Think ESG: Finding the path to ESG-linked financial value

This episode features Brian Tomlinson, Managing Director, Environmental, Social and Governance, Ernst & Young LLP, and Tensie Whelan, Director, Center for Sustainable Business at NYU’s Stern School of Business.

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance, and how it is reported has gained significant attention across the market — as investors continue to drive for more consistent and transparent ESG metrics that will help them better assess corporate health and long-term value.

The EY Global Institutional Investor Survey found that 89% of the investors said they would like the reporting of ESG performance — measured against a set of consistent standards across the globe — to become a mandatory requirement.

While many corporations are reporting on their ESG performance and financial performance, they are often not reporting on how the two relate. The challenge most businesses face is proving the monetary impact of their sustainability efforts. So, the Center for Sustainable Business at the New York University Stern School of Business developed a Return on Sustainability Investment (ROSI) methodology to bridge the gap between sustainability strategies and financial performance, helping to build a better business case for both current and planned sustainability initiatives.

The pace of change in ESG reporting continues to accelerate. Corporate leaders across the organization should recognize and address the ESG needs of investors and all their stakeholders to create sustainable, long-term value.

Key takeaways:

  • Many sustainability strategies can drive better financial performance through cost reduction.
  • Products marketed as sustainable are driving product and category growth. Companies are now beginning to respond to changing consumer preferences, and meet new social and environmental needs and expectations through their products.
  • The earnings call is a critical forum for disclosing an organization’s equity story to the capital markets and information disclosed in the earnings call can really move markets.

For your convenience, full text transcript of this podcast is also available.

Presenters

Myles Corson
EY Global and Americas Strategy and Markets Leader, Financial Accounting Advisory Services
Brian Tomlinson
Managing Director, Environmental, Social and Governance, Ernst & Young LLP

Podcast

Season 5, Episode 3

Duration 32m 28s

In this series

Series overview
(Event List - Manual)

The CFO’s expanding role in the ESG ecosystem

A discussion on the vital role the CFO plays in today’s expanding ESG ecosystem, from the perspective of REITs and the real estate industry.
Podcast

Season 4, Episode 1

Duration
39m 42s

Presenters

Myles Corson

EY Global and Americas Strategy and Markets Leader, Financial Accounting Advisory Services

How new age data analytics is pushing private company CFOs to adapt and innovate

Jennifer Crowe, CognitiveScale CFO, and Anthony Sgammato, Americas EY Private Assurance Leader, discuss how private company CFOs can use data to make a difference.
Podcast

Season 4, Episode 2

Duration
16m 39s

Presenters

Myles Corson

EY Global and Americas Strategy and Markets Leader, Financial Accounting Advisory Services

How current macroeconomic and geopolitical trends are impacting finance

Host Myles Corson discusses macroeconomic and geopolitical trends impact with Sally Jones, EY UK Trade Strategy & Brexit Leader and Nicolas Veron, Senior Fellow at Bruegel, Brussels & Peterson Institute for International Economics, Washington.
Podcast

Season 4, Episode 3

Duration
36m 19s

Presenters

Myles Corson

EY Global and Americas Strategy and Markets Leader, Financial Accounting Advisory Services

Sally Jones

EY UK Trade Strategy and Brexit Leader

How finance leaders are building the future of finance today

Pat Grismer, Former CFO Starbucks, Hyatt Hotels and Yum Brands, and Cory Hrncirik, Microsoft Modern Finance Lead, discuss the future of finance.
Podcast

Season 4, Episode 4

Duration
32m 28s

Presenters

Myles Corson

EY Global and Americas Strategy and Markets Leader, Financial Accounting Advisory Services

Future of reporting: the journey to global ESG standards

In this episode of the Better Finance Podcast, Marc Siegel and Janine Guillot discuss the progress towards a globally accepted, comprehensive corporate reporting system.
Podcast

Season 4, Episode 5

Duration
31m 30s

Presenters

Myles Corson

EY Global and Americas Strategy and Markets Leader, Financial Accounting Advisory Services

Marc A. Siegel

EY Americas Corporate and ESG Reporting Leader, Financial Accounting Advisory Services

How CFOs can be the drivers of organizational change

In this episode of the Better Finance podcast, Myles Corson welcomes Joel Bernstein, CFO, Customer Success & Head of Global Finance at SAP. They discuss SAP’s business model transformation, how finance functions adapted during the pandemic to accelerate investments in digital finance, and SAP’s efforts to make environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting more transparent.
Podcast

Season 4, Episode 6

Duration
32m 10s

Presenters

Myles Corson

EY Global and Americas Strategy and Markets Leader, Financial Accounting Advisory Services

How Finance can provide security in a world of uncertainty

In this episode of the Better Finance podcast, host Myles Corson welcomes Ken Tanji, Chief Financial Officer of Prudential.
Podcast

Season 5, Episode 1

Duration
24m 39s

Presenters

Myles Corson

EY Global and Americas Strategy and Markets Leader, Financial Accounting Advisory Services

How the evolving ESG regulatory landscape is impacting finance

In this episode, Myles Corson welcomes Marc Siegel, EY Americas Corporate and ESG Reporting Leader, and Brian Tomlinson, ESG Managing Director at Ernst & Young LLP.
Podcast

Season 5, Episode 2

Duration
24m 39s

Presenters

Myles Corson

EY Global and Americas Strategy and Markets Leader, Financial Accounting Advisory Services

Brian Tomlinson

Managing Director, Environmental, Social and Governance, Ernst & Young LLP