MUSEUM NEWS
THE TICKER
Museum Hosts In-Person Panel on “ Going Green : Exploring the Relationship of Sustainability and Finance ”
By Mindy Ross , Director of External Relations
On September 19 , the Museum presented “ Going Green : Exploring the Relationship of Sustainability and Finance ,” a timely inperson panel discussion featuring a diverse panel of industry experts who addressed the growing dependency between finance and sustainability . With sustainability emerging as the leading theme in 2022 , Environmental , Social and Governance ( ESG ) reporting and commitments have become a critical priority for companies against a backdrop of increasing pressure and scrutiny from regulators , stakeholders and the media .
The panel discussion was held at the New York headquarters of ING and introduced by the program co-sponsors ING and Protiviti . Both sponsors are represented on the Museum ’ s Board of Trustees and on the Museum ’ s Communications Executives Advisory Panel . Museum
President & CEO David Cowen gave brief opening remarks and noted that exactly three years prior to that day , the Museum held its first program on sustainability , “ Sustainability : Is it Sustainable ?”
Gerald Walker , CEO of ING Americas , then welcomed the guests , and Michael Brauneis , Managing Director and Global Financial Services Leader at Protiviti , followed with an overview of the program and introduction to the participants . The panel was moderated by Amrith Ramkumar , Climate Finance Reporter for The Wall Street Journal , and featured Ron Gonen , Founder and CEO , Closed Loop Partners ; Robert Hirth , Senior Managing Director , Protiviti and former SASB Co- Vice Chair ; and Ana Carolina Oliveira , Managing Director and Head of Sustainable Finance , ING Americas .
The panel discussion covered a wide range of topics and addressed audience questions , including how the Inflation
Reduction Act would influence energy transition and sustainable finance ; the backlash and confusion over ESG and “ greenwashing ” in investment alternatives ; the ways Wall Street is influencing companies to prioritize sustainability ; how ESG / sustainability investments impact a company ’ s operations , supply chains and bottom line ; and the impact of corporate and government climate disclosures on progress .
Following the formal program and Q & A , there was a cocktail reception , with guests treated to a live performance of featured artists from the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra . The orchestra is regarded as one of the very best in the world and has been sponsored by ING for more than 30 years . “ Going Green : Exploring the Relationship of Sustainability and Finance ” was sponsored by Protiviti and ING . The recording of the program is now available at moaf . org / videos .
Left : Michael Brauneis introduces the “ Going Green ” panelists . Center : Panelists Ron Gonen and Robert Hirth take questions from the audience . Right : The “ Going Green ” participants ( L to R ): David Cowen , Amrith Ramkumar , Ron Gonen , Robert Hirth , Ana Carolina Oliveira , Gerald Walker and Michael Brauneis .
www . MoAF . org | Fall 2022 | FINANCIAL HISTORY 5