Date: October 23, 2023
GLOBAL THOUGHT LEADERS TO EXPOUND ON THE IMPORTANCE OF NAVIGATING LEGAL, ETHICAL AND SOCIAL CHALLENGES AS KEY PILLARS OF STRENGTHENING EFFECTIVE CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
- Insights into the complex interplay between trust and corporate governance, as well as multifaceted Environmental, Social & Governance (“ESG”) and climate governance factors, and their impact on investment strategies
- Welcome Address by Mr David Gerald, Founder, President & CEO, SIAS
- Opening Address by Distinguished Guest-of-Honour, Mr Ravi Menon, Managing Director, Monetary Authority of Singapore
- Fireside Chat with Prof Kishore Mahbubani, Distinguished Fellow, Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore
- Investors’ Choice Awards – to be officiated by Distinguished Guest-of-Honour, Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment
- To unveil an all-new award
- More than 1,100 professionals, practitioners, investors and directors from over 100 companies are expected to sign up for SIAS’ Corporate Governance Week Programme 2023 and Corporate Governance Statement of Support Pledges
SINGAPORE, OCTOBER 23, 2023 – Securities Investors Association (Singapore) (“SIAS”), a strong advocate for corporate governance and progressive industry practices aimed at protecting and safeguarding shareholder interests, will host its annual Corporate Governance Week (“CG Week 2023”) through a hybrid of in-person and virtual programmes. The upcoming event will kick off at the Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay and will be held between November 6 – 10, 2023. A diverse group of global thought leaders and leading practitioners from Asia-Pacific, the United Kingdom, and Europe will helm the thought-provoking discussions.
Mr David Gerald, Founder, President & CEO of SIAS, said, “In today’s dynamic business landscape, marked by a series of high-profile scandals and controversies that have eroded public trust in corporations and their leadership, we find ourselves navigating uncertain economic terrain, facing continued global disruptions and adapting to evolving investor priorities. Through these challenges, corporate governance emerges as the bedrock upon which trust between corporations and their stakeholders is built and sustained.
Good corporate governance empowers strategic decisions and safeguards the long-term interests of all stakeholders. As we stand on the cusp of a new year, it is imperative that we place trust at the forefront of our discussions. Business leaders must look inward and align their actions with their words to truly reflect the sentiments and experiences of the investing community. We believe that this conference is timely and will serve as a platform for us to reflect on how the concept of trust is evolving to encompass a fortified company culture, the adoption and seamless integration of emerging technologies and tangible actions on ESG and climate governance. As we anticipate further challenges in the year ahead, we believe trust, integrity and responsible corporate governance can continue to be the cornerstones of success.”
This year’s launch of CG Week 2023 will see the Opening Address by Distinguished Guest-of-Honour Mr Ravi Menon, Managing Director, Monetary Authority of Singapore, following the welcome address by SIAS’ Founder, President & CEO, Mr David Gerald.
The presentations and panel discussions for CG Week 2023 will be delivered over three conferences and three forums from November 6 – 10, 2023. They will kick-start on November 6, 2023, on the topic: “Building Trust through Effective Corporate Governance: Navigating Legal, Ethical and Social Challenges.”
Over 100 companies and 250 individuals are expected to participate in the in-person conference. The event will feature a series of compelling presentations and panel discussions led by experts, covering topics on the Importance of Transparency and Accountability, Corporate Social Responsibility in Building Trust with Stakeholders, the Role of Technology in Enhancing Transparency and Accountability, and ESG and Climate Governance Insights. Registration will close on October 30, 2023.
The conference will spotlight presentations helmed by distinguished international and local thought leaders such as Prof Kishore Mahbubani, Distinguished Fellow, Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore, Prof Erik Vermeulen, Professor of Business & Financial Law and Department of Business Law, Tilburg University, Netherlands and Ms Pru Bennett, Partner, Brunswick Group.
The highly topical and relevant discussion on Building Trust through Effective Corporate Governance: Navigating Legal, Ethical and Social Challenges will take a deep dive into potential gaps in oversight and information flow that can lead to decision-making failure, and how companies and boards can plug the gaps to build trust with their stakeholders. The discussion will be entwined with the role of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (“OECD”) Principles of Corporate Governance in laying the foundation for driving trust. Experts will also debate the board’s role in identifying emerging trends and implementing best practices in technology, mitigating technology-related risks through robust measures and adopting a hybrid model to enhance shareholder participation in Closing the Digital Divide – What Should Directors Think About Technology?
