PRI | Barcelona 2022

PRI in Person & Online 2022 brought together a hybrid audience of over 2,400 investment professionals

The theme of this year’s event was ‘the coming of age of responsible investment’.

Over three days in Barcelona, across more than 40 content-driven sessions and networking events, speakers and delegates at PRI in Person & Online came together to consider the changing expectations on investors and the evolutions the industry needs in order to meet them.

Following a welcome by the Group Executive Chair of Banco Santander, Ana Botin, on behalf of our lead sponsors, Santander Asset Management, the conference opened with an impassioned message from United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres demanding urgent and concrete action to tackle the climate crisis. The Secretary-General was explicit about the vital role that financial investors must play in ensuring a net zero future, with no room permitted for slow movers or greenwashing.

During the opening plenary, former governor of the Bank of England and current Co-chair of the Glasgow Finance Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ), Mark Carney, also spoke on unlocking the full potential of private finance in accelerating the transition to net zero through ambition, action and accountability. Over 550 leading financial organisations have committed, through GFANZ, to reducing their financed emissions in line with the pathway to limiting global warming to 1.5 °C.

Ambition without action is, of course, worth little, and Governor Carney outlined the ways that GFANZ was helping to operationalise these ambitions by developing a comprehensive framework for net zero transition plans for financial institutions that centre near term, science-based, achievable targets.

In all, over 200 speakers took part across the four plenaries and nearly 40 additional breakout sessions. These included:

Emmanuel Faber, Chair, International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB)
Jeremy Grantham, Long-Term Investment Strategist, GMO
Ioannis Ioannou, Associate Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship, LBS
Mairead McGuinness, European Commissioner for Financial Stability
Samantha Ricciardi, Global CEO, Santander Asset Management
Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice-President, European Commission

Our breakout sessions covered the full gamut of ESG-related issues, demonstrating the breadth of expertise across the international responsible investment community.

View full agenda here

69 countries

1264 organisations

202 speakers

Social media coverage

The hashtag #PRIinPerson generated almost

7,000,000
impressions

Reaching over 2 million people

Over 1,000 posts used the hashtag #PRIinPerson

"We cannot blame the system. We are the system. If you you are stuck in a traffic jam, then you are the traffic jam. For a more resilient future, each of us has to become aware of our own responsibility" - Emmanuel Faber, Chair, International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB)

Gallery

Barcelona 2022 Vox Pops

Laetitia Tankwe, Head of Sustainability Implementation and Assurance, @HSBC Asset Management shares her thoughts on what it means to be a truly responsible investor in 2022.
#PRIinPerson #ResponsibleInvestment #SustainableFinance #ESGAgenda pic.twitter.com/VzCqnCgq3t
— The PRI (@PRI_News) December 2, 2022

After a two-year hiatus, we are delighted to welcome over 2000 guests in person and online, including many of our PRI signatory members here at #PRIinPerson and Online, to learn, share views and shape the future.
📢 @davidatkin22 #ResponsibleInvestment #SustainableFinance pic.twitter.com/NpMhM0ky1f
— The PRI (@PRI_News) November 30, 2022

“We need to enable business, investors and society at large to take the right steps and achieve that 1.5°c outcome.” - @ca_howarth CEO, @ShareAction
#PRIinPerson #ResponsibleInvestment #SustainableFinance #ESGAgenda pic.twitter.com/QnYdBqn3tq
— The PRI (@PRI_News) December 1, 2022

“Being a responsible investor means collaborating, being active stewards, reaching out to policymakers and exchanging with each other, to give us the best chance of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees.” - @nathanafabian Chief Responsible Investment Officer, PRI
#PRIinPerson pic.twitter.com/gbuhAyGkFp
— The PRI (@PRI_News) December 2, 2022

Wilhelm Mohn, Global Co-Head of Corporate Governance at @NorgesBank shares what it means to be a responsible investor in the current climate.
#PRIinPerson #ResponsibleInvestment #SustainableFinance #ESGAgenda pic.twitter.com/79mm7iRppU
— The PRI (@PRI_News) December 1, 2022

“We’re connecting signatories, we’re connecting stakeholders…and making sure that being green is easier.”

Our COO, @EstherTeeken shares how together, our signatories are advancing the #ResponsibleInvestment agenda across the globe.#PRIinPerson #SustainableFinance #ESGAgenda pic.twitter.com/cI9A3hCybL
— The PRI (@PRI_News) December 1, 2022

. @wendy_cromwell Vice Chair, @Wellington_Mgmt lists 5 crucial things to remember when being a responsible investor including the importance of educating yourself and committing to continuous improvement.
#PRIinPerson #ResponsibleInvestment #SustainableFinance #ESGAgenda pic.twitter.com/U2FQdbtmtt
— The PRI (@PRI_News) December 2, 2022

“In the follow up to the climate negotiations, it's really important that we're seeing real progress.”
@shelaghwhitley, Chief Sustainability Office on the tangible advancements that have been made at #PRIinPerson ahead of #COP15.
#ResponsibleInvestment pic.twitter.com/zAmqUjq5o1
— The PRI (@PRI_News) December 2, 2022

Recordings

Day 1 - Plenary & Session Recordings

Welcome remarks from our Lead Sponsor: Santander Asset Management

Plenary: The coming of age of responsible investment

Plenary: Driving net zero in an insecure world

Breakout 1A: The new geopolitics of responsible investment

Breakout 1B: Corporate disclosure: how do global sustainability standards meet the needs of investors?

Breakout 1C: Academic lecture: sustainability leadership: challenges, opportunities and strategies in th era of disruption

Breakput 1D: Supporting a circular economy transition: why and how investors should take action

Breakout 1E: M&A, divestment and capital expenditure: should investors divest to align with climate commitments?

Breakout 1F: Asset owner workshop: Instigating and influencing collaborative stewardship

Breakout 2A: Committed to net zero: tackling key implementation challenges

Breakout 2B: Harmonising global responsible investment terminology

Breakout 2C: Sustainable investing: sovereigns’ friend or foe?

Breakout 2D: Reimagining the built environment for a sustainable future

Breakout 2E: How can asset owners integrate tax fairness into their own practices?

Breakout 2F: Espacio Hispanohablante, el marco regulatorio en Europa y LATAM y la transición justa

Day 2 - Plenary & Session Recordings

Plenary: Advancing investor action on human rights and social issues

The investor mining and tailings safety initiative

PRI Awards presentation

Breakout 3A: The social data challenge: investor insights and approaches to overcome it

Breakout 3B: Policy engagement: a vital lever to deliver sustainability impact

Breakout 3C: Climate Action 100+’s 2030 vision: keeping 1.5C alive

Breakout 3D: Asset owners: monitoring investment managers

Breakout 3E: Academic Network Conference: PRI Awards for outstanding research

Breakout 3F: A guide to the PRI: learning, networking and collaborating

Breakout 4A: The future of ESG data, ratings and research: what do investors need?

Breakout 4B: The Inevitable Policy Response in the decade of disruption

Breakout 4C: Advance: Using stewardship to tackle human rights issues in metals & mining and renewables

Breakout 4D: Asset allocation, portfolio returns and sustainability performance

Breakout 4E: shareholder engagement: what do we really know about it and what should we study next?

Breakout 4F: Closing the emerging markets funding gap

Breakout 5A: Market outlook: ESG trends

Breakout 5B: The role of private markets in the energy transition

Breakout 5C: US ESG disclosure: challenges, alignment, and what’s next?

Breakout 5D: Choosing credit-relevant time horizons

Breakout 5E: Academic Network Conference: climate finance research and implications

Breakout 5F: Empowering active ownership: resourcing for stewardship functions

Day 3 - Plenary & Session Recordings

Breakout 6B: Responsible political engagement: the case for stewardship

Breakout 6C: Better together: Collaboration, success stories and what we can learn

Breakout 6D: The rise of passive investments: what is the influence on responsible investment?

Breakout 6E: China’s carbon neutrality ambitions: what investors need to know now

Breakout 6F: PRI in a Changing World: signatory consultation

Plenary: Leading with purpose: asset owner expectations for the next 10 years

Reporting and Assessment: Information Session on R&A’s Product Design Processes

Closing: PRI in Person - Tokyo 2023

PRI in Person & Online 2022: Sponsors & Partners

Lead Sponsor:

Gold Sponsors:

Silver Sponsors:

Bronze Sponsors:

Product Sponsors:

PRI in Person & Online 2022 highlights