UBS APAC Sustainable Finance Conference 2023

Friday, 9 June 2023
09:00 - 12:30 (HKT)

Why attend?
Agenda
Speakers

Living up to ambitions

Sustainable Investing (SI) was one of the few areas that continued to grow throughout market volatility in 2022, with Morningstar reporting consistent quarterly inflows into associated funds while the traditional asset management industry bled over a trillion in assets.

September 2023 marks the halfway point for delivering the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), but the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and escalating climate events are putting the SDGs in jeopardy.

The question that remains front and center is: can SI live up to its lofty ambitions?

Together, at the “UBS APAC Sustainable Finance Conference 2023 - Living up to ambitions,” we will examine how to mend the gap between ambitions and action when striving towards a resilient, net-zero emissions future.

Be part of the discussion

9:00 – 9:05 Welcome address | 5 min

9:05 – 9:30 Keynote dialogue | 25 min

2023 marks the halfway point for delivering the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Sustainability challenges are here to stay: Carbon emissions on the rise, rising energy prices, higher prices for carbon offset, active regulation coupled with net zero commitments from governments and companies. Amy Lo will join Dr. Andrew Steer to examine needle-moving solutions around the world to preserve and protect the natural world.

Speaker

Dr. Andrew Steer
President & CEO, Bezos Earth Fund

Moderator

Ms. Amy Lo
Co-Head Wealth Management Asia Pacific, UBS Global Wealth Management, Head and Chief Executive, UBS Hong Kong

9:30 – 10:00 Can sustainable investing contribute to SDG? | 30 min

Over the past five years three letters - ESG, or environmental, social and governance - have taken the markets by storm. The number of sustainable investment products have more than doubled in the past five years, and according to the Global Sustainable Investment Alliance, sustainable investing assets now make up one in three invested dollars globally. But has this been contributive to the real world? In this session we invite investment experts across asset allocation, public and private markets to discuss how they implement sustainable investing concepts and what this means for our drive towards a more sustainable world.

Speakers

Mr. Gabriel Wilson-Otto
Head of Sustainable Investing Strategy, Fidelity International

Dr. Vivian Wan
Managing Director, TPG Capital Asia

Mr. Adrian Zuercher
Head Global Asset Allocation & Co-Head Global Investment Management APAC, UBS Chief Investment Office

Moderator

Ms. Stephanie Choi
Sustainable & Impact Investing Strategist, UBS Global Wealth Management Chief Investment Office

10:00 – 10:30 Embracing and empowering ESG | 30 min

ESG considerations can be identified as ingredients of sustainable growth and as means to drive new opportunities for better business performances. Startups are key drivers of innovation and job creation. Putting the 2 together can be a powerful tool to foster economic growth.

In this dialogue, we will hear from Yumiko Murakami of MPower Partners, Japan’s first ESG Venture Capitalist Fund, who will share with us ways to revolutionize Japanʼs venture ecosystem via greater globalization, diversity, and innovation.

Speaker

Ms. Yumiko Murakami
General Partner, MPower Partners Fund L.P.

Moderator

Ms. Adeline Chien
Head, Wealth Management Hong Kong Domestic and South East Asia, UBS Global Wealth Management

10:30 – 10:50 Mid-morning break | 20 min

10:50 – 11:20 Families at the forefront of change in APAC | 30 min

Sustainable and impact investing has grown rapidly among business families in Hong Kong and beyond, with more than 50% of Asian family offices having invested sustainably according to our latest UBS Global Family Office Report. However, investing into innovators and solution providers or bringing their investments in line with the family values they want to stand for, we see different motivations and investment styles.

In this session, we discuss what families are currently focusing on, how a challenging investment year 2022 has influenced their approaches and where they see the next frontier for them in sustainable finance.

Speaker

Mr. Adriel Chan
Vice Chair, Hang Lung Group and Hang Lung Properties

Ms. Katy Yung
Managing Partner, Sustainable Finance Institute (SFi)

Moderator

Mr. Mario Knoepfel
Head, Sustainable Investing Advisory, Asia-Pacific, UBS Global Wealth Management

11:20 – 11:50 Sustainability voyage for the entrepreneurs and SMEs | 30 min

There are 360k SMEs in Hong Kong, accounting for >98% of local companies and employing 44% of the work force. With limited financial resources, SMEs may need to work harder and smarter to establish themselves, to grow beyond Hong Kong, and to pursue sustainability.

Looking into Greater China markets, there is a large number of medium-sized firms that have grown successfully over decades but are now going through succession challenges with first generation looking to retire and second generation have interest elsewhere. How do investors in these firms tackle the stability through succession and achieve sustainability at the same time? We will look to how to institutionalize and professionalize the companies in mid-markets in the sustainability journey.

Speakers

Mr. Kuo Chuan Kung
Founder & Managing Partner, Nexus Point

Ms. Jessica Naomi Fong
CEO, Common Farms

Moderator

Mr. Brendon Tu
Head, ESG Advisory Asia Pacific, Chairman of General Industrials Group, Asia, UBS Global Banking

11:50 – 12:20 Breakout Sessions | 30 min

Breakout 1: Sustainable tech trailblazers

Sustainable technology describes innovation that considers natural resources and fosters economic and social development. The objective is to reduce environmental and biodiversity risks and creating a sustainable product. Meeting the sustainability challenges of the future requires new ways of thinking and that is where entrepreneurs exhibit their superpowers.

According to a recent study by McKinsey the cost to net zero by 2050 will require approximately $9.2 trillion per year and the majority will need to be directed in emerging technologies that are still not available at scale.

In this session we will hear directly from these trailblazers about how they solve these problems, the impacts their solutions create for people and the planet, how private capital has helped them accelerate and the challenges ahead.

Speakers

Dr. Daniela Marino
Co-Founder & CEO, CUTISS AG

Mr. Antonio Ng
Founder & Director, Formwork IO

Moderator

Mr. Tasos Zavitsanakis
Head, Sustainable Finance Greater China, UBS APAC Sustainable Finance Office

Breakout 2: Financial Innovation: Social and blended finance

With the annual funding gap to achieve the SDGs by 2030 estimated to be over USD3 trillion now, how can we find ways to use innovative financing approaches to attract and enable commercial investment capital to be deployed more effectively to address this? The use of social and blended finance aims to address this, combining different types of capital – from philanthropic to commercial – to enable a more aligned approach to delivering both impact and financial returns.

Join this session to hear perspectives and examples on social and environmental related efforts highlighting the use of social and blended finance from individuals with combined decades of experience across multi-sectors to drive outcomes for our planet and people.