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Environment Analyst's inaugural Global Business Summit took place on 8-9 and 15-16 June 2021 and brought together business leaders and senior executives working across the environmental and sustainability services industry in North America and the wider global market to discuss the challenges and opportunities ahead, and how ESG influences and the move towards sustainability, are shaping the market.

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If you missed the event, don't worry it's not too late to join the conversation - all of the speaker presentations and panel discussions are available on-demand, so you can still hear from our expert speakers and discover the latest market drivers and how your competitors are responding.

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What did the Summit cover?

UK Business Summit

We also held our annual UK Business Summit on 22-23 June. Watch the UK Summit on-demand here.

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Event partners:

Environment Analyst Global Business Summit 2021

From Crisis to Opportunity: The Decisive Decade

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Conference agenda:

The conference took place on Tuesday 8th June at 9am ET / 2pm BST / 3pm CEST.

The sessions below are available to watch on-demand here.

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Tuesday 8th June 

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9.00am ET - Welcome from Environment Analyst   

Julian Rose, Managing Director & Co-Founder, Environment Analyst

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9.10am ET - Opening Remarks from the Chair

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Ross Griffiths, Content Director, Environment Analyst

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9.20am ET - Opening Keynote

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Frank Sweet, Global Business Line Chief Executive for Environment, AECOM

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Session One: Global Environmental Market Outlook: Opportunities, Challenges, Drivers & Disruptors 

9.40am ET - Focus on the North American Market: Key Policy Drivers & Priorities for a Green Recovery

• Detailing key steps in achieving President Biden’s environment and climate goals:

  • policy and regulatory shifts

  • interim targets and transition milestones

  • achieving transparency in climate risk reporting    

• Examining green reform policies in the US and Canada - how will a post-Covid green recovery be achieved?

• What will policy changes mean for federal - state - local spending in the US?

• Managing the energy transition and its impact on the resource and commodities industry

• Assessing the extent to which environmental reform and an acceleration in climate spending will result in increased opportunities for the environmental consultancy sector and where these might lie

Gabriel Malek, Investor Influence Coordinator, Environmental Defense Fund

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10.05am ET - Exploring the Global Evolution Of Sustainable Debt Markets & Green Finance Instruments

• Exploring how different types of green and sustainability debt instruments have evolved in light of recent market shifts, focusing on the growth of green bonds, green loans, sustainability-linked loans and bonds and the various features of such instruments

• Analysing regional variations in green investment trends, including implications of EU taxonomy for sustainable activities 

Michael Wilkins, Senior Research Fellow, Sustainable Finance, S&P Global Ratings

10.30am ET - Reviewing the State of the Global Environmental Consulting Market and Outlook

Environment Analyst share their latest findings on the global environmental consultancy services market dynamics, including: 

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• Update on the current market state and future forecasts:  

• assessing the toll that COVID-19 has had on the sector and how business leaders are responding

• Examining the current competitive landscape, industry rankings and leading players in the context of recent M&A activity

• Identifying “opportunity hotspots”; those countries or regions prioritising investment in green recovery and transition 

• Reviewing sector specific insights, key disruptors and sustainability trends impacting service demand and provision

• Assessing how business models are evolving to respond to these

Liz Trew, Research Editorial Director & Co-Founder, Environment Analyst

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Session Two: Industry Response

11.40am ET -  Industry Panel Discussion  

Industry panellists will offer their perspective on current and future market and policy drivers and the business response, sharing insight into how their companies are responding to different threats and opportunities.

• Assessing how the environmental consulting sector can better position itself to help clients to enter new markets

• Exploring evolving global business models to address current and future challenges and compete with professional advisory and management consultants

• Assessing the implications of social and environmental injustice in achieving sustainability goals, and how this can be addressed 

• Achieving resilience to adapt and progress in times of change and help our clients to do the same 

Kathleen M. Abbott, President Environment, Arcadis

Lisa Kay, Chief Operating Officer EHS, NV5

Peter Skinner, Chief Operating Officer, SLR Consulting

1:15pm ET - Close of Session 

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Wednesday 9th June 

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9.00am ET - Welcome Back from the Chair  

Session Three: The Rising Global ESG Imperative 

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9.10am ET - Exploring the Evolving Focus and Influence of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Risk Factors in Global Markets & Optimising the Role of the Consulting Sector 

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• Examining the increasing global influence and impact of ESG factors and where the big initiatives are being led from:

  • where does North America sit alongside Europe and Asia Pacific and what impact will the Biden administration have?

