Keynote Speakers

Oct. 12, 2022 Net Positive - How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More than They Take

Andrew Winston, Author, Thought-Leader

Andrew Winston is a globally-recognized expert on megatrends and how to build companies that thrive by serving the world. Named to Thinkers50 list of the top management thinkers in the world, his views on strategy have been sought after by leading companies, including 3M, DuPont, J&J, Kimberly-Clark, Marriott, PepsiCo, and Unilever. Andrew is the author of the bestsellers Green to Gold and The Big Pivot. His latest book, Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More than They Take (co-authored with renowned CEO Paul Polman), is one of Financial Times’ Best Business Books of the Year. Net Positive has been called an “electrifying strategy for business success and unlike any other book you’ve read” by Merck Chairman Ken Frazier, a “wonderful rallying call” by Sir Richard Branson, and “pure heresy” by Arianna Huffington. Andrew is also a respected and dynamic speaker, reaching audiences of thousands at executive meetings around the planet. He received degrees in economics, business, and environmental management from Princeton, Columbia, and Yale.

Oct. 13, 2022 Food Forest Abundance - Increasing Resiliency, Creating Jobs, Feeding & Sustaining Communities

Jim Gale, Chief Story Teller, Food Forest Abundance

Jim Gale helps America grow food abundantly.  Gale has been around farming and gardening since his childhood when he would visit his family farm in southern Minnesota.  Looking back, he says now, “When I was a kid, we would go home to the farm.. those where the most incredible weekends of my life.  They called my “nature boy” growing up.

At the tender age of 19, Gale had the life-changing experience as he decided to write his goals down on paper to solidify their significance.  After completing that exercise, Gale went on to become a four-time, all-American wrestling champion, which he attributes to his written goals.

After planning the concept of abundance gardening for the last 15 years, Gale launched his Food Forest Abundance program. Gale, a permaculturist, has had amazing results with his program, which encourages individuals to ditch their grass-filled lawns and replace them with an edible forest.    Now Jim is taking his message to Corporate leaders with the vision to transform Corporate Campuses into Food Forests! 

Panelists

Oct. 12, 2022 Transitioning to  a Low Carbon Economy – Evaluating Risks and Opportunities

Laura Seidman, Manager of Environmental Policy at the American Forest & Paper Association

Laura Seidman is the Manager of Environmental Policy at the American Forest and Paper Association, AF&PA, located in Washington, D.C.  She has been at AF&PA for five years and specializes in sustainability, water and safety issues. Laura is a graduate of the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy.

Lukas Brochard, Director –  Climate, Decarbonization & ESG,  WTW

Lukas Brochard joined WTW’s Climate and Resilience Hub as Director of Climate, Decarbonization and ESG. He supports WTW’s clients in transitioning towards a net-zero economy and helping to create the necessary internal structures to achieve their decarbonization objectives.

Prior to joining WTW, Lukas led disclosure and scoring programs at CDP, creating industry recognized assessment methodologies and helping 10,000+ companies in providing critical environmental information as requested by over 600+ investors. He also helped integrate key international standards, including TCFD and supported large organizations frame their disclosure and reporting in a consistent manner. Prior to CDP, Lukas helped large corporates assess their material impact on ESG metrics and supported the creation of sustainability goals and dashboards, including for Unilever’s Sustainability Living Plan. Lukas has a BSc. in Biology and a MA focusing on the indicators of sustainability, specifically how they are created and used for decision-making.

Arnaud Brohe, Founder & CEO, Agendi

Arnaud Brohé is a sustainability pioneer and author of the authoritative Handbook of Carbon Accounting (2017). He is a widely-recognized expert in climate strategies and carbon markets. For more than 15 years, Arnaud has led successful and ambitious sustainability and net-zero strategies for clients, including numerous Fortune 500 companies and international institutions.

Arnaud carried out the first carbon audits for the EU Emissions Trading System sites in 2005 and was one of the first consultants to calculate the carbon footprint of complex organizations.

In addition to his role as CEO at Agendi, Arnaud has keynoted at numerous prestigious sustainability events and acts as a lecturer or guest lecturer for several leading universities in Europe and the USA. Arnaud collaborates with G&A Institute to help clients navigate their sustainability journeys, including the vital tasks of addressing their carbon footprint and creating solutions for reducing carbon emissions on a domestic and global basis.

Oct. 12, 2022 Board and Leadership – Aligning Strategy, Integrating Education and Governance across teams

Megan Maltenfort, Vice President, ESG, Cardinal Health

Megan Maltenfort is the Vice President of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) at Cardinal Health. In this role, Megan is responsible for building an enterprise ESG strategy for Cardinal and executing on that strategy in collaboration with colleagues across the business. Megan chairs Cardinal’s internal ESG Governance Committee where she helps to elevate ESG-related risks and opportunities to leadership. In addition, Megan advises the business on how to effectively manage the evolving ESG expectations and requirements of customers, regulators, employees, and the healthcare industry at large.

Additionally, Megan provides subject matter expertise to Cardinal’s evolving reporting and disclosure strategy and supports the development of company-wide programs and goals that advance Cardinal’s priority ESG focus areas.

Prior to joining Cardinal in 2022, Megan served as Director of Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability at Campbell Soup Company where she advised on goal setting, led external reporting, and managed stakeholder engagement and ESG-related governance. Megan also held a leadership position in sustainability at Avantor (formerly VWR), a global distributor of laboratory supplies, and is one of the founding members of Philadelphia’s Sustainability Leadership Forum.

Susan Doering, Sr. Director, Global Client Advocate,  Co-Leader Gender Equity Networks for North America, WTW

Ms. Doering joined Willis Towers Watson in 2016 after building an industry leading Environmental Underwriting practice.  Beginning her career as an Environmental Consultant developing Risk Assessment modeling, Susan went on to leadership roles in Business Development and Environmental Risk Underwriting. 

