HKU-SCF Distinguished Lecture Series in ESG – The “E” and “S” of ESG as an Integral Part of “G”

HKU-SCF FinTech Academy is excited to announce the launch of our Distinguished Lecture Series in ESG.  In this series, we will feature female leaders who have been advancing the ESG agenda from academia to policy and practices as our speakers.

We are delighted to have Professor Caroline Flammer as our first speaker of the series.  Professor Caroline Flammer is a Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. She is an expert in sustainable investing and the recipient of numerous prestigious awards.

Title: The “E” and “S” of ESG as an Integral Part of “G”
Date: 24 June 2022 (Friday)
Time: 4 – 6pm (GMT+8, HK Time)
Conducted by Zoom

Lecture Summary: In this seminar, Professor Caroline Flammer will discuss recent trends in the broader business environment and new practices in corporate governance, which include the i) linking of compensation to long-term financial performance, and ii) linking of compensation to ESG performance. Overall, the key insights of her research are that corporate short-termism is hampering business success — i.e. absent incentives, executives tend to underinvest in long-term projects, hurting companies, investors, society, and the natural environment — and that the environmental (E) and social (S) factors of ESG are an integral part of corporate governance (G).

Speaker: Professor Caroline Flammer, Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University

Professor Caroline Flammer is a Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. She is an expert in sustainable investing and the recipient of numerous prestigious awards. Her research examines how, and under which conditions, firms can enhance their competitiveness and long-term profitability while strengthening—instead of undermining—the very system in which they operate and hereby play a critical role in addressing climate change, inequality, global health, and other grand challenges related to society and the natural environment. The Web of Science ranked her among the top-100 Highly Cited Researchers in the economics and business profession in terms of impact over the past 10 years. Among other roles, she serves as the Chair of the Academic Advisory Committee of the United Nations’ Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), the largest network of responsible investors to date. Moreover, she serves as Associate Editor for both Management Science and the Strategic Management Journal.

Moderator: Professor Chen Lin, Chair of Finance and Stelux Professor in Finance at HKU Business School

Professor Chen LIN joined The University of Hong Kong (HKU) as Chair of Finance at the Faculty of Business and Economics (now HKU Business School) in 2013. Before joining HKU, he was on the faculty team of the Department of Finance at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). At CUHK, he became Full Professor in Finance in 2010 and was awarded the Choh-Ming Li Professorship in Finance in 2012. He received his Bachelor of Engineering from the South China University of Technology in 2000 and a MBA (2004), M.A. (2005) and Ph.D. (2006) from Warrington College of Business Administration, University of Florida. His research interests include banking and financial institutions, corporate finance, financial technology, entrepreneurship and innovation, finance and economic development.