Before turning to the theme of this month’s journal, I would like to thank everyone who contributed to our 13th Biennial Corporate Governance Conference (CGC) held on 23 September at the JW Marriott Hotel. Our CGCs have earned a reputation as a premier platform for sharing technical expertise and thought leadership on the issues that will define our profession and our world in the years to come. That reputation is the achievement of the many different parties involved, including the speakers and panellists, the Institute’s conference team, the sponsors and supporting organisations, and the participants at the event. The full roll call of gratitude will feature in next month’s CGj – which will be our CGC review edition.
Turning to the theme of this edition, we take a deep dive this month into our Institute’s work in the Mainland. At its core, that work is focused on helping our members and Affiliated Persons, but also the wider governance community in both Hong Kong and the Mainland, to stay ahead of the curve on the critical issues at the top of the governance agenda.
Our first cover story this month, authored by Institute Chief Executive, Ellie Pang FCG HKFCG(PE), takes a look at one such issue – the need to prepare for a much tougher regulatory regime relating to sustainability and climate-related disclosures. The global convergence of disclosure regimes relating to climate change and sustainability (based largely on the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures and the new standards under development by the International Sustainability Standards Board) will have significant implications for governance professionals around the world. Ellie’s article highlights the key issues governance professionals need to address in preparation for the tougher disclosure requirements that will impact companies in Hong Kong and the Mainland in the years ahead.
Our second cover story by the Chief Representative of our Beijing Representative Office, Kenneth Jiang FCG HKFCG(PE), updates us on how our Institute has been able to continue its work in the Mainland in the context of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. As in Hong Kong, the reduction in the number of on-site ECPD events has been compensated by a switch to online delivery. In addition to the ESG-related issues discussed above, our webinars have focused on other topics particularly relevant to practitioners in the Mainland – including risk management, directors’ duties, connected transactions, insider dealing and inside information management, and corporate governance report preparation.
Kenneth’s article also updates readers on the latest structural changes we have made to enhance the effectiveness of our work in the Mainland. In particular, the creation of our Mainland China Affairs Committee to further develop the Institute’s Mainland strategy and to further expand our professional presence in the Mainland.
Before I go, I would also like to mention our In Profile this month. Reader feedback indicates that our In Profile column is one of the most popular sections of the journal – giving as it does a glimpse of the human story behind the technical issues we address in our daily work. In our Mainland edition, this column has the added interest of bringing readers up close with the life and work of our peers in the Mainland. This month’s interviews with three board secretaries working for Mainland companies reinforce the message that managing climate change, and ensuring environmental sustainability more broadly, are at the top of the agenda for practitioners wherever they happen to be based. The good governance agenda is, after all, truly global.
Turning to the theme of this edition, we take a deep dive this month into our Institute’s work in the Mainland. At its core, that work is focused on helping our members and Affiliated Persons, but also the wider governance community in both Hong Kong and the Mainland, to stay ahead of the curve on the critical issues at the top of the governance agenda.
Our first cover story this month, authored by Institute Chief Executive, Ellie Pang FCG HKFCG(PE), takes a look at one such issue – the need to prepare for a much tougher regulatory regime relating to sustainability and climate-related disclosures. The global convergence of disclosure regimes relating to climate change and sustainability (based largely on the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures and the new standards under development by the International Sustainability Standards Board) will have significant implications for governance professionals around the world. Ellie’s article highlights the key issues governance professionals need to address in preparation for the tougher disclosure requirements that will impact companies in Hong Kong and the Mainland in the years ahead.
Our second cover story by the Chief Representative of our Beijing Representative Office, Kenneth Jiang FCG HKFCG(PE), updates us on how our Institute has been able to continue its work in the Mainland in the context of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. As in Hong Kong, the reduction in the number of on-site ECPD events has been compensated by a switch to online delivery. In addition to the ESG-related issues discussed above, our webinars have focused on other topics particularly relevant to practitioners in the Mainland – including risk management, directors’ duties, connected transactions, insider dealing and inside information management, and corporate governance report preparation.
Kenneth’s article also updates readers on the latest structural changes we have made to enhance the effectiveness of our work in the Mainland. In particular, the creation of our Mainland China Affairs Committee to further develop the Institute’s Mainland strategy and to further expand our professional presence in the Mainland.
Before I go, I would also like to mention our In Profile this month. Reader feedback indicates that our In Profile column is one of the most popular sections of the journal – giving as it does a glimpse of the human story behind the technical issues we address in our daily work. In our Mainland edition, this column has the added interest of bringing readers up close with the life and work of our peers in the Mainland. This month’s interviews with three board secretaries working for Mainland companies reinforce the message that managing climate change, and ensuring environmental sustainability more broadly, are at the top of the agenda for practitioners wherever they happen to be based. The good governance agenda is, after all, truly global.