• Assessing what is required from ESG data and goals to really drive the sustainability agenda forward 

• Aligning ESG strategies with the UN Sustainable Development Goals 

• Managing the shift towards increased ESG accountability in business finance and investment decisions: 

  • implications of the EU Taxonomy  

  • impact on the supply chain 

• Marrying net zero and sustainability terminology with client objectives and regulatory frameworks to produce appropriate metrics and benchmarks

• Strategies for helping clients to better understand, and respond, to climate change targets

  • defining “sustainability” and what it means for different stakeholders

  • developing positive sustainability strategies integrated into procurement frameworks and project deliverables

Adrian Bliss, Environment and Sustainability Account Leader, Mott MacDonald

André-Martin Bouchard, Global Director Earth & Environment & Global Executive Director ESG, WSP

Craig Riley, Executive Advisor - ESG, Climate Change & Strategic Sustainability, GHD

Rebecca Healey, Co-Chair EMEA Regional Committee, EMEA Regulatory Subcommittee & ESG Working Group, FIX Trading Community

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Session Four: Exploiting Digital Transformation to Add Value to your Service Proposition 

12.00pm ET -  Exploiting Digital Transformation to Provide Environmental and Sustainability Solutions at a Global Level 

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• Integrating digital advances and innovation into the services we offer in a cost- and time-effective manner:

  • ensuring it is socially and generationally inclusive

  • managing ownership, sharing and privacy concerns

• Optimising data and information frameworks and management to achieve efficiencies and facilitate business decision-making:

  • re-purposing digital outputs to create accessible, usable “data reservoirs”  

  • using digital tools to explain complex sites and projects to stakeholders

• Examining how digital technologies will enable the energy transition to advance and achieve sustainability goals

• Exploring how partnerships / JVs / acquisitions play an important role in enabling digital investment and future proofing the sector 

• “Next Steps” in the digital transformation: what capabilities and opportunities are on the horizon? What are the challenges to realising these?

Hank Tran, Director, Knowledge Management, BST Global

Eve Joseph, Sustainability Customer Engagement Lead, Microsoft
Ann Rosenberg, Senior Vice President for Sustainable Development, Wood

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1.15pm ET - Closing Remarks from Environment Analyst and Close of Global Business Summit  

Roundtable discussion sessions:

15th June 9-11am ET / 2-4pm BST / 3-5pm CEST ​

For all Global & UK Business Summit Attendees

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One of the most popular sessions at the annual Environment Analyst Business Summit, the interactive roundtable discussion session, gave attendees an opportunity to discuss a topic of interest in a more informal, participative format. Delegates choose one roundtable to attend, and each table was hosted by a facilitator to lead discussion, encourage optimum debate and exchange of ideas.

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Roundtables include:

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A. Quantifying an Organisation’s ESG Impact 

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Dr Andreas Georgoulias, Director of Sustainability and Risk, The Environmental Financial Consulting Group (EFCG)

B. Supporting a Green Recovery by Addressing the Sector Skills Shortages

The environmental consulting sector will play a vital role in the proposed “green recovery”. However, this has implications for a sector already struggling with a legacy skills shortage and under-capacity linked to project cycles. What are the skills required moving forward and how can these best be obtained at all levels within organisations.     

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Chris Gerrard, Catchment & Biodiversity Manager, Anglian Water & Governing Board Member, Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM)

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C. Effective Partnerships & Collaborative Strategies To Maximise Value & Accelerate Innovation 

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Lynsey Clarke, Global Technology Leader: Sustainability & Climate Action & Divisional Director of Sustainability, Jacobs 

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D. Optimising Smaller and Mid-Sized Companies’ Position in the Market – Challenges & Opportunities

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Dr Adrian Williams, Managing Director, APEM

E. Improving Equality, Diversity & Inclusion in the Environmental Consulting Sector 

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There is an urgent need to tackle the lack of diversity and inclusion in the environmental consulting sector.  The Diverse Sustainability Initiative is a collaborative approach to facing up to systemic barriers that people from diverse backgrounds face in the sector, and working collaboratively to address them.

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Martin Baxter, Director of Policy and External Affairs & Deputy CEO, The Institute of Environmental Management & Assessment (IEMA)

F. Managing The Skills Gap: Best Practice Solutions for Future-Proofing Your Resource Requirements 

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Riad Habib, Senior Vice President & Energy Managing Director, AECOM

G. Securing Business Success in Emerging Markets

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Angelique Dickson, Vice-President, Antea Group & President, Inogen Alliance

H. Effectively Embedding Social Outcomes into Project Delivery

Improving social outcomes is increasingly becoming a requirement of project delivery. This roundtable will discuss different approaches to achieving this through  incorporating social value and environmental justice criteria into projects.

Dr Vicky Hutchinson, ‎Environment Practice Director, Infrastructure, ‎ Atkins

I. Strategic Growth Options for Environmental Consultancies 

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Fredrick Royan, Vice President, Global Environment Practice, Frost & Sullivan

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J. Exploiting Opportunities to Support the Energy Transition

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Joseph J. Fluder III, CEO, President & Director, SWCA Environmental Consultants

Panel discussion:

Wednesday 16th June 9-11am ET / 2-4pm BST / 3-5pm CEST

For all Global & UK Business Summit Attendees

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Exploring Recent Mergers, Acquisitions & Emerging Financial Partnership Models in the Environmental & Sustainability Consulting Sector and their Impact on Market Structure & Service Delivery

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• Exploring the drivers for, and critical success factors of, recent sector M&A activity

• Assessing different growth strategies, both in the UK and internationally 

• Exploring case study examples of alternate financial partnering models and the pros and cons

• Size or specialism – what are the opportunities and future role for large-scale global firms vs. those offering a more niche proposition

• Evaluating how such activity in the market affects the service offering and the way in which we sell to clients

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Panellists:

Jessica Barclay, Managing Partner, The Environmental Financial Consulting Group (EFCG)

André-Martin Bouchard, Global Director Earth & Environment & Global Executive Director ESG, WSP

Tom Logan, President & Chief Operating Officer, Golder

Jose Revuelta, Chief Strategy Officer, Montrose Environmental Group Inc

Paul Dondos, Managing Director, Equiteq

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Event supporters:

Watch the recording - Pre-Summit panel discussion
5th May, 12-1:30pm ET

Environment Analyst held a free panel discussion on 5 May, which explored Key Drivers & Disruptors Shaping the North American Environmental Services Market.

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Led by Grant Ferrier, CEO of Environmental Business International, this panel discussion offered a review of the sector and look at what we can expect for the rest of the decade.

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Panellists:

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• Kathleen M. Abbott, President Environment, Arcadis

• Susan Angyal, CEO North America, ERM

• Joseph J. Fluder III, CEO, President & Director, SWCA Environmental Consultants

• Peter Skinner, Chief Operating Officer, SLR Consulting

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Content pieces:

Energy, equity and expertise: three linchpins of an evolving US market

In the run-up to Environment Analyst's Global Business Summit 2021, we spoke with top environmental executives from five major companies with a US presence to glean their insights into post-pandemic prospects for the industry.

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The Insight Report also presents Environment Analyst's latest market figures, competitor rankings and growth projections for North America, and gives a taste of the themes to be explored in greater depth at our Global Business Summit.  Book here.

Other content pieces include:

Why attend?

Expert Virtual Panel

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The Global Business Summit brings together a balanced panel of senior-level speakers from across the whole sector: consultants, regulators, contractors and clients. They will provide valuable insights into the latest thinking on a number of key issues.

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Current Thinking

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The programme is currently being researched and will be written with direct input from Managing Directors and Heads of Environment within the environmental consultancy sector, and others, to ensure it addresses the most pertinent challenges facing the industry into 2021 and beyond.​

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Interactive Virtual Roundtable Discussions

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Regularly cited as a highlight of this event, the roundtable discussions provide an opportunity for attendees to choose a topic of interest to discuss with others in a small group, informal and participative format.

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Online Networking

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Join our live virtual networking space, allowing you to communicate with other attendees using the most advanced event technology - remo.co. Connect and engage with your industry peers in our virtual coffee breaks and virtual drinks reception.

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Q&A Sessions and Interactive Voting 

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Have your specific questions answered in designated Q&A sessions. Plus, the use of interactive voting at the summit will enable you to respond to key questions and gauge the opinions and reactions of your peers instantly in real-time.

Here's what Summit delegates thought...

“Environment Analyst does a fantastic job of bringing together diverse perspectives. Their Virtual Business Summit was engaging and informative”

Jessica Barclay, EFCG

“I truly enjoyed the Summit; excellent quality of speakers, range of perspectives and depth of coverage in a relatively short period of time”

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Lisa Coyne, Golder

“The global business summit has proved an immensely useful reference for us as we navigate these uncertain times”

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Stuart McLachlan,
Anthesis Consulting Group

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