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What was (and wasn't) agreed in Baku during this year's Global Climate Conference of the Parties, COP29?
Join us to explore the key discussion points and takeaways from COP29 and what this means for the board director community.
Termed 'the finance COP', this high-level session will cover globally significant developments, a first response by board directors and experts as to whether their expectations for COP29 have been met and, given the time of year, a look ahead to 2025. It will also offer a perspective on how the agreements, policies and statements released at COP29 may influence and affect their role as a board director.
This event is organised by Climate Governance Initiative.
Speakers
Helle
Bank Jorgensen
Founder and Chief Executive of Competent Boards
Helle Bank Jorgensen is an internationally recognized expert on sustainable business practices,
with a 30-year record of turning environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks into
innovative and profitable business opportunities. She works with many global Fortune 500
board members and executives, as well as smaller companies and investors.
Helle is the founder and chief executive of Competent Boards, which offers online climate and
ESG programs that draw on the experience of over 180 renowned board members, executives,
and investors. Hundreds of directors and senior executives have enrolled in these programs to
mitigate the risks and seize the opportunities presented by ESG and climate change.
Helle serves at:
● Nasdaq Center for Board Excellence’s Sustainability & ESG Insights Council
● World Economic Forum (WEF) Expert Network for Corporate Governance, Leadership,
and Emerging Multinationals
● Co-chair, Global Expert Panel, A4S (Accounting for Sustainability) established by HM King
Charles III
● The Non-financial Digitisation Working Group of the Impact Management Project (IMP)
● The Reuters Panel of Expert Judges for the Responsible Business Awards
● Canadian Climate Governance Experts –- a Commonwealth Climate & Law Initiative.
Originally from Denmark, she now lives in Canada, where she was recognized in 2023 as a
Global Changemaker by The Globe and Mail and one of the Top 50 Influencers to Follow by
Onalytica. In 2022 she was named one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women. She was also
selected as one of LinkedIn’s Top Voices in the Green Economy in the US and Canada and
received the SustainabilityX® Magazine’s Global 50 Women in Sustainability Award.
Charles
Ehrhart
Chief Strategy and Impact Officer at Green Climate Fund
Charles Ehrhart is passionate about building a global community of non-executive directors equipped to ensure their companies are future-fit and that global net zero ambitions are transformed into measurable action.
Charles is a Steering Committee member of Chapter Zero New Zealand and a professional advisor with more than twenty years of climate-focused experience working within the private sector, governments, the UN, and non-profit organisations on five continents. He is currently Chief Strategy and Impact Officer at the Green Climate Find. Charles has supported directors’ climate change journeys across energy, agriculture, transport, and financial services sectors.
His primary interests are adaptation to climate change, sustainable land use, the transformative potential of environmental entrepreneurship, the role of green economic growth in nationally determined contributions to mitigate climate change (NDCs), and public-private partnerships for climate action. Charles has a PhD in Social Anthropology from Cambridge University.
Emily
Farnworth
Director of Centre for Climate Engagement
Emily is the Director of the Centre for Climate Change Engagement at the University of Cambridge. She was previously Global Director, Low Carbon Economy Transition at Environmental Resources Management.
Prior to this Emily was the Head of Climate Initiatives at the World Economic Forum where she was involved in setting up the Climate Governance Initiative, the Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders the Mission Possible Platform and the Natural Climate Solutions Alliance. She also Chairs the Advisory Committee of RE100 – an initiative that drives demand for renewable power.
Emily has over 25 years of experience working with businesses, government, and non-profit organisations to support the transition to a low-carbon economy. She has worked across multi-stakeholder groups and within specific industry sectors to collaborate on solutions to tackle climate change. She has led research, campaigns and communications strategies aimed at creating systemic change in the way businesses manage climate risk and decarbonize operations.
Tarcila
Ursini
Embasaador- Chapter Zero Brazil
Tarcila Ursini is a pioneer in integrating sustainability into business strategy, management, innovation, and culture within corporate governance in Brazil, active since 2000. In 2022, she was selected by Russell Reynolds as one of the world’s most innovative purpose-driven board leaders, representing Brazil. In 2024, Forbes recognized her as one of the 16 most prominent women serving on boards in Brazil’s Agribusiness and Food sectors. Previously, she worked as a lawyer specializing in M&A and corporate law, with experience in top firms in Brazil and abroad.
Tarcila has significant experience serving on boards of major companies across various sectors in Brazil, including Sustainability, Innovation, Strategy, and People Committees for organizations like DexcoSA (Duratex), Santander Brasil SA, Grupo Baumgart, Agrogalaxy SA, and Vivara SA. She currently serves on the boards of Grupo Korin and Lwart Soluções Ambientais, is a member of the Board Committees at JSL/Vamos/Movida, and is an Operating Partner at Aqua Capital.
Deeply engaged in civil society, she is Co-Chair of the Board at Sistema B Brasil (B Corps), a Board Member at Instituto Ethos, and an ambassador for the Black Jaguar Foundation, which aims to restore the world’s largest ecological corridor along the Araguaia River (linking the Amazon and Cerrado). She also helped bring the Chapter Zero/Climate Governance initiative to Brazil, anchored at the IBGC.
Tarcila teaches ESG&Sustainability in Brazilian Institute of Corporate Governance - IBGC’s Board Member programs and Sustainability Governance in FIA’s postgraduate program. She holds a Master's LL.M in Law and Development from the University of London, where she graduated with merit as a British Council scholar. She also has degrees in Economics from University of São Paulo (FEA/USP) and Law from Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC/SP)"
Pim Valdre
Head, Climate Ambition Initiatives at World Economic Forum
Pim is the Head of Climate Ambition Initiatives at the World Economic Forum. Prior to her current position she also worked in the Industry Decarbonization team and the European government team at the Forum. She has broad experience on climate, net zero action, public private cooperation and sustainable development and international security policy, having worked in the Executive Office of the UN Secretary General (2012-2015) and in the Office of the President of the UN General Assembly (2004-2005). Other experience includes working to develop policy recommendations and research related to climate security and peacekeeping affairs at the New York based think tank International Peace Institute. She also worked as a Special Adviser in the UN Department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs during Sweden’s membership in the UN Security Council (2017-2018) where Sweden among other issues put climate on the agenda of the Council.
MA and BA in political science from Uppsala University and Institute d’Etudes de Science-Politiques in Paris. Worked and studied in Sweden, Australia, France, UK, US, Jordan, Switzerland.
