The aim of this course given by ISFC and Integra Consulting is to introduce the participants to fast evolving sustainable finance frameworks and their environmental and social assessment obligations that are relevant to the impact assessment profession. The course will cover environmental, social and governance (ESG) concept and its use, the rise of taxonomies of sustainable economic activities, as well as the latest developments in the global development and standardisation of sustainability reporting and disclosure standards. The course will also look at how the financial industry is trying to measure and account for impact. Goals and learning outcomes include:

• Analytical approaches used by major ESG rating providers: MSCI ESG Ratings, Sustainalytics' ESG Risk Ratings, S&P Global ESG Scores, Moody's ESG Solutions and Bloomberg ESG Disclosures Scores.
• Evolving sustainability reporting frameworks developed with the aim to provide input data to ESG ratings: e.g., Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), the draft EU Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), proposals generated by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), etc.
• Comprehension of the different sustainable finance taxonomies.
• Understanding of the relevance of impact assessment to the developments in ESG data and reporting.
• Full grasp of how ESG is used by companies and financial institutions, and how this practice is evolving – and what demands it might bring.
• Understanding of key challenges and future trends for ESG and impact investing practices for the coming years.

Level: Foundation to Intermediate

Prerequisites: None

Language: English

Duration: 2 days (6-7 May)

Min/Max: 10-40

Preferred: Laptop

Price: US$480

Instructors: Linda Zeilina, CEO, International Sustainable Finance Centre (ISFC), (Czechia); Julian Toth, COO, International Sustainable Finance Centre (ISFC), (Czechia); Jiri Dusík, Senior Partner, Integra Consulting, Ltd., (Czechia)

Linda Zeilina

Linda Zeilina is the CEO and founder of the International Sustainable Finance Centre (ISFC). Linda has over a decade of experience in ESG integration. She was previously Director of a boutique think tank and consultancy, Re-Define, where she advised major European and US financial institutions on ESG-related issues and strategy updates. Linda has given lectures and taken part in course design at the University of Edinburgh, European University Institute, and the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin. She has also delivered specialised workshops and training sessions for national banks, credit rating agencies, investor networks and public officials. Linda is alumna of the London School of Economics, University of Glasgow, and of McGill University. Linda will become a full IAIA member and will sign its code of conduct if the course were to be accepted by IAIA.

Julian Toth

Julian Toth is COO at the International Sustainable Finance Centre (ISFC), a Prague-based think-tank focused on building knowledge and capacities on sustainable finance topics in the Central and Eastern European region. In his role, he leads the design and delivery of educational courses for a variety of stakeholders from financial industry, business, policymaking, and academia, focused on topics such as EU Sustainable Finance legislation, impact investing, non-financial reporting, and ESG integration. Prior to ISFC, he spent 6 years at BlackRock working as a relationship manager for Renewable Power and Infrastructure investments, where he gained a strong understanding of the financial sector capital markets. In addition, Julian co-led the BlackRock Green Team, an internal initiative for employee education on climate and environmental topics. He holds a BSc in Business Management from Canterbury Christ Church University and has an MSc in Ecological Economics from the University of Edinburgh, with the focus on Environmental Impact Assessment and Impact investing. Julian Linda will become a full IAIA member and will sign its code of conduct if the course were to be accepted by IAIA.

Jiri Dusík

Jiří Dusík has an Engineering Degree in Water Management and 25+ years of experience in integrating environmental and climate change concerns into planning and decision-making. He managed or supervised 40+ SEAs in over 20 European and Asian countries and worked for diverse development partners (UNECE, UNDP, World Bank, European Commission, European Investment Bank, and UNEP). He also co-authored the UNECE Resource Manual for the Practical Application of the SEA Protocol; the European Commission’s DG REGIO Handbook on SEA in European Union’s Cohesion Policy 2007-2013; and the European Commission’s DG ENV Guidance for Integrating Climate Change and Biodiversity into SEA and EIA processes. Jiří has served on the IAIA’s Board, co-chaired two IAIA’s symposia focused on SEA (IAIA SEA Prague I 05 and IAIA SEA Prague II 11) and received an IAIA 2007 Individual Award for his outstanding contribution to the development of strategic environmental assessment capacities in Eastern Europe and South Asia’. He currently supports the European Investment Bank in its advisory services on the linkages between the taxonomies of sustainable economic activities and EIA/SEA systems in selected EU member states (currently Slovenia and Poland).