As part of its ongoing focus on ESG (environment, social and governance) efforts across the industry, PESA proudly supported the University of Houston’s Consortium for Energy Corporate Social Responsibility (CECSR), a day-long workshop on February 27 that addressed how ESG is applied to the different sectors of the energy industry.
Dr. Ramanan Krishnamoorti, Chief Energy Officer, University of Houston, welcomed the audience, followed by opening remarks from PESA ESG Committee Member Marie Caekebeke, Director ESG Performance & Engagement, Schlumberger.
The first half of the consortium was led by two panel discussions: “The ESG Waves of Change: Surf or Sink?” and “Make Your Company’s Business Case to the ESG Investing Community.”
The first panel, moderated by Janeen Judah, Independent Director, Patterson-UTI, gave the audience an opportunity to hear from leaders on how they navigate the ever-changing world of ESG. Tim Doyle, Principal and General Counsel, GuidePost Strategies; Gregory Elders, Managing Direct, ESG, Joele Frank and Robert Hirth, Sr. Managing Director, Protiviti, demonstrated how ESG gives companies an opportunity to talk about better safety, employee engagement and increased earnings.
A second panel discussed how to “Make Your Company’s Business Case to the ESG Investing Community.” Dick Cockrum, Vice President of Corporate EHSM, Kinder Morgan; Lisa Epifani, Manager for ESG Policy and Engagement, Chevron; Fiji George, Director, Climate & Sustainability, Cheniere Energy and Sydney Hansen, Environmental, Regulatory, and Sustainability Consultant, all made clear that companies need to tell their stories. Moderator, Joanne Howard, VP, Sustainability & Corporate Communications, Crestwood, guided the discussion around disclosure and the importance of information.
For companies just beginning their ESG journey, the lunch keynote feature Dr. John Frey, Senior Technologist, IT Efficiency and Sustainability, Hewlett Packard, and Edward Stones, Global Director, Dow Chemical Company, both presented the path each respective company took in developing and executing programs for the long term. As employees of companies that rebranded and faced challenges, both speakers attested to the value of suitability, conservation and technology programs as integral components of their business.
A workshop led by Jennifer Cogburn, Product Development, BloombergNEF, and Eric Fernald, Director, Issue Relations, Sustainalytics, focused on “How to Navigate the Ever-Evolving ESG Ratings and Rankings Landscape.” Participants got a close look at what analysts try to measure as they score available data from companies. The conference closed with Marie Caekebeke, Director ESG Performance & Engagement, Schlumberger, and Sarah Corrigan, Principal Consultant, ERM, who hosted a “Materiality Matters” workshop where attendees worked together to brainstorm questions directed at leadership to identify their materiality priorities.
PESA’s partnerships with leaders in the energy industry and academic institutions like the University of Houston are paramount to navigating the evolving landscape of ESG. We are proud to continuously offer a range of trainings, seminars and opportunities for best practice sharing in these ESG areas.
If you would like to join PESA’s ESG Committee, please contact Vice President Government Affairs Tim Tarpley.