Presently, Susan is a Global Client Advocate, leading WTW’s Climate risk solutions in North American and overseeing delivery of risk management services and placement of insurance portfolios for several global clients.  Her clients include public entities, global technology and communications firms, financial services entities, and life sciences firms. 

Susan co-leads WTW’s Gender Equity Network in North America and is the editor of WTW’s I&D newsletter for North America.

Bruno Sarda, Principal, Climate Change & Sustainability Services, Ernst & Young

Bruno is a sustainability and Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) executive with more than 20 years of experience operating at the forefront of social and business transformation, leading through rapid and disruptive change and is experienced in advising clients at all stages of maturity on their ESG and sustainability journey.

As East Region leader and Energy Transition and Tech-Media-Telecom sector lead in Climate Change and Sustainability practice at Ernst & Young LLP, based in the New York metro area, he helps global companies develop and execute their climate and sustainability strategies and programs.

Bruno has proven success managing complexity and providing results in fast-changing environments, with key strengths in integrating ESG performance into core business operations and strategy. He is a trusted partner to C-Suite executives and boards of directors and is a sought-after speaker.

Bruno has been named one of the ‘most influential sustainability voices in America’, a Top 50 Environmental Leader and a Top 100 Global Sustainability Influencer.

Kathy O’Keefe, Global Product Sustainability, Senior Director for The Chemours Company

Kathy is a Product Stewardship and Sustainability professional with 30 years of experience. A proactive, results-oriented professional with excellent organizational, communication and leadership skills with particular expertise in:
• Application of UN Sustainable Development Goals
 Business Integration of Sustainability Programs
• Resource Allocation and Optimization
• Risk Assessment and Risk Management
• Management Systems Auditing
• Global Product Stewardship and Sustainability Training
• Six-Sigma Certified Green Belt
• Management of Global Regulatory Program

Oct. 13, 2022 Communicating Low-Carbon Economy Transition Plans

Clarence Jackson, Sr. Director, Sustainable Supply Chain & Business Operations, Cox Enterprises

Clarence is currently the Director, Sustainable Supply Chain at Cox Enterprises. He’s responsible for the development and implementation of innovative strategies for Cox’s Corporate Sustainability programs involving company suppliers, industry partners and various community entities. Prior to his role at Cox Enterprises, he served as the Senior Director of Operations for the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the flagship newspaper for Cox Enterprises. At the AJC, Clarence led all maintenance, safety/security, facilities, and the newspaper inserting and transportation operation. He directed all capital projects and budgets for the AJC. He also managed all the waste and recycling operations for the newspaper and led the AJC to be the first Cox facility and first newspaper in the country to be certified as Zero Waste to Landfill, by the U.S. Zero Waste Business Council. Clarence worked continuously for more than 20 years in various industries: He began his career in the U.S. military, then worked in biotech, pulp and paper, and heavy manufacturing prior to joining Cox at the Dayton Daily News in his hometown of Dayton Ohio. Clarence worked in the newspaper industry for more than 14 years

Jaclyn Allen, Director, North America at Salterbaxter | ESG & Sustainability

Jaclyn has worked in corporate sustainability, public affairs and strategic communications for over a decade. She currently leads North America market development and advisory for Salterbaxter, a global sustainability consultancy. Salterbaxter specializes in sustainability strategy, communication and ESG reporting, and serves a wide range of industries, with companies including P&G, Nescafe, Nestle and Citibank. 

Prior to Salterbaxter, Jaclyn was the Director of Sustainability for a global fashion company, where she oversaw corporate and brand – level sustainability strategy and communications – including science-based targets, circular product design and community partnerships. She has produced award-winning ESG reports, was a member of the SASB Sector Advisory Group, and has been named a “top 100 leader in sustainability” by Assent and a “top 50 sustainability executive” by Rivet Magazine. She has been a speaker and panelist at several conferences include GreenBiz, Textile Exchange and Sustainable Apparel Coalition.

Jaclyn is a purpose-driven leader that enjoys partnering with clients to imagine “what could be”,  delivering inspiring – yet practical solutions that drive progress. She has a Master’s in Business Administration from University of Southern California, a Bachelors in International Relations from UC Davis, and recently completed a course on ESG Investing at Columbia University.

Darrin Kayser, EVP, Edelman

Darrin Kayser has more than 25 years of experience developing and executing communications campaigns for public and private sector organizations. Darrin leverages a deep knowledge of energy and sustainability issues including: renewables, electric energy distribution, emerging technology development, energy conservation, and a broad spectrum of energy-related environmental impacts.

He works with a wide range of commercial energy companies including National Grid, Mitsubishi Power, Arizona Public Service, as well as government clients like the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy office to anticipate industry trends, analyze their organizational impacts, and develop people-centric solutions to ensure that clients thrive. 

A storyteller at heart, Darrin looks at the impacts of complex issues and translates their impact for the public. In addition to energy and sustainability issues, he has developed public outreach campaigns on issues including homeland security,  defense, and transportation. 

Prior to joining Edelman, Darrin spent eleven years at Booz Allen Hamilton supporting the Department of Energy, and Department of Defense among others. His energy campaigns for the U.S. military educated hundreds of thousands of service members on the critical role of energy to the mission and received two Silver Anvil awards and one Silver Anvil Award of Excellence from the Public Relations Society of America.

Darrin also worked as a spokesperson for the Transportation Security Administration where he conceived and executed the 3-1-1 for Carry-ons campaign. A veteran of political campaigns as well, Darrin has worked on four campaigns and served as a press secretary on Capitol Hill.