Fresh perspectives on social responsibilities 

April 2022: The Institute of Risk Management (IRM) and the Environmental & Social Governance (ESG) Group are hosting an online event on May 26, 2022, featuring CRJ’s Emily Hough as one of the panellists in a Q&A session


 
This is the IRM’s third event organised by the newly formed ESG Group and it is entitled ESG Perspectives on Social Responsibilities. Following on from the success of the first two events, it brings together an expert panel to provide perspectives for the benefit of those committed to: “The governance of purpose-driven organisations with the intention of fulfilling their social responsibilities in an ethical and sustainable manner.”  
 
Organisations are seeing considerable uncertainty and change in their environmental and social contexts, most visibly demonstrated by civil society protests around the world concerned with the pandemic, Black Lives Matters, #MeToo and the climate crisis. Even pre-pandemic, activists, charities, pressure groups, international organisations such as the UN, as well non-governmental organisations, were highlighting social injustices including the risks to those forced into modern slavery.  
 
Following the global health crisis, the interdependency between the public, corporate and civil society sectors cannot be ignored. Investors, local communities, regulators, public officials, social media, the press as well as consumers are now more vocal than ever in questioning the values of organisations and holding them to account organisations for their behaviours and actions and not solely their financial or operational performance.  
 
This panel will highlight a series of topics relevant to the modern organisation committed to good governance in respect of managing risks to society as well as the natural environment. It will focus on addressing the social values and responsibilities needed to underpin collective management of what are now global crises that the international community must address with great urgency.  
 
In the spirit of bringing people together, speakers are drawn from an array of fields including law, policy, governance, risk, business continuity, crisis management and standards-making to provide a multi-disciplinary perspective for professionals seeking to support the modern organisation take seriously its responsibilities to society and the environment.  
 
The session planned is as follows:

• Opening Remarks: IRM ESG Group Chair, Anita Punwani CFIRM
• Social Values & Accountability: Professor Albert Weale, Emeritus Professor of Political Theory and Public Policy, School of Public Policy, University College London
• The Risks of Modern Slavery: Professor Parosha Chandran, Professor of Modern Slavery Law at King's College London, Human Rights Barrister, Parliamentary Advisor.
• The gap between continuity management and societal responsibility: Dr Gianluca Pescaroli, Lecturer in Business Continuity and Organisational Resilience, Director of the MSc in Risk, Disaster and Resilience, Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction (IRDR), UCL
• Relevant Governance and Risk Standards: David Adamson, Lead Standards Development Manager, Governance, Risk & Resilience, British Standards Institution
• Q&A with panel speakers and Emily Hough, Editor in Chief of the Crisis Response Journal, Director of Crisis Management Ltd

The IRM ESG Group considers these matters to be ones which forward-thinking professionals will reflect upon as they lead their respective governing bodies to develop their purpose in society. 
 
To register for the event, visit here

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