ESG Basics Programme

Adoption of ESG regulation brings new opportunities for companies to show their sustainability efforts and corporate responsibility to a wider audience. This opportunity also comes with a challenge of creating a new sort of report. Although it’s still early days for most companies’ strategic reinvention, we know the ESG reporting brings a mini revolution to the reporting process. New kind of reporting will be comprehensive and bring different departments in the reporting process. Additionally, the reporting process should be based on a clear company strategy that can asses the business processes and policies and set up the supporting KPI`s.

How to use the new regulations to create an encompassing business strategy?

Understanding the ESG landscape, recognizing risks and opportunities that lie ahead will help you to maximise those opportunities and minimise the risks.

Using best practices examples we will show what benefits ESG implementation may bring to your business:

  • Staying ahead of the competition
  • Bottom line resilient to adverse risks
  • Compliance and easier adaptation to new regulations
  • Innovative business environment
  • Employee retention and engagement

Key benefits for participants: 

  • Understanding ESG regulation and its strategic aspects, impacts and complexities
  • Understanding how the new non-financial reporting requirements will affect your annual reporting process
  • Understanding how to limit risks (financial, regulatory and reputational risks) during the green transition
  • Seeing best practices for organizing the reporting process
ESG Crash Course

Who is it for?

For those who want to understand how their business can thrive in the ESG era and utilise the upcoming legal requirements and leverage it for resilience of their business in the future:

  • Senior management to gain the understanding of the impact on business
  • Management to understand the various aspects they should keep in mind when adopting the regulation
  • ESG team members to get a bigger picture on how different parts of the regulation are adopted
  • Finance to understand different parts of the reporting process
  • Marketing and investor communication how to present the ESG data in a transparent and meaningful way
  • HR teams to understand their part in ESG reporting process

Strategy, Social and Governance

This module will provide a comprehensive overview of:

  • Introduction of the new regulations & impact on business
  • CSRD, Taxonomy, Corporate Due diligence directive, 
  • Steps in developing the ESG strategy: 
    • Carry out a maturity assessment - what are the current ESG data and processes already in place, with gap analysis according to regulation and best practices 
    • Materiality assessment and ESG risk analysis
    • Plan to close the gaps, set targets and commitments, KPIs
    • Implementation of the plan - increasing ESG maturity
    • Continuity - systematic approach to managing ESG
    • Best practices so far - PwC and external
  • Key labour standards and their indicators of measurement
  • Integrating human rights in business and across the value chain
  • Equal pay and gender equality
  • Socially responsible investments
  • Board governance and diversity
  • Business integrity and ethical business conduct
  • Tax governance
  • We will cover the aforementioned topics by exploring key aspects of their implementation:
  • Current and upcoming legislation on an EU level, including the implications to non-EU countries
  • International best practice and standards on Social and Governance
  • Setting targets, implementation, measuring and communicating progress, including international and regional best practice examples
  • Best practice case studies

Decarbonisation and climate change

In this module, we will provide a comprehensive overview of the following key environmental topics:

  • Climate change and carbon management
  • Transition to a circular economy
  • Energy efficiency and management
  • Biodiversity and ecosystem services
  • Pollution prevention and control

For each of the above topics, we will cover the following aspects:

  • Risks and opportunities
  • Current and upcoming legislation on an EU level, including the implications to non-EU countries
  • Key methods of measurement, target setting, and potential implementation of each topic, drawing from international best practice, management systems and certifications
  • Best practice case studies

Environment and social due diligence

In this interactive workshop we will provide a comprehensive overview of the following key topics:

·         The purpose and importance of conducting environmental and social due diligence

·         Key steps in E&S Due Diligence process

·         Current and upcoming relevant legislation on an EU level

·         E&S Due Diligence frameworks

·         Best practice case studies

Reporting I - CSRD and GRI

This module will provide a comprehensive overview of:

  • The context of EU regulation, mainly CSRD
  • Who is required to publish sustainability report, what is the timeline, will the report need to be assured and other novelties,
  • What are European sustaianability reporting standards (ESRS)?
  • Outline of ESRS and disclosure requierments,
  • Pinpoint to key points of the reporting proces 
  • How to identify the potential opportunities through the reporting process
  • GRI 2021 standard – novelties and similarities
  • How is GRI connected with ESRS
  • EU and non-EU companies and reporting comparability

How will you and your organisation benefit from this module:

  • Clear outline on how to set up the roadmap for reporting process
  • Provide guidence on Implementation of the process
  • Identifying key people and processes within your company - for data gathering
  • Identifying urgent points

Some of the topics covered in this module:

  • The context of EU Taxonomy
  • Who is required to publish EU Taxonomy, in what form is it required to publish
  • What is the difference between eligibility and alignment
  • What is substantial contribution criteria
  • What is a Do no significant harm criteria
  • What are the minimum safeguards

How will you and your organisation benefit from this module:

  • Clear outline how to determine and calculate eligibility and alignment
  • Provide guidance on implementation
  • Identify key gaps and urgent points of action
  • Provide good practice on evidence gathering

Lecturers

Ana is a Manager in Deals Advisory, driving development of ESG-related services and participating in ESG projects which include different line of services. She has 15 years of experience in financial services industry with extensive experience in company valuations, macroeconomic, credit, equity and ESG analysis. She started her career in another Big4 accounting firm performing audit services of financial institutions.

