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07
Nov 2016
(Mon)

Hong Kong's Role as a Regional Green Finance Hub

Subject: Investment Management

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Date & time: 07Nov 2016 (Mon)18:30 - 20:00 Free

Venue: Room 206, Admiralty Centre, 18 Harcourt Road, Hong Kong (Due to an overwhelming response, videoconferencing room is available for enrolment.)

Speaker

Dr Christine Loh, Under Secretary for the Environment, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government ;

Mr Tim Freshwater, Chairman, Goldman Sachs Asia Bank Limited ;

Ms Jessica Robinson, Head of Asia (ex-Japan), Principles for Responsible Investment (UN-PRI) ;

Mr Alan Lok, Director of Capital Markets, CFA Institute

Dr Christine Loh, Under Secretary for the Environment, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government

Christine Loh was the Chief Executive Officer of the non‐profit public policy think tank Civic Exchange prior to joining the HKSAR Government in September 2012. Prior to founding Civic Exchange in 2000, Loh had spent nearly a decade as a politician and member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council (1992‐1997 and 1998‐2000). Before joining the Hong Kong Legislative Council, Loh held senior regional positions in commodities trading, as well as in project negotiation. She has extensive commercial experience, including having been an elected member of the board of the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (2006‐2009), and was a founding director of the Association for Sustainable and Responsible Investment in Asia (ASRIA), which is now integrated with UN Principles for Sustainable Investment (UNPRI). Loh has been very active in public affairs since 1980, she had founded or served on boards of a wide range of non‐government organisations in Hong Kong and overseas concerning a variety of issues, including environmental protection, urban planning and design, and equal opportunity. Dr Loh is a lawyer by training.

Mr Tim Freshwater, Chairman, Goldman Sachs Asia Bank Limited

Tim was chairman of Investment Banking in Asia for Goldman Sachs from 2001 to 2004 and vice-chairman of Goldman Sachs Asia from 2005 to 2011. He is now Chairman of Goldman Sachs Asia Bank Limited. Before joining the firm in 2001, he was chairman of Jardine Fleming, then a leading Asian investment bank. Tim is a solicitor in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong. After graduating from Cambridge University, he joined Slaughter and May, the international law firm, in 1967 and remained with them in London and Hong Kong for 29 years, becoming global head of their Corporate Practice. Tim has been involved in Asian markets for over 40 years. He was President of the Hong Kong Law Society at the time of the Joint Declaration on the future of Hong Kong in 1984. His clients in the region have included many of the region’s leading corporates, government entities and banking and securities houses. Tim is a director of a number of companies, including Hongkong Exchanges and Clearing, Swire Pacific and Savills. He is a member of the Financial Services Development Council appointed by the Hong Kong Government, a former member of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and a former director of the Community Chest of Hong Kong.

Ms Jessica Robinson, Head of Asia (ex-Japan), Principles for Responsible Investment (UN-PRI)

As Head of Asia at the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (UN-PRI), Jessica is responsible for leading the PRI’s activities in the region. Prior to joining the PRI, Jessica was Chief Executive of the Association for Sustainable and Responsible Investment in Asia (ASrIA), one of Asia’s leading organizations working to promote responsible investment across the region. She also led the Asia Investor Group on Climate Change (AIGCC) and played a leadership role in the Global Sustainable Investment Alliance (GSIA) and the Global Investor Coalition on Climate Change (GIC). Jessica has an extensive background in professional services and business consulting, focusing on the financial services, environmental finance and sustainability industries. Through varied roles, she has had experience of working and living in Asia, Europe and North America, and across a range of different sectors, markets and regulatory environments. She frequently contributes articles, speaks at conferences and provides input to several advisory panels on responsible investment and green finance. Jessica is currently a member of Hong Kong’s Financial Services Development Council’s Green Finance Working Group. She holds an MSc in Applied Environmental Economics from the University of London, an MSc in Politics from the London School of Economics and a BA in Economics from the University of Manchester, UK. She also holds a Professional Diploma in Financial Management from the ACCA and the FT Post-Graduate Diploma for Non-Executive Directors.

Mr Alan Lok, Director of Capital Markets, CFA Institute

Alan Lok, CFA, is director of capital markets policy at CFA Institute. He is responsible for conducting research projects in the area of market instruments and market structures in the Asia-Pacific region. Mr. Lok works with regulators, institutional investors, academics, and various other stakeholders within the financial industry to uphold investor protection and market integrity.

Enquiry: 2867-8322 (bfc@hkuspace.hku.hk)

The Paris Agreement in 2015 presents a newly calibrated political ambition, requiring countries to implement their national climate plans as well as increase their ambitions over time. To achieve these goals, very large sums will be required from the international capital markets in the coming years to assist the transition from the ‘brown’ to the ‘green’ economy. At the same time, increasing awareness has led to very rapid increases in the pool of assets available for investment in green products and projects.

Governments round the world are increasingly taking steps to encourage the development of green finance, including China, the UK, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. The People's Bank of China in March 2015 estimated that China will need to invest over US$1.5 trillion in green projects during the 13th Five-Year plan period, only around 15% of which is likely to be provided by government.

Green finance presents a significant opportunity for Hong Kong to build its bond and project finance markets, providing numerous benefits from increased employment to growth in the investment management, derivative, insurance and private equity industries. The Financial Secretary’s Budget Speech 2016-17 made reference to green finance and stated that the government will strengthen efforts to publicise its competitive capital markets and highlight Hong Kong’s edge in developing green financial products.

This forum will cover the following issues:

Recent development in the green finance market
Hong Kong's role as a regional green finance hub
Outlook and prospect of green finance for young finance professionals in Hong Kong