Overview of the event: 

Speakers:  Heather (McLeish) Prosser, Financial Services Sector Sustainable Finance Activation Leader for APAC, EY Japan

Date:          Tuesday, February 14^th, 2023

Time:         15:00 – 16:00 (JST)

Venue:       MS Teams (The link will be distributed after the registration is closed)

Summary:

Global forces continue to accelerate the need for action on sustainability. For financial services firms, sustainable finance is a hot topic - and sometimes a headache. Regulators, industries, investors, corporates, and civil society are all clamoring for a seat at the table, and their demands are broad. Sustainable finance is an umbrella term covering multiple approaches, tools, opportunities, and risks. Identifying optimal initiatives and strategies is a daunting prospect on most business leaders' to-do lists. My talk will focus on how financial services companies can position themselves in relation to this ever-changing and often confusing topic that holds massive potential for doing good and simultaneously improving the bottom line. I will look at the key sustainable finance ideas and trends affecting financial businesses today and what they should be addressing.

Speakers:

Heather (McLeish) Prosser, Financial Services Sector Sustainable Finance Activation Leader for APAC, EY Japan

Heather (McLeish) Prosser is the Financial Services Sector Sustainable Finance Activation Leader for APAC. In this role she works across service offerings, risk management, banking, and capital markets, as well as wealth and asset management to bring sustainable solutions to this important sector. Heather connects and empowers the global EY team to bring the best EY services to her clients.

Heather started her career in EY Japan by helping to build the Climate Change and Sustainability Services (CCaSS) practice in 2015 and was involved in the overall management, development, and market impact of this business. With clients Heather focused how institutional investors are pushing companies for better disclosure and reporting on non-financial risks. She brought her experience in Investor Relations to the topic of sustainability to better merge business and stakeholder interests and create practical solutions for companies. In CCaSS Heather built a business service which focuses on helping Japanese companies understand and mitigate their Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) risks.

Prior to working with EY in Japan she worked in business development for financial services and real estate focused firms in Asia, living in both Hong Kong and Tokyo. Heather has experience doing projects in Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, Vietnam, and Singapore. Heather is American and began her career in venture capital in Silicon Valley. In early 2001 she moved to Japan and has been focused on building, launching and expanding small businesses.

Heather has over 15 years of combined experience in the financial services industry in Asia, including advisory, strategy, operations, business development, fund raising and investor relations. She has served as a Board of Governor for the American chamber of Commerce, Japan (ACCJ) as well as the ACCJ Sustainability Chair, and as an Executive Committee member with the British Chamber of Commerce (BCCJ). Heather also been a board member for ShineOn! Kids, a Japan-based charity focused on supporting children with long term illnesses, and has been a regular guest presenter on NHK’s “Cool Japan” tv show since 2007.