Opening Address, Chair & Panel Moderator: Abu Dhabi Sustainable Finance Forum, ADSW 2019

January 16, 2019

Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre

GOOGLE CALENDAR
On January 16th, Michael will open and chair the Abu Dhabi Sustainable Finance Forum: Mobilising capital for sustainable investments and economic growth, at the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2019. His opening address starts at 9.30am UAE. The inaugural Abu Dhabi Sustainable Finance Forum (ADSFF), part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, is the first event in Abu Dhabi focused on increasing the adoption of sustainable financing and driving capital towards investments that have positive economic, social and environmental impacts. The ADSFF is one of Abu Dhabi Global Market’s (ADGM) flagship initiatives and sets the stage for ADGM to unveil its plans to create a robust and global Sustainable Finance Hub. This invitation-only Forum will convene top global institutional investors, regulators, ESG project stakeholders, academics and key influencers to deep-dive into discussions around four key pillars of sustainable finance. These key pillars are defined by ADGM and their specific impact on the financial industry in the region will be discussed. Participants of ADSFF will have the first opportunity to recommend and shape the proposed architecture of ADGM’s sustainable finance hub framework, influencing business behaviour and long-term finance practice in the local and global community. Michael will moderate the following panel discussion at 2pm UAE: Panel discussion: Sustainable Finance in the Making: Building a Relevant Investment Platform 
  • Opportunities and challenges in today’s market for the issuance of green products;
  • How clean energy projects in the MENA region can contribute to the creation of an investment platform;
  • Building the right ecosystem to support investment into sustainable projects;
  • Accelerating sustainable finance and investment through FinTech innovations.
Panellists:
  • Andy Cairns, Senior Managing Director, First Abu Dhabi Bank, UAE
  • Amine Bel Hadj Soulami, Global Head Sustainable Finance, BNP Paribas, UK
  • Michael Wilkins, Managing Director, Global Head of Environmental and Climate Risk Research, S&P Global Ratings, UK
  • Paddy Padmanathan, CEO, ACWA Power, Saudi Arabia
  • Thomas Hirschi, Executive Director Banking & Insurance, Abu Dhabi Global Market, UAE
  • Frederic Samama, Co-Head of Institutional Clients Coverage, Amundi, France
Moderator: Michael Liebreich, CEO, Liebreich Associates