Sign up now for our (Deloitte) virtual Sustainability Roundtable on September 15 2022. Join us for an exciting afternoon program and connect with your Dutch sustainable finance peers and international experts. To access the latest perspectives on greenwashing, the rise of liability and reputation risk in global financial services, and to be inspired by leading sustainable finance practices across banking, investing and insurance.
Financial service organisations act as facilitators (or not) of a responsible transition to a more sustainable economy and society’s finance is intrinsically linked to the risks and the opportunities we all face. That is why we are bringing together leaders in the financial services industry in the Netherlands with top international speakers such as Professor Paul Watchman (Special Legal Advisor at UNEP Principles of Sustainable Development Net Zero Insurance Underwriters Alliance) and Desiree Fixler (Impact ESG Investing Professional, Board Member, Product Innovator) for this unique virtual peer event. To connect, reflect and look ahead together.
Key speakers
Professor Paul Watchman
Paul Watchman has an international reputation as a pioneering lawyer. He was named by Ethical Corporation as one of the six most influential global figures in the development of sustainable finance and has been awarded the Thomson Reuters Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Leadership Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Development of ESG (Environment Social and Governance) in 2010.
He has been highly influential in the development of policy, business and financial practice, national and international legal norms and voluntary codes and standards. Paul is a recognised authority and thought leader in a number of areas, including business and human rights, sustainable finance (including Equator Principals, corporate responsibility, climate change law and policy and environmental law generally. He has a proven track record as legal counsel advising global businesses and financial institutions, sovereign states, international and multinational organisations, NGOs and other public and private bodies.
Paul has also had a long association with the United Nations (UN) and the Principles of Responsible Investment. He has acted as Legal Counsel and Special Advisor to the United Nations Environment Program Financial Initiative (UNEPFI) on a number of projects. He currently works as a consultant on the ESG Advisory Group for The Blended Capital Group (TBCG). He regularly writes and publishes articles for Responsible Investor and lectures for UN EPFI, OECD, UN PRI, TBLI and ABA on all these matters.
Desiree Fixler
Desiree is recognized as an advocate for change and impact in the practice of ESG investing and sustainability. Her focus is on the challenges and detriment of greenwashing while addressing the fixes that are needed on topics including corporate governance, product development, regulation, reporting, diversity and the speak-up culture.
Desiree has over 20 years of experience in both sustainable finance and investment banking. She was Group Sustainability Officer at DWS Group, where she was responsible for driving the firm’s overall sustainability strategy in its role as a corporate and as a fiduciary. It was here that she blew the whistle on what she considered to be extensive greenwashing. She highlighted the discrepancies between the firm’s public ESG claims and its internal statements and actions and called for greater transparency and accountability in ESG investing.
Previously, she has held senior roles at JP Morgan, Deutsche Bank and Zais Group., where she built and managed ESG investing and structured credit businesses, delivering overall policy and analytical frameworks, investor strategies as well as product innovation. Her track record of product innovation includes several award-winning and market transformational products. This includes the development of the JECI, the first tradeable credit index, which evolved into iTraxx and CDX indices, as well as a series of impact securitizations and ESG private debt products.
