Recapping the Novisto 2025 ESG Forum: Holding the Line

The latest annual Novisto ESG Forum brought together over 170 leading practitioners representing 100+ organizations from across the globe for a day of essential dialogue, collaboration, and strategic clarity. 

In a year marked by anti-ESG sentiment and mounting regulatory noise, the message from the stage at Maison Alcan was clear: it will take a committed community to hold the line and drive ESG forward. The conversations underscored a central truth — sustainability is now a core business imperative, and high-quality ESG data is the foundation.

Key highlights & event takeaways

Over the course of the day, sustainability leaders from around the world shared candid experiences, compared approaches, and dug into the issues shaping their work. Conversations flowed from high-level strategy to practical execution, creating a clear picture of how companies are navigating this moment. The highlights below capture the key ideas and insights that emerged throughout the event.

The integration mandate: ESG is core business

The forum served as a powerful reminder that the time for debate is over; the time for integration is now. With climate risks continuing to grow and stakeholders demanding strategic clarity, ESG is rapidly evolving into a core business capability. The fundamental discussions throughout the day consistently centered on data quality, robust governance, regulation, and resilience. Moving forward requires long-term investment, cross-functional collaboration, and the leadership to treat sustainability not as a cost center, but as a source of long-term value.

The planetary imperative: Shifting the business case to system change

A key theme underscored the sobering reality of our planet's biophysical foundations. The science is definitive: we are pushing beyond established planetary boundaries. Discussions highlighted the systemic misalignment where financial markets often reward short-term extraction and externalize long-term ecological and social risks. The new business case, therefore, is not to simply "make the case for sustainability," but to improve the system itself, making invisible ecological degradation and social costs central to accounting, valuation, and investment decisions.

The data backbone: Closing the technology gap

In an era defined by mandatory, assured, and digitized disclosure, the quality of ESG data is more important than ever. Sessions addressed the significant challenge posed by the slow adoption of the data and digital tools needed to enable sustainability at scale. The consensus was clear: ESG data management systems must serve as the central nervous system for corporate sustainability. If a company cannot accurately measure and monitor its impact, it cannot truly understand or improve its performance, hindering its ability to move forward with the necessary speed and confidence.

The leadership element: Guiding change from the top

The role of leadership in guiding change from the top remains critical. Experts noted that while executive teams often concentrate on risk mitigation, boards are interested in the full picture, including reputation and forward-thinking opportunities. Speakers shared that boards are grappling with how to keep sustainability a priority amidst evolving challenges like AI, regulatory shifts, and geopolitics. The key is to help leadership separate the signal from the noise, reassuring them that the essential work continues, even if the public messaging has quieted.

Reframing sustainability as financial resilience

The narrative of sustainability must be effectively translated into the language of finance to drive genuine corporate action. Discussions confirmed that investor demand for quality E, S, and G data remains strong, as it is essential for effective capital allocation and maintaining market trust. Achieving this financial alignment requires two key actions: deep cross-functional collaboration between sustainability, finance, and other internal teams, and the implementation of robust internal controls over ESG data, mirroring those required for traditional financial reporting, particularly in preparation for mandatory climate-related financial disclosures.

Featuring distinguished speakers

Novisto would like to thank its distinguished speakers and panelists for their invaluable expertise and insights:

• Professor Ioannis Ioannou, London Business School
• Reem Hamzeh, Partner, Climate Risk and Resilience Leader, PwC Canada
• Leslie Dunham, Head of Sustainability, LPL Financial
• Rachel Guthrie, Chief Sustainability Officer, EDC
• Pavan Sukhdev, Chief Executive Officer, GIST Impact
• Diane Crowe, Group Sustainability Director, Reconomy
• Sam King, Chief Commercial Officer - Corporate, GIST Impact
• Kevin Korbien, Group Risk & ESG, Emirates
• Laurent Lhopitallier, Head of ESG, Sanofi
• Emily Partington, Managing Director, Quinn+Partners
• Dr. Charles Abela, Managing Owner, Value Redefined 
• David Hackett, Partner, Baker & McKenzie
• Erica Oliver, Senior Sustainability Reporting Consultant, Co-operators
• Ramsay Alwani, Director, Sustainability Accounting, Sun Life
• Milla Craig, Millani Founder, President, and CEO, Millani
• Helle Bank Jorgensen, Global Managing Director, Board Development, Board Intelligence
• Nawar Alsaadi, FSA, SIPC, Founder & CEO, Kanata Advisors
• Asheen Phansey, Director of Sustainability, PagerDuty

Holding the line: A call to action for resilience 

The overarching message of the Forum was a decisive call for resilience in the face of turbulent times, a point emphasized by Novisto CEO Charles Assaf.

“Sustainability practitioners are on the frontlines of converging pressures - 2025 has been a year that has put a lot to the test. But systemic risks are growing, and these risks still need to be managed.” Moreover, he stressed that companies will play a critical role in developing proactive strategies to navigate these mounting pressures.

The annual ESG forum reflects Novisto’s commitment to fostering a global community of practice, where professionals are united to break down silos and facilitate knowledge sharing and mutual support.