Her prior experience also includes the implementation of Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation and the EU Taxonomy regulation requirements on entity and product level for financial market participants and financial advisers. She has worked on various projects covering a sustainability-related regulation development (Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation, EU Taxonomy regulation for financial undertakings, Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive) has practical experience in the integration of sustainability risk into investment-decision making process, including building ESG scoring model for measuring sustainability risks, disclosure requirements, ESG analysis of investee companies. Ana is knowledgeable in various ESG investment strategies (exclusion, ESG integration, best-in-class), ESG rating methodologies, ESG materiality assessment. 

Ana holds a bachelor's degree in economics and business and is an ACCA student. She also has a Certificate in ESG Investing by CFA Institute.

Amorella is a Manager for ESG in Assurance at PwC Croatia. Amorella has over seven years of experience in sustainability and corporate social responsibility consulting, with focus on strategy implementation, non-financial/ sustainability reporting, UN SDGs, according to GRI, and experience of ISO standards implementation. She worked for the Austrian consulting firm Hauska & Partner, in Zagreb for four years. Amorella has experience in sustainability strategy and its implementation, stakeholder engagement, sustainability communication strategy and experience working in various sectors; advising clients from financial sector (banks and insurance entities) and non-financial sector (retail, energy, telecommunication).

Amorella holds an MSc in Corporate social responsibility with environmental management  from The University of York and a MA in European and international studies from the European Institute , with BA in Communication science from The University of Zagreb.

Erato is a Manager in ESG Advisory Consulting at PwC South Eastern Europe. She is a Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv SocEnv) and Chartered Resource and Waste Manager (CRWM MCIWM). She holds a BSc (Hons) in Ecological and Environmental Sciences from The University of Edinburgh and an MSc in Environmental Engineering from Imperial College London. Prior to joining PwC, she worked as a Senior Environmental Consultant for the multinational engineering consultancy, Arup, based in London.

Erato has in-depth expertise in the applications of circular economy and urban systems resilience principles against climate-related and environmental risks. She has in-depth expertise in climate vulnerability and risks of infrastructure, water and energy resources and ecosystems. Erato worked as a circular economy expert on several resilience strategies in South America, southern Europe, and West Africa. She developed a framework for addressing resilience risks through the application of circular economy principles, that can support climate adaptation and mitigation. Erato has a strong understanding of addressing whole life carbon in infrastructure and ensuring futureproofing across all lifecycle stages. She also has experience with greenhouse gas removal technology, such as carbon capture, use and storage, and carbon sequestration in soils through regenerative agricultural practices. She has carried out capacity building within local authorities across the globe, while she also has strong analytical skills, having undertaken resource flow modelling and forecasting of future infrastructure needs, in locations such as Hong Kong, Australia, Canada, the UK and UAE.

Julian is a Director, Forensic Services Leader at PwC Bulgaria. She is a GRI Certified Sustainability Candidate and a FSA Level II Candidate. He holds a masters’ degree in law from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. Prior to joining PwC, he worked for more than 20 years as a Tax & Legal services advisor in other Big 4 companies in Bulgaria, the Netherlands and the UK.

Julian has experience in Corporate governance projects for a number of Bulgarian and international companies, related to both developing and review of internal compliance procedures, as well as developing non – financial (sustainability) reports for leading retail companies in SEE. Additionally, he has experience in leading projects related to financial fair play of sport clubs and federations, as well as developing code of ethics and internal whistleblowing channels.

Maria-Elena is an Manager in the ESG TLS Department at PwC Bulgaria. She is a GRI Certified Sustainability Candidate and a FSA Level II Candidate. She holds a LLB (Hons) in English and European Law from Queen Mary, University of London and an MSc International Relations & Diplomacy from Leiden University, The Netherlands. Prior to joining PwC, she worked as a Gender Equality Policy Analyst for the Council of Europe in France and interned at the United Nations in Geneva.

Maria-Elena has experience with Taxonomy reporting, human rights assessments and sustainability reporting. She has worked on gender equality assessments for a range of countries in central and eastern Europe and southeast Asia. Additionally, she has participated in the monitoring procedures of international human rights bodies and created various stakeholder engagement procedures for consultation with NGOs and members of civil society. She has co-led an expert study of the impact of COVID-19 on social movements, with implications for security in North America and Europe.

Slaven Kartelo is a partner in the audit department and accounting consulting department with 20 years of work experience in the field of auditing large and small companies from various industries in Croatia and the region. As a team leader, he participated in audits of companies from various industries such as pharmaceuticals, distribution, retail, trade and production of FMCG in Croatia and the region. He has extensive experience in the application of IFRS and HSFI and advises clients on various complex accounting issues and the implementation of controls in business processes. Slaven particular interest is in regulatory compliance and specifically sustainability reporting (ie. non-financial reporting), as he considers this reporting to be equally important as financial reporting. This trend of sustainability reporting importance will continue to rise among the stakeholders in the next ten years.

Slaven holds a degree in economics, an ACCA designation, and he is a certified  external auditor in Croatia as well as certified internal auditor.. Since 2020, he has also become a member of the Management Board of the Croatian Chamber of Auditors, where he actively supports the development of the auditing profession.

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Anesa Ustavdić

Anesa Ustavdić

Senior Manager, PwC Bosnia and Herzegovina

Tel: +387 (0) 33 821 600

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