Aspen ESG Summit

Mindset and Metrics – The Art and Science of Driving Change

July 11th—13th, 2022 | Aspen Meadows Campus, Aspen, CO

In the Summer of 2022, the Aspen Institute Business & Society Program hosted the inaugural Aspen ESG Summit at our Aspen Meadows campus in Colorado. The Summit was an invitation-only dialogue among business leaders along with long-term investors, corporate governance experts and those who advise, prod, and regulate business.

ESG has come to represent a company’s track record as a societal actor, and the Business & Society Program’s aspiration is to leverage this moment of profound change. Through idea exchange and working sessions, the Summit’s aim was to explore how we can improve ESG-related conversations and foster a community of thoughtful influencers.

The agenda included inspiration and challenges from invited leaders/speakers, off-the-record working groups, facilitated dialogue, and intimate networking opportunities. Speakers and attendees included luminary CEOs, corporate board directors, asset owners, trend-setting ESG investment managers and academic researchers.

The Aspen ESG Summit explored the frontiers of ESG management, including:

Leaning into the Moment: What are we learning from business’ response to demands for change in domains from “net-zero” emissions, to racial equity, to leadership for democracy?
Restoring Trust, Building Culture: What do we understand about the practices of firms that invest in innovation, execute long-term, and keep their promises?
Investors, Issuers and Regulators: What role does each play in disclosing and mitigating ESG risks and responding to opportunities?
Mining the G in ESG: How will board members and executives up their game as they address the need for change on ESG issues?
Measurement and Motivation: How to balance the tension between metrics used to punish/reward companies, with goals and expectations that continue to evolve?
Design for Incentives: How are ESG goals best incorporated into executive and management compensation, and wider employee rewards?