Synopsis
Innovative financing mechanisms are crucial to funding global efforts to ‘green’ the economy. However, a lack of clarity on which activities and assets fall within the scope of Green Finance impedes issuers, investors and financial institutions from scaling up funding for sustainability purposes.
In the European Union, a new taxonomy attempts to navigate this challenge by setting performance thresholds that guide improvements to companies’ environmental activities. Similar definitions and standards have been adopted by various actors across the world, including those in ASEAN and Singapore.
As issuers, investors, financial institutions, and most importantly regulators develop definitions and standards that fit the markets in which they operate, new potential for collaboration and information sharing begins to emerge across the world.
On 7 October 2020, the final European Excellence in Sustainability Sharing Session—presented in collaboration with the Italian Chamber of Commerce—discusses synergies in definitions, standards and aspirations for green finance in Europe and in Singapore as well as the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.
Programme
4:45 pm Webinar waiting room opens
5:00 pm Welcome Address
- Federico DONATO, President, EuroCham Singapore
5:10 pm Introductory Remarks
- Professor Dr Sumit AGARWAL, Low Tuck Kwong Distinguished Professor of Finance, National University of Singapore
5:20 pm Introduction of Companies
- Dr LUM Sau Kim, Associate Professor, National University of Singapore
5:30 pm Presentations
- Mr Pietro GINEFRA, Senior Director, Italian Central Bank
- Ms Shilpa GULRAJANI, Head of Business Strategy and Sustainability for Southeast Asia, BNP Paribas
- Mr Jan Fredrik SKJELDTORP, General Manager, and Mr Omar SEKKAT, Senior Vice President, DNB
- Representative of Lombard Odier
- Mr Kamran KHAN, Head of ESG for the Asia Pacific, Deutsche Bank
6:00 pm Panel Discussion and Q&A
- Moderated by: Dr LUM Sau Kim, Associate Professor, National University of Singapore
- Panellist: Ms Yulanda Ho Yan CHUNG, Head of Sustainability, Institutional Banking Group Singapore, DBS Bank
6:30 pm End of Programme
Our Speakers
Mr Pietro GINEFRA
Senior Director
Italian Central Bank
Mr Ginefra is the Senior Director of the Italian Central Bank (Banca d’Italia) attaché for Financial Affairs regarding ASEAN countries at the Embassy of Italy in Singapore.
He was a former member of the “Comitato di Riflessione e Indirizzo Strategico” (Strategic Planning Committee) of the former (Hon. A. Alfano and Hon. P. Gentiloni) Ministers of Foreign Affairs; member of the Steering Committee of the Italy-ASEAN Association chaired by Mr E. Letta, former Italian Prime Minister.
Until 2013, Mr Ginefra was the Chief Representative of the Bank of Italy for Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia. He is also an expert in Asian economic growth and financial integration that was involved in promoting Italian investments in Asia and Asian investment in Italy. He was Deputy Representative of the Bank of Italy in New York and Paris. He was a national expert in the Committee of Capital Movements and Invisible Transaction (CMIT) at the OECD.
He has significant experience in financial analysis, portfolio management and complex financial operations to support economic development. He is a Chartered Accountant. As a visiting student at the London School of Economics, he focused on option pricing models and, in particular, on the intertemporal general equilibrium of asset prices. As the financial analyst in the Department of Banking Supervision, Mr Ginefra was involved in the drafting of the regulation of Italian Financial Asset Management Institutions (SIMs) as well as part of the team in charge of the management of the Bank of Italy’s portfolio.
Mr Ginefra graduated with honours in Political Science-Economics from the University of Pisa in 1983 and received a Master’s Degree in Banking at the University of Siena, Italy, in 1986. From 1989-1990, he was a visiting scholar at the Department of Economics of the London School of Economics.
Ms Shilpa GULRAJANI
Head of Business Strategy and Sustainability for Southeast Asia
BNP Paribas
Shilpa Gulrajani is currently the Head of Business Strategy and Sustainability for Southeast Asia, based in Singapore. In her current role, Shilpa is responsible for developing the BNP Paribas franchise and strategy. From this perspective, sustainable finance forms a core component of her role and is not seen as an additional responsibility. Prior to moving to Singapore, Shilpa has worked in Hong Kong within the Investment Banking division of the Bank, prior to which she has spent a decade with the Bank in India.
Mr Jan Fredrik SKJELTORP
General Manager
DNB Bank ASA, Singapore Branch
Jan Fredrik Skjeltorp is a seasoned leader with more than 20 years of banking experience. He serves as the Head of Asia at DNB Bank ASA and has the overall responsibility to look after and coordinate all DNB activities across the region namely, Singapore, Shanghai and Mumbai. Prior to his current position, he was heading up the Corporate Banking Division as Executive Vice President and district General Manager in Norway. Jan Fredrik holds a Master of Public Administration from Agder University and is a board member of the Norwegian Business Association (Singapore).
