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The aim of this course given by ISFC, and independent experts is to introduce the participants to the dominant sustainable finance frameworks, their reporting requirements, and their environmental and social assessment obligations that are relevant to the impact assessment profession. The course will cover environmental, social and governance (ESG) concepts and their use in practice, the rise of taxonomies of sustainable economic activities, standardization of sustainability reporting and disclosure – and the role that AI can and will play in streamlining ESG-related data. The course will also look at how the financial industry is trying to measure and account for sustainability-related impact.
Level: Foundational course (with some intermediate-level elements)
Prerequisites: None
Language: English
Duration: 2 days (29-30 April)
Min/Max: 18-40
Price: US$480
Instructors:
Jiří Dusík, Social and Environmental Standards Technical Specialist for Europe and Central Asia, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), (Czechia)
Dr. Alan Bond, Associate Professor in Environmental Management in the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia (UK) and Extraordinary Professor in the School of Geo and Spatial Sciences, North West University (South Africa)
Linda Zeilina-Cross, CEO, International Sustainable Finance Centre (ISFC), (Czechia)
Julian Toth, COO, International Sustainable Finance Centre (ISFC) & Director, Czech Sustainable Investment Forum (Czechia)
Daniel Houska, Senior Sustainable Finance & EU Taxonomy Expert (ISFC), (Czechia)
Jiří Dusík
Jiří Dusík currently serves as the UNDP’s Social and Environmental Standards Technical Specialist for Europe and Central Asia. He has over 25 years of consulting experience on EIA, SEA, and climate proofing assignments with the European Commission, World Bank, European Investment Bank, UN Economic Commission for Europe, Sida, Danida, GIZ and AFD and private sector clients. He co-authored several books on strategic environmental assessment, as well as the UNECE manual for the Practical Application of the Strategic Environmental Assessment Protocol to the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context.
Jiri Dusik was a member of the OECD/DAC Task Team on Strategic Environmental Assessment in development cooperation and took part in the UNEP global initiative on integrated assessments and planning for sustainable development. He served on the Board of Directors of the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA) and received the IAIA Individual Award for his outstanding contribution to development of SEA capacities in Eastern Europe and South Asia.
Alan Bond
Dr Alan Bond is Associate Professor in Environmental Management in the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia (UK) and Extraordinary Professor in the School of Geo and Spatial Sciences, North West University (South Africa), with over 30 years’ experience in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). He runs a full-time MSc program on Environmental Assessment and Management at the University of East Anglia and is a Professional Development Program trainer for the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA).
Alan has conducted research in the field of impact assessment for, amongst others, the World Health Organization, European Commission, Health Development Agency, European Environment Agency, Welsh Assembly Government, Environment Agency (England & Wales), and has undertaken consultancy work with Entec, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, Ben Cave Associates, Enviros, Land Use Consultants, UNECE, and the Crown Estate, and has also worked as an EIA Quality Mark Panel member for the UK Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA)(the professional institute for EIA practitioners). Alan has published over 100 peer-reviewed works, including two key text books on sustainability assessment, and has written guidance on Environmental Impact Assessment Scoping for the (English) Environment Agency, and also co-authored best-practice guides for IAIA on Health Impact Assessment, EIA Follow-up, and Resilience Assessment. He is on the Editorial Board of three EIA journals, and is co-Chair of the International Association for Impact Assessment’s Emerging Technology section and Chair of their Journal Management Committee.
Linda Zeilina-Cross
Linda is the Founder & CEO of ISFC, where she oversees its work on sustainability strategies, sustainable investing, and international ESG standardisation efforts. In 2023, Linda was selected as the 2023 Obama Europe Leader, and she joined the EU’s Platform on Sustainable Finance to advise on the usability of the EU Taxonomy and the wider sustainable finance framework. Linda is also an Assistant Professor at the Schuman Centre’s Florence School of Banking and Finance, where she runs series of lectures and is part of the Faculty of the Sustainable Finance Academy.
Linda is a Fellow at the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) in London, a non-executive director at a London-based logistics startup, Pedal Me, and a Member of the Agora Energiewende Council for Europe. She is also an advisory board member at the Romanian Sustainable Investment and Finance Association (RoSIF) and the Czech Sustainable Investing Forum (CzechSIF).
In 2021, Linda spent a few months as a Policy Leader Fellow at the EUI’s School of Transnational Governance in Florence, where she focused on the EU sustainable finance rules and the role of impact investing. Linda is now working with the Florence School of Banking and Finance on climate-related prudential supervision and green bonds.
Previously, Linda was a Director at Re-Define, a London-based boutique consultancy working on advising major financial sector actors across Europe and in the US on climate finance and sustainability integration. In the past, Linda’s work has focused on ways to drive transformational change, and how to develop and implement internal corporate sustainability initiatives.
Over the years, she has worked as an advisor to prominent politicians, large asset managers, pension funds and European investment funds. Linda is an alumna of the University of Glasgow, McGill University and the London School of Economics.
Julian Toth
Julian is Chief Operating Officer at the ISFC and Executive Director of the Czech Sustainable Investing Forum (Czech SIF), leading multi-stakeholder teams and international large-scale projects, including a technical assistance project on the creation of Do No Significant Harm (DNSH) Guidelines for European Commission DG REFORM. Julian also carries out primary research on topics of impact and ESG investing, as well as looking at the role of investors and the private sector in the just transition process.
Julian spent the last five years working at BlackRock in the United Kingdom, where he started in the global recruitment operations team implementing the hiring strategy for the investment platforms in London and New York, later moving into the Client Service Management team focusing on alternative investments. Over the years, Julian has worked with a number of large institutional and retail clients, government authorities and intergovernmental organisations and was involved in the management of several global projects, such as implementation of new systems, enhancement of capital fundraising and client reporting processes, or other change management initiatives.
Apart from his day-to-day role, Julian has a strong interest in sustainability concepts, ESG and impact investing. He was the co-lead of the BlackRock Edinburgh Green team, working to improve sustainability practices in both the office and the local community by organising events and launching new initiatives. Julian holds a BSc in Business Management from Canterbury Christ Church University and has an MSc in Ecological Economics from the University of Edinburgh.
Daniel Houska
Daniel is a Senior Expert at ISFC and a member of the EU’s Platform on Sustainable Finance, where he currently advises on circular economy, DNSH, the usability of the EU Taxonomy and other topics covered by the Platform’s mandate. Throughout his career he has held various senior positions spanning corporate finance, circular economy, commercial law, and academia. In the past, Daniel has worked at EY and PwC, before moving into corporate sector and then academia.
Daniel is a Board member and treasurer at EuRIC, the confederation of European recycling industry. He is a member of expert groups at the Czech Chamber of Commerce (with a focus on environment and legislation), and an arbitrator for commercial disputes at the Czech Arbitration Court, and a lecturer and test developer at the Czech Chamber of Auditors.
Daniel holds a PhD in International Economic Relations from Prague University of Economics and Business, where he has developed and teaches (inter alia) a course on Sustainability Reporting, first course at the university that has included both the ESRS and Taxonomy. He also holds masters Degrees from Masaryk University (in Business Management and Law).