Financial Times to Hold 2nd Annual CSR Conference & Social Innovation Awards

NEW YORK, March 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Building on the success of the Financial Times' inaugural corporate social responsibility (CSR) forum in 2009, the FT will hold its 2nd annual conference titled "FT Investing in a Sustainable Future." The one-day meeting will take place on 24th March 2010 in the Millennium Hotel's Hudson Theatre in New York.

For the second consecutive year, the conference will be held in partnership with the Social Investment Forum, a national membership association dedicated to advancing socially and environmentally responsible investing, and Justmeans, a social media website designed to nurture open debate on social and environmental innovations that benefit humanity.

Over the last five years, CSR and investing initiatives have been established at a wide range of major global corporations. At the same time, there is increased recognition among investors that environmental, social and corporate governance factors addressed in CSR programs often have a significant and positive impact on their organization's performance.

The conference will address such topics as:

• CSR Reporting
• Stakeholder engagement
• The value of green rankings
• Upcoming regulations

Conference speakers confirmed to-date include:

• Alka Banerjee, Vice President of Global Equities, S&P Indices
• Dan Bross, Senior Director, Corporate Citizenship, Microsoft
• Tim Carey, Director of Sustainability and Technology, PepsiCo Americas Beverages
• Thomas P. DiNapoli, Comptroller, State of New York
• Joanne Dowdell, SVP, Director of Corporate Responsibility, Sentinel Investments
• Suzanne Fallender, Corporate Responsibility Communications Manager, Intel
• Marc Fox, Executive Director, GS SUSTAIN, Goldman, Sachs & Co.
• Maria-Luisa Francoli, Global CEO, MPG
• Bennett Freeman, Senior Vice President for Sustainability Research & Policy, Calvert Asset Management Company, Inc.
• Maggie Kohn, Director, Corporate Responsibility, Merck & Co.
• Fred Krupp, President, Environmental Defense Fund
• Robert Lanyon, Manager of Corporate Citizenship and Community Investments, ExxonMobil
• Mindy Lubber, President, Ceres, Director, Investor Network on Climate Risk
• Andrew Mangan, Executive Director, U.S. Business Council for Sustainable Development
• Frank Molina, Investor Relations, Dell Inc.
• Karen Morris, Vice President & Chief Innovation Officer, Chartis Insurance
• Thomas Niemann, Reporting Manager, Sustainability & Environmental Policy, Ford Motor Company
• Brian Rice, Investment Officer, Corporate Governance, CalSTRS
• Damon A. Silvers, Director of Policy and Special Council, AFL-CIO
• Martin Smith, CEO & Founder, Justmeans
• Christine Trum, Sr. Vice President, Human Resources, Pearson
• Rand Waddoups, Senior Director of Sustainability, Wal-Mart
• Mike Wallace, Director Sustainability Reporting Framework, Global Reporting Initiative

The program will be moderated by:

• Tod Arbogast, Vice President, Sustainability & Corporate Responsibility, Avon Products, Inc.
• Ed Crooks, Energy Editor, Financial Times
• Paul Hilton, Director, Sustainable Investment Business Strategy, Calvert
• Mindy Lubber, President, Ceres and Director, Investor Network on Climate Risk
• Sarah Murray, Specialist Writer on Corporate Responsibility and Sustainable Development, Financial Times
• Michael Oxman, Director, Energy & Extractives, BSR
• Tim Smith, Senior Vice President, Environmental, Social and Governance Group, Walden Asset Management

Jayne Van Hoen, Global Director of Conferences and Events at the Financial Times, commented: "The Financial Times is committed to helping executives navigate the new world of sustainability at a time when financial pressure puts CSR budgets and investment under even greater scrutiny. This conference and awards program reflects another development in our commitment."

The second annual FT and Justmeans Social Innovation Awards will take place at the conclusion of the conference and will recognize companies and people that are shaping the world of sustainable business. Award categories include:  

• Best Social Investment Strategy
• Most Sustainable Purchasing Strategy
• Best New Green Product
• Most Strategic Philanthropy Program
• Most Influential Supply Chain Management Strategy
• Best Base of the Pyramid Strategy
• Best Internal Sustainability Award
• Best Stakeholder Engagement
• Best Employee Engagement Strategy

Entry into one of these nine main categories will also qualify applicants for the "Citizens Choice Award."

Winners of the main categories will be selected by a panel of judges comprised of thought-leaders in the areas of social innovation and entrepreneurship.

For more information about the conference and awards, visit:  http://www.ftconferences.com/csr2010

For further information please contact:

Annette Berry, [email protected] or +1-212-641-6415

About the Financial Times:  

The Financial Times, one of the world's leading business news organisations, is recognised internationally for its authority, integrity and accuracy.  Providing extensive news, comment and analysis, the newspaper is printed at 25 print sites across the globe, has a daily circulation of 390,203 (ABC figures, February 2010) and a readership of 1.3 million people worldwide. FT.com is the definitive home for business intelligence on the web, providing an essential source of news, comment, data and analysis for the global business community. FT.com attracts 11.4 million unique users, generating 83.2 million page views (ABCe figures, March 2009) and now has over 1.8 million registered users.

SOURCE Financial Times Global Conferences & Events