ESG Investing: Its History, Practice & Future

Tuesday, May 9, 9 am ET | Live Webinar

With the increased emphasis on adopting sustainable growth, environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing has been a focus for many investors over the past several years. The COVID-19 pandemic was a major turning point for ESG investing, significantly accelerating the shift to a more sustainable approach to investing. Can we expect growth in ESG investing to continue in 2023 and beyond? What are the opportunities and challenges of ESG from the perspective of economics? In this program, Professor Keiko Honda and Professor Takatoshi Ito of Columbia University, authors of their forthcoming Japanese book on ESG investing, discuss the current ESG landscape, latest trends, and future outlook for ESG investing.

Speakers:
Keiko Honda, Adjunct Professor and Adjunct Senior Research Scholar, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University

Takatoshi Ito, Professor, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University; Director, Program on Public Pension and Sovereign Funds & Associate Director, Research, Center on Japanese Economy and Business, Columbia Business School

Moderator:
Joshua W. Walker, Ph.D., President & CEO, Japan Society

Agenda:
9:00-10:00 am: Lecture and Q&A

Ticket/Admission Information:
This is a free event, with advance registration required. The program will be live-streamed through YouTube, and registrants will receive the viewing link by email the day before the event. Participants can submit questions through YouTube during the live stream.

About the Speakers:

Keiko Honda is Adjunct Professor and Adjunct Senior Research Scholar of Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, where she teaches ESG Investing to graduate students. Honda also serves as a board member of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Recruit Holding, and a board member and chair of nomination committee of AGC (ex  Asahi Glass). She is a member of the United Nation’s Investment Management Committee. Until 2019, Honda was the CEO of the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), the political risk insurance and credit enhancement arm of the World Bank Group. Before joining MIGA, Honda was the first woman Senior Partner in Asia at McKinsey & Company, where she advised clients on corporate finance, strategy and business development for 24 years. Honda holds a bachelor’s degree from Ochanomizu University and an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, where she was selected as a Fulbright Scholar.

Takatoshi Ito, Professor, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University, and Adjunct Professor in the summer months at GRIPS Tokyo, has taught extensively both in the United States and Japan since finishing his Ph.D. in economics at Harvard University in 1979. He taught at the University of Minnesota, Hitotsubashi University, and the University of Tokyo, and he was President of the Japanese Economic Association in 2004. Ito served as Senior Advisor in the Research Department at the International Monetary Fund, 1994-97 and as Deputy Vice Minister for International Affairs at the Ministry of Finance of Japan, 1999-2001, and a member of the Prime Minister’s Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy, 2006-08. He is the author of Japanese Economy, 2nd Edition, and many other books and refereed journal articles. He was awarded the National Medal with Purple Ribbon for his excellent academic achievement.

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Business & Policy programs are generously supported by Japan Society Global Leaders & Corporate Partners. Global Leaders Corporate Partners
Japan Society programs are made possible by leadership support from Booth Ferris Foundation and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Additional support for cultural programs is provided by an anonymous donor and the Sandy Heck Lecture Fund.