The answer to who's driving the push for ESG disclosures can quickly devolve into a chicken-and-egg argument. While determining the leader of the charge is not easy, there is no disputing that ESG has rapidly entered the mainstream within the investing world. And as ESG becomes an increasingly hot investment topic, Canadian IROs are figuring out ways to deliver the information that institutions and analysts desire most. | Read Article |

In a time of unpredictable environmental/climate change risks, high-impact disruptive technology, changing consumer and societal demands, and a volatile geopolitical environment, CEOs are on constant alert as any change can impact their business outlook. In KPMG International's fifth annual survey, 2019 Global CEO Outlook, we look at new opportunities, challenges and trends identified by CEOs from 1,300 companies, spanning 11 of the world's largest economies and 11 key industries, including banking, consumer retail, energy and manufacturing. | Read Article |

There's a growing trend among investors that companies should take note of: investors care about more than just the bottom line. Investors are increasingly looking at environmental and social (E&S) factors in governance and companies that ignore them do so at their own risk. | Read Article |

It's been nearly four years since the Paris Agreement brought 196 nations and countries together around a central mission: limit greenhouse gas emissions and keep temperatures from rising more than two degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. Since then, a remarkable thing has happened in the investor community. More shareholders, and more companies, began to look closely at the risks and opportunities of climate change. For investors and Boards, the primary question has become: Just how resilient are our assets in the face of climate change? | Read Article |

At the CIRI Conference in Halifax, I was interested to hear Marnie Smith of Korn Ferry speak to an emerging trend of companies adding a “stakeholder relations” person at the executive level. It wasn’t the first time I had head the term. When British bank Lloyds was purchased by the UK government in 2009, it genuinely made sense for leadership of IR and government relations to be a combined role – stakeholder relations – as government was the largest shareholder. It was thought-provoking to hear this type of management structure discussed at the Conference. | Read Article |