Mr Omar SEKKAT
Senior Vice President
DNB Bank ASA, Singapore Branch
Omar Sekkat is responsible for DNB Bank’s O&G activities in Asia-Pacific. He is also part of DNB’s global network of Corporate Responsibility Ambassadors and is its regional representative. He has been based in Singapore since 2011 and has over 19 years of experience within Energy & Infrastructure. Omar holds a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and a MSc. in Energy, Trade and Finance from the City University of London.
Mr Kamran KHAN
Head of ESG for the Asia Pacific
Deutsche Bank
Kamran Khan is Deutsche Bank’s Head of ESG for the Asia Pacific, with responsibility for defining and executing the bank’s ESG strategy across all business divisions in the region. He is a member of the Global Sustainability Council of Deutsche Bank.
Prior to joining Deutsche Bank, Mr Khan established Infra-Tech Capital, an impact fund investing in companies utilizing technology to provide infrastructure services and achieve UN Sustainable Development Goals. He was also appointed by the Obama White House to serve as the head of global investments and operations at the US Millennium Challenge Corporation, where he managed a USD 10bn portfolio and led a USD 1.5-2bn annual investment program globally.
Previously, Mr. Khan held senior executive roles at the World Bank and helped establish the World Bank Group regional hub in Singapore, comprising the World Bank, International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Multilateral Insurance & Guarantee Agency (MIGA). Prior to his time at the World Bank, Mr. Khan worked on M&A transactions and advisory mandates at JP Morgan and LEK. He also served as a US Foreign Service Officer with the US Agency for International Development (USAID), where he led operations for the project finance and guarantees facility.
Mr. Khan served as an Advisor on Infrastructure Finance to APEC, ASEAN, and the G-20. He is a member of the Senior Advisory Board at Fudan University Fintech Centre in Shanghai with a mandate to advise on Belt and Road Initiative projects. He has also served on the Board of Advisors at a variety of market-leading companies using technology to achieve ESG goals. He is a frequent speaker at events such as the World Economic Forum, ASEAN Summit, APEC Summit, and in major international media.
Mr. Khan holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and an MS in Applied Economics and Master of Government Administration from the University of Pennsylvania. He received his BS in Economics from George Mason University.
Our Panellist
Ms Yulanda Ho Yan CHUNG
Head of SustainabilityInstitutional Banking Group Singapore
Institutional Banking Group Singapore
DBS Bank
Yulanda Chung joined DBS in 2017 and is currently Head of Sustainability of Institutional Banking Group. She leads the Bank’s responsible financing framework, conducts environmental and social risk mitigation on high impact transactions, and advises customers on structuring sustainable finance solutions. Yulanda was previously Head of Sustainable Finance at Standard Chartered in London, where she established the bank’s sustainable lending agenda. Before joining the banking sector, she was an equity analyst for the mining and building materials sectors at RobecoSAM in Zurich, Switzerland.
Our Moderator
Dr LUM Sau Kim
Associate Professor
National University of Singapore
Sau Kim is Assistant Dean and handles fundraising and communications at the School of Design & Environment (SDE). She has been actively promoting SDE’s “Well and Green” agenda which includes SDE4, the first new-build net-zero energy building in Singapore, and a human-centric sustainable campus precinct. Her research interests cover the areas of housing and land policy, index construction and real estate finance. Winner of several teaching awards in the university, Sau Kim currently teaches real estate finance and securitization. She has also provided consultancy services for a number of organizations including Citibank, GIC Real Estate, Housing & Development Board, Ministry of Housing of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Ministry of Law of Singapore, Singapore Land Authority and Urban Redevelopment Authority.
Sau Kim holds a PhD in Business Administration (Finance and Real Estate) from the University of California at Berkeley. She also has a Masters in Land Economy from the University of Aberdeen and a B.Sc. (Estate Management) honours degree from NUS.
Opening Remarks
Dr Sumit AGARWAL
Low Tuck Kwong Distinguished Professor of Finance, Economics and Real Estate
NUS Business School
Prof Sumit Agarwal is Low Tuck Kwong Distinguished Professor of Finance at the Business School and a Professor of Economics and Real Estate at the National University of Singapore. In the past, he has held positions as a Professor of Finance at the Business School, Georgetown University. Before that he was a senior financial economist in the research department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and prior to joining the Chicago Fed, he was a senior vice president and credit risk management executive in the Small Business Risk Solutions Group of Bank of America.
Student tickets are available for this event.
Students from partnering universities are invited to join, free of charge. Partnering universities; NUS, NTU, SMU, EDHEC, ESSEC & INSEAD.
There are limited student tickets available and are subject to correct registration details.
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- Select “Complimentary Student Ticket”
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