial sector at ING Bank N.V. in 1997. While working for ING Bank N.V. she worked in the area of financial markets and retail & private banking where she worked on projects such as MiFID I implementation. In 2012 she moved to the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) and was the project leader for the implementation of the Dutch ban on inducements.
Judith holds a master’s degree in Law from the University of Amsterdam and master’s degrees in business administration and Culture, Organisation and Management from the Vrije University of Amsterdam.
Mr Leonard Ng, Partner, Sidley Austin LLP
Leonard Ng is co-head of the UK/EU Financial Services Regulatory group and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. Based in the London office, Leonard advises a wide range of global financial institutions on complex UK and EU financial services regulatory issues. He has particular experience in advising clients on operating under the regulatory framework established after the last financial crisis, and more recently on Brexit planning, sustainable finance/ESG, LIBOR transition and cryptoasset regulation. Leonard is a past member of the Board of the Managed Funds Association (MFA), the global trade association for hedge funds, and he is a frequent speaker at industry conferences.
In addition to UK and EU regulatory matters, Leonard has extensive experience in advising clients on the international regulatory capital framework, as well as assisting EU-based clients assess the implications of U.S. legislation such as the Dodd Frank Act, in conjunction with colleagues in Sidley’s U.S. offices.
