As sustainability rises to the top of the corporate agenda, companies are setting bold long-term goals—but many still struggle to align short-term actions with their ambition. Why is the transformation so difficult to operationalize?

Join ERM and WBCSD for a thought-provoking roundtable exploring insights from Catching the Wave, a global dialogue with over 130 business leaders and sustainability experts. The discussion will unpack the internal and external barriers companies face and introduce a practical framework to unlock value, accelerate action, and future-proof business strategies.

Together, we’ll explore how organizations can shift mindsets, overcome inertia, and embrace disruption—emerging not just more sustainable, but more competitive.

Learnings

– Understand the “multiple truths” of sustainability: Learn why companies must hold space for both risk and opportunity, and how embracing this duality can drive more effective strategy and innovation.

– Identify internal blockers to progress: Gain insight into the most common internal barriers—short-termism, cost-first mindsets, and skills gaps—and how leading companies are overcoming them.

– Draw parallels with past transformations: Discover how lessons from the digital revolution can be applied to accelerate sustainability integration across operations, products, and value chains.

– Explore a practical transformation framework: Get introduced to a tested framework developed through global business input that helps companies align sustainability with commercial success and resilience.

– Learn from real-world examples: Hear how companies are using the framework to guide strategic decisions, improve supplier collaboration, and turn sustainability ambition into measurable business impact.

Post-Event Actions

– Reflect on internal barriers within your organization that may be slowing sustainability integration and identify opportunities to address them head-on.

– Share key takeaways from the session with leadership and cross-functional teams to spark dialogue around accelerating your company’s sustainability transformation.

– Apply the sustainability transformation framework introduced during the session to evaluate your current strategies and uncover new areas for value creation.

– Initiate cross-functional conversations on embedding sustainability into core business decisions—from operations to product development and marketing.

– Explore partnerships or peer learning opportunities with other delegates or organizations to collaboratively address shared challenges and external barriers.

As buildings account for nearly 40% of global carbon emissions, the choice of construction materials plays a crucial role in decarbonization. This interactive roundtable explores how real estate developers can transform their procurement processes to increase the adoption of low-carbon steel and concrete in new buildings. Participants will examine shared challenges and opportunities in material procurement procedures based on successful implementations. The session will feature innovative approaches to circular steel and concrete sourcing as case studies in rethinking traditional procurement approaches. Through facilitated discussions, participants will develop practical frameworks for implementing low-carbon materials while managing cost implications and supplier engagement. This session is particularly relevant for procurement teams, sustainability professionals, and project managers looking to accelerate their low-carbon transition.

Learnings

How to establish procurement protocols that work for both steel and concrete sourcