The ESG Initiative hosts engagement opportunities for the Wharton community and beyond, from executive speaker series to research seminars to annual conferences. In addition, we are pleased to share ESG-related events led by other groups at Penn and Wharton. Details on event hosts and sponsors can be found on each event page. Check back regularly as events will be added throughout the year.
Upcoming Events
2023 PRME Global Forum + Responsible Management Education Week
New York City
Featured Series
Lauren & Bobby Turner Executive Speaker Series
A speaker series that inspires the Penn community with leaders who are “doing well and doing good.” This series challenges assumptions through candid interviews and discussions with celebrities and leaders who are using their resources and influence, as well as their creativity and passion, to make an impact on important social issues.
Previous speakers included Andre Agassi, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Eva Longoria, Ashton Kutcher, Vincent Stanley, Bill Ackman, Valerie Jarrett, and Antony Bugg-Levine.
2021 Beyond Business Discussions
October 20, 2021
4:30–5:30 p.m. EDT
Tackling the Climate Crisis
What Can Companies and Policymakers Do to Drive Impact?
How should businesses evaluate their environmental footprint? Learn about the influence of environmental criteria on a company’s energy use, waste, pollution, natural resource conservation, and treatment of animals.
November 16, 2021
4:30–5:30 p.m. EST
Redefining Corporate Governance
Establishing Essentials for the New Business Era
Board governance is one of the most challenging issues for firms to manage, and social injustice, civil unrest, and the global pandemic have only added complications. Hear experts discuss which issues to address and how investors should interpret success.
December 7, 2021
4:30–5:30 p.m. EST
Humanizing ESG
Why Diversity, Wage Inequality, and Workers’ Rights Deserve Our Attention
The COVID crisis has further emphasized the inequalities between different professions, classes, racial groups, and nationalities. Join us as we re-evaluate how the industry can minimize harm and be a positive force in addressing these challenges.
Previous Events
2022 Migration and Organizations Conference
In its fifth edition on October 21 and 22, the 2022 Migration and Organizations Conference hosted by the Political Risk and Identity Lab gathered scholars from around the world to advance rigorous research that centers the role of firms in the conversation on migration.
Wharton Climate Prof 2022
In a format inspired by Iron Chef and Wharton’s own Iron Prof events, nine Wharton faculty members with expertise spanning from philosophy to accounting came together Wednesday, October 12 to share their research on climate and business to about 100 attendees at the Wharton Climate Prof event. Hosted as a part of Penn’s Climate Week and as one of the Wharton Climate Center’s first events under its new home, the recently established ESG Initiative at the Wharton School, it drew a packed house of curious students, alumni, faculty, and staff.
Wharton Climate Prof 2021
Inspired by Iron Chef and Wharton’s own Iron Prof events, this special event took place during Penn’s Climate Week (September 20 – 24, 2021) to showcase the climate-related research of Wharton faculty. Hear from ten Wharton scholars who each presented their cutting-edge research on climate and business in five minutes or less.
Wharton Alumni Climate Change Conference
Keeping the climate safe for future generations will require a multilateral approach and trillions of dollars toward mitigation, adaptation, and restoration activities. The Wharton Climate Center (formerly known as the Wharton Risk Center) and the Wharton Club of the National Capital Region co-hosted a virtual Climate Change Conference from October 18-21, 2021. The event brought together experts to examine core topics of climate change and opened doors for new opportunities and collaboration. Topics focused on climate change mitigation, restoration, and investment opportunities.
2021 Wharton Climate Center Annual Workshop
Climate change presents physical risks that may have a significant impact on the financial, housing, and insurance markets. Climate change also poses transition risks, as the economy shifts to carbon-free energy sources. Emerging markets in carbon credits and for new energy finance create new opportunities for firms to promote a smooth transition to a carbon-free economy. This conference featured panels on the intersection of climate change and financial markets and the financial system, the housing market, insurance markets, and emerging markets for renewable energy finance and carbon credits.
2021 Northeast Workshop on Energy Policy and Environmental Economics
Co-hosted with the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy and the Wharton Climate Center (formerly known as the Wharton Risk Center), this workshop featured papers on a variety of topics, reflecting the latest advances in energy and environmental economics.
Conversations about Climate Change and Insurance
Hosted by the Wharton Climate Center (formerly known as the Wharton Risk Center), the “Conversations about Climate Change and Insurance” series examines issues at the intersection of insurance and climate change. Topics range from the insurability of climate perils and the impacts on housing markets to innovative new risk transfer approaches.