Owner Perspectives, Collaboration with Boards on Sustainability

The latest report from UNs climate scientists shared a code red for humanity, and societies and businesses need to act fast. The two SDG goals in most need of fast improvement in Nordics are SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and SDG 13 (Climate Action), according to a recent progress report by Nordic Innovation.

Investors and businesses will be under high pressure to increase their efforts.

• How are owners and investors engaging with and influencing companies and boards on the topic of ESG and climate?
• What role does the ownership structure play?
• What are the key asks, and how do investors best steward the process?
• What are the challenges from board perspective? What do boards need from investors?
• How can investors best assess progress and what do they want to see from boards?

Some of the most experienced Nordic leaders on this topic will share their perspectives and insights.

September 20 at 12-13 CET, Boards Impact Forum invites you to a webinar on the topic of “Owner Perspectives, Collaboration with Boards on Sustainability and Climate Change.”

Listen to Corporate Governance Professor Morten Huse framing the topic, followed by a moderated discussion with the experienced panelists

• Viveka Hirdman-Ryrberg, Communincations & Sustainability Director at Investor, Board Director at SEB investment Management
• Christoph Vitzthum, Chair Konecranes, Varma, NED at Nordstjernan & Oras Invest and CEO at Fazer
• Jens Schlyter, Deputy Director for Sustainable business for State-Owned Enterprises and Board Director at Svenska Spel.

The discussion will be moderated by Jakob Stengel, Boards Member Boards Impact Forum and Chair Danish Board Network.

If you are interested in becoming a member or support of Boards Impact Forum, please register here.

Speaker Bios

Christoph Vitzthum

Board Chairman at Konecranes, and Varma, Board NED at Nordstjernan & Oras Invest and CEO at Fazer Group. Christoph has an extensive background from executive positions at Wartsila. Christoph holds a M.Sc in Economics from Hanken School of Economics, Finland.

Jens Schlyter

Jens Schlyter is Deputy Director for Sustainable Business at the Department for State-Owned Enterprises at the Swedish Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation. Jens Schlyter has more than 12 years of experience in the field of sustainability from the Swedish corporations Scania and Electrolux where he held different positions in the field of sustainability. He has also worked at UNICEF headquarters in New York. Jens Schlyter holds a Master of Laws from Uppsala University, Sweden focusing on International law.

Viveka Hirdman-Ryrberg

Head of Corporate Communincation and Sustainability, Investor AB, Chair Misum Stockholm School of Economics, Chair Swedish Communication Association and Board Director at SEB investment Management. Viveka has an extensive background from executive positions at SEB. Viveka holds a B.Sc in Business Administration and Lic.Sc in Economics, Stockholm School of Economics.

Morten Huse

Professor emeritus at BI Norwegian Business School. Member of Board of Governors at Academy of Management (AOM), Member of Board Impact Forums Academic Advisory Board. Professor at BI Norwegian Business School 2002-20. He has been Reinhard Mohn Endowment Chair for Management, Business Ethics and Societal Change at Witten/Herdecke University Germany, President & Chair of the board of European Academy of Management (EURAM), President of the National Association of Board of Directors Norway, and he has held positions in insurance, hotels, and strategy consulting. Morten holds a PhD in Economics from Norwegian School of Economics. Norway. Morten is one of Europe’s most experienced researchers and published scholars in Corporate Governance. Some of his publications are listed below.

The referenced Report from Nordic Innovation reviewing the Nordic Countries progress of the SDG goals can be found here

Example publications by Professor Morten Huse includes “Value-creating Boards: Challenges for future Research and Practice (Cambridge U. Press, 2018), “Resolving the crisis in research by changing the game” (E. Elgar Publ., 2020), “Getting women on to corporate boards” (coauthored E. Elgar Publ., 2013), “The value creating board: Corporate governance and organizational behavior” (Routledge, 2008), “Board, Governance and Value Creation: The human side of corporate governance” (Cambridge U. Press, 2007), “Crossroads of entrepreneurship” (coauthored Kluwer Publ., 2003) and several books about boards and other topics Scandinavian languages. He has also published more than two hundred scientific and popular science articles about boards and corporate governance.