ELEVATE Leadership Series 2022
New York — Schedule

Schedule — Tuesday, October 4, 2022

08:30 – 08:45  |  Registration and Continental Breakfast / Coffee / Tea

08:45 – 09:00  |  Welcome and Overview of the Day

• Andrew Savini, Vice President, Customer, ELEVATE

09:00 – 09:30  | The Chief Supply Chain Officer Perspective

Compliance and Sustainability departments must work in concert with business realities and if there is any other topic that is captivating the hearts and minds of government officials, investors and consumers other than Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), it is likely the Supply Chain. In a dynamic global trade environment, sourcing professionals are challenged with balancing tradition for sourcing and buying product, along with disruptions, trade disputes and of course ESG. In this session, you will hear from ELEVATE’s founder Ian Spaulding on some of the key drivers for our work as he has a conversation with Dennis Mullahy, the Chief Supply Chain Officer for venerable US retail giant Macy’s Inc.

• Dennis Mullahy, Chief Supply Chain Officer, Macy’s

• Ian Spaulding, Founder of ELEVATE and Chief Growth Officer of LRQA

09:30 – 10:10  |  Top 10 Trends in Responsible Sourcing

In this presentation, hear from ELEVATE’s Managing Director Kevin Franklin, who will walk through principles and trends in responsible sourcing and discuss why business as usual will not work in this emerging supply chain ESG environment. Trends will include supply chain environmental, ethical and social issues – everything from worker engagement, greenhouse gas data validation, the emergence of disruptive technology and more.

• Kevin Franklin, Managing Director, ELEVATE | Managing Director, ESG, LRQA

10:10 – 10:30  |  The Heat Is On: Hear From Advocacy and Legal Leaders Fighting for Supply Chain Improvements

ELEVATE will present a series of video interviews with Terry Collinsworth (Human Rights Lawyer) and Andy Hall (Migrant Worker Management Advisor), introduced by Ian Spaulding.

10:30 – 10:50  |  Coffee Networking Break

10:50 – 11:20  |  The Importance of “S” in “ESG”

In large part because of its rapid and accelerating growth, ESG has come under the microscope, and certain aspects of ESG are now facing increasing criticism. Among conservatives, there is a growing chorus of critics who see ESG frameworks as an element of what they deride as “woke capitalism”. Some, like the Economist, are arguing to forgo the S and G and that “it is better to focus simply on the E”. Join us in a conversation with Michael Posner as he examines the role the “S” should play in the evolving ESG framework.

• Michael Posner, New York University Stern School of Business

11:20 – 12:15  |  Panel: How Investors Are Responding to the New Standards for Responsible Sourcing Due Diligence

Investors are rapidly responding to an evolving regulatory landscape and need to be able to ascertain and manage supply chain risks in their portfolios and investments. Ratings and research reports on modern slavery and forced labor are the new norm, and investors are looking to understanding the risks that exist and how they are being managed. In this session we will explore how the due diligence landscape has changed, how investors are responding and why it matters.

Panelists:

• Haben Berhe, Relationship Manager, Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) 

• Two panelists to be confirmed soon

• Moderator: Erin Lyon, Vice President, Advisory, ELEVATE

12:15 – 12:30  |  Responsible Sourcing 2.0: Transformation Principles

The ever present NGO converging with increased regulatory enforcement and accelerated investor activism at the same time represents an inflection point in the evolution of corporate social responsibility programs. Over the next two to three years, companies are going to have to transform their programs to meet a new higher standard of due diligence and this brief overview will lay out the key principles around which the program of the future should be designed and implemented.

• Mark Jones, Chief Customer Officer, ELEVATE

12:30 – 01:30  |  Networking Luncheon With Optional NYSE Stock Exchange Floor Tours

01:30 – 02:30  |  Panel: Program Design: The Challenge of Equilibrium

The responsible sourcing landscape is changing rapidly: Regulators are strengthening supply chain and human rights legislation, investors are looking into supply chain risk management, and social and environmental risks continue to evolve across the globe, impacted by the pandemic, geopolitical dynamics, changing sourcing patterns, and more. How are companies responding to these new challenges in their program design? This panel will define what companies consider a “risk-based program” and how they are designing programs that allow for continued improvement and iteration based on emerging risk and stakeholder expectations.  

Panelists:

• Jaren Dunning, Senior Counsel, Global Human Rights & Employment Law, PepsiCo

• Denise Osterhues, Senior Director, Sustainability & Social Impact, Kroger

• Dingxiaozi Ding, Director, Product and Analytics, ELEVATE

• Moderator: Suzanne van Huijgevoort, Associate Director, Sustainability Consulting, ELEVATE

02:30 – 02:50  |  Networking Break

02:50 – 03:50  |  Panel: Implementation: Operationalizing Strategic Human Rights and ESG Roadmaps Meeting On-The-Ground Reality

We continue our theme for the day, moving from program design into implementation. As noted, new investor and regulatory drivers are compelling companies to transform and must consider elevated designs for program effectiveness. As these design and transformation principles gain ground inside and outside our businesses, it takes grit along with a variety of key techniques to implement them effectively. Join an open discussion with leaders from various sectors, led by Margot Sfeir, who for years either lead implementation efforts (J. Crew) or as our Head of Client Services works with hundreds of ELEVATE customers, as we discuss how to implement and operationalize these emerging and evolving supply chain ESG program designs.

• Panelists: more info soon

• Moderator: Margot Sfeir, Senior Director, Client Services, ELEVATE

03:50 – 04:50  |  ELEVATE Innovation Forum

Throughout the day, we will have discussed key trends and drivers that are asking us to consider reorienting and transforming our businesses to understand and manage ESG in smarter, more intelligent ways. As we redesign and implement reinvigorated techniques, are there innovative solutions for tracing, tracking or improving supply chain ESG performance that are noteworthy? In this session, you will hear about innovative projects and initiatives that are challenging paradigms and disrupting tradition to bring about impact and effective change. 

• Order to Chaos: Navigating Traceability Solutions – Jeff Wheeler, Project Director, Global Trace Protocol Project, ELEVATE

• Eliminating Malnutrition and Improving Health in Supply Chains – Laura Goodman and Scott Minger, Vitamin Angels 

• Unlocking $2B in Capital for Impact – Lewis Perkins, Apparel Impact Institute  

04:50 – 5:00  |  Closing Remarks

05:00 – 07:00  |  Networking Reception