Events
2022 IILWG/Grunin Annual Conference – Geneva Satellite Conference
MLL is pleased to organise, in collaboration with the Global Alliance of Impact Lawyers (GAIL) a two-days event focusing on social entrepreneurship and impact investing which will take place on 7 and 8 June 2022 in Geneva.
This will be the Geneva satellite conference of the Annual Conference on Legal Issues in Social Entrepreneurship and Impact Investing – in the US and Beyond, co-organized by the Impact Investing Legal Working Group (IILWG) and the Grunin Center for Law and Social Entrepreneurship. This annual conference brings together leading minds to explore new legal and policy developments in the fields of social entrepreneurship and impact investing and to discuss how lawyers and the law can most effectively serve social entrepreneurs and impact investors. Usually the conference takes place beginning of June at NYU in New York.
This year we have a hybrid conference on 7 and 8 June 2022: NYU will host (remote) a portion of this year’s annual conference for half day, morning sessions in NY, which will also stream online. These morning sessions will complement a more decentralised conference this year where groups will gather in person in satellite conferences in locations like New York, Washington D.C., San Francisco, Seattle and Geneva to either pick up on the panel discussions and keynotes that are being presented remotely in the morning through NYU, or to explore other themes of interest to those in that geographic area.
This hybrid model of the conference is a good opportunity to expand the Grunin conference among European legal practitioners and with the satellite conference in Geneva, to connect with the dynamic impact ecosystem of Geneva which benefits from an important and diverse professional community (international organisations, foundations, financial institutions, NGOs).
Our Geneva satellite conference will bring together around 40 legal practitioners, from Switzerland and abroad, involved or interested in the impact space. It will take place in our office: 65 rue du Rhône.
This event is organised in collaboration with the Global Alliance of Impact Lawyers (GAIL), a community of legal leaders who are using the practice of law to have a positive impact on people and the planet, and to accelerate the just transition. Find out about joining GAIL’s democratic community of members here.
Below is the conference program, also accessible via PDF here: Geneva satellite Conference – invitation – program
Tuesday 7
| 8h15 | Welcome and introductory remarks |
| Julie Wynne, partner, MLL (CH) | |
| 8h30 – 9h00 | Talk Putting purpose into Practice |
| Bruno Roche, Founder and Executive Director, Economics of Mutuality | |
| 9h00 – 9h30 | Fireside chat Impact and measurement |
| Vanina Farber, elea Professor of Social Innovation, IMD | |
| Interviewed by Cornelia Mattig, Associate, MLL | |
| 9h30 – 10h00 | Panel Purpose in the corporate world |
| Moderator: Tanja Jegger, Head of Philanthropy, Globalance Bank | |
| Panelists: | |
| Bruno Roche, Founder and Executive Director, Economics of Mutuality | |
| Vanina Farber, elea Professor of Social Innovation, IMD | |
| 10h00 – 10h30 | Break |
| 10h30 – 11h30 | Panel Due diligence duties and corporate responsibility |
| Grégoire Schafroth, Senior Associate, MLL | |
| 11h30 – 12h30 | Panel Blending finance to advance climate adaptation and resilience |
| Moderator: Stefan Buerge, General Counsel, Climeworks | |
| Panelists: | |
| Tenke Zoltani, Founder, Better Finance | |
| Ranajoy Basu, partner, McDermott Will & Emery (UK), Chair of the UK Regional Board of Global Alliance for Impact Lawyers (GAIL) | |
| Matthew Sparkes, Chief Risk Officer & General Counsel, BlueOrchard Finance | |
| 12h30 – 14h00 | Lunch |
| 14h30 | Online screening from NYU |
| 19h30 | Dinner with participants and speakers |
Wednesday 8
| 8h15 | Welcome |
| 8h30 – 9h00 | Talk Preparing Corporate Lawyers for an ESG and Impact-Driven World |
| William H. Clark, Jr., attorney-at-law, President of Global Alliance for Impact Lawyers (GAIL) (USA) | |
| 9h00 – 9h30 | Talk Business and Human Rights |
| François Zimeray, partner, Zimeray Finelle (France) | |
| 9h30 – 10h00 | Panel Business, Sustainability and Human Rights |
| Panelists: | |
| François Zimeray, partner, Zimeray Finelle (France) | |
| Krisztina Bende, Director, European Free Trade Association | |
| Emiliano Giovine, Senior Associate, RP Legal & Tax (IT), Chair of the European Board of GAIL | |
| 10h00 – 10h30 | Break |
| 10h30 – 11h30 | Panel State of Swiss ESG Regulations in the financial sector |
| Panelists: | |
| Eric Favre, Counsel, MLL (CH) | |
| Maria Peña, Head of Legal, Risk & Compliance, Symbiotics | |
| Marie-Laure Schaufelberger, Head of Group ESG & Stewardship, Pictet Group | |
| 11h30 – 12h30 | Panel Hearing and heeding the beneficiaries’ voices in social enterprises and impact investment structure |
| Moderator: Sitara Merchant, CEO, Swiss Capacity Building Facility | |
| Panelists: | |
| Sung Hyui Park, partner, Bates Wells (UK) | |
| Roberto Randazzo, partner, Legance (IT) | |
| Simon Brunschwig, General Counsel, ICRC | |
| 12h30 – 14h00 | Lunch |
| 14h30 | Online screening from NYU |
The registration fee is of CHF 100 (including lunch). It is possible to register to watch the live stream of the conference.