Other experts invited to deliver in-depth panel discussions on November 6 include Dr David Smith, Senior Investment Director, abrdn, Ms Fang Eu Lin, Partner, Sustainability & Climate Change Practice Leader, PwC Singapore, Ms Jenny Tan, President, ISACA Singapore Chapter, Mr Lyon Poh, Partner, Advisory, KPMG Singapore, Mr Matej Drašček, Director of Finance, LON d.d. and Mr Teo Ser Luck, President, Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants. These sessions will be led by esteemed moderators, including, Mr Cameron Whittfield, Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills, Ms June Sim, Managing Director, SGXRegCo,, Mr. Sunil Puri, Senior Vice President, Research & Engagement, Stewardship Asia Centre, Dr Roger Barker, Director of Policy and Corporate Governance, Institute of Directors (IoD), UK., Mr Tay Woon Teck, Partner & Industry Lead, Private Client Services, RSM Singapore and Ms Theresa Goh, Chairperson, Charity Council.
Investors’ Choice Awards
SIAS will also be presenting over 60 awards in recognition of excellence in companies and individuals for adopting the best ESG & corporate governance practices at the in-person Investors’ Choice Awards (“ICA”) 2023 on November 8, 2023 at Sands Expo & Convention Centre. The Guest-of-Honour will be Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment.
This year, SIAS acknowledges the growing importance that investors place on understanding the ESG risks to which companies are exposed, how these risks are managed and how companies meet their sustainability targets. In collaboration with NUS-CGS and its industry partners, SIAS is introducing an enhanced award scorecard and methodology.
This year’s focus is on sustainability within a holistic Singapore that is investor centric. The aim is to assess and rate the best-performing listed companies in terms of sustainability, governance, transparency and communications, all for the benefit of investors. Meanwhile, SIAS is also launching a new award at ICA 2023, with the details to be unveiled at a later date.
Corporate Governance Forums 1 & 2
The Corporate Governance Forums will take place virtually on November 7 and 9, 2023. They will be graced by various speakers and panellists including Mr Danny Ong, Managing Director, Setia Law, Mr Sarjit Singh, Senior Advisor, Deloitte and Ms Chia Hui Kheng, Managing Director, Citigate Dewe Rogerson Singapore. They will be discussing the topics – Optimising Investor Relations: Strengthening Communication Strategies for Success and The Dilemma for Company Good Governance – Fraud the Challenge? The virtual events are expecting over 200 participants across the 2-day period.
Investor Forum
The CG Week will round off with an engaging presentation held on November 10, 2023 on the topic – Unlocking Value with Responsible Investing: ESG and Climate Governance Insights for Investors by Mr Loh Uantchern, Vice President, SIAS & CEO (Asia Pacific), Black Sun. Moderated by Mr Loh Uantchern, the panel will discuss in-depth ESG factors, climate governance and their impact on investment strategies. Dr Joshua Kuma, Managing Director, EQT Group and Mr Hong Tong Yen, Chief Sustainability Officer, Keppel Corporation Limited will join Mr Loh on the panel.
SIAS is a regular participant of the OECD Asian Roundtable on Corporate Governance. CG Week 2023 has the strong support of The Association of Banks in Singapore (“ABS”), the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (“ACRA”) and SGListCos as Supporting Organisations; the Singapore Exchange (“SGX”) as Supporting Exchange, and PwC and Singapore Airlines as Event Sponsors for CG Week 2023. This year’s participating professional institutions include OECD, PwC, Setia Law, abrdn, Brunswick Group, RSM, KPMG, Deloitte, LON d.d and Herbert Smith Freehills.
CG Week 2023 is also supported and endorsed by many professional and trade bodies, as well as leading institutions and corporations, including:
- Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA);
- CFA Society Singapore;
- CPA Australia;
- Financial Markets Association of Singapore (FMAS);
- The Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA);
- Investment Management Association of Singapore (IMAS);
- The Securities Association of Singapore (SAS);
- The Institute of Internal Auditors Singapore (IIA)
The official media is The Business Times and the official IR consultancy is Citigate Dewe Rogerson.
For registration to attend Corporate Governance Week 2023 programmes, simply log on to https://sias.org.sg/corporate-governance-week/corporate-governance-registration/.
About SIAS
SIAS actively promotes good corporate governance and transparency practices, investor rights, investor education, and is the watchdog for investors in Singapore. SIAS rates companies on their governance practices together with industry partners and rewards companies excelling in good corporate governance practices.
SIAS, the largest organised investor group in Asia, is run by an elected Management Committee comprising professionals who are volunteers. It is now a registered Charity and an Institution of Public Character.
In addition to its focus on corporate governance, SIAS extensively provides a variety of investor education programmes to its members and the investing community at large through collaborative arrangements with financial institutions and listed companies interested in investor education as part of their corporate social responsibility agenda.
For more information about SIAS, please visit www.sias.org.sg.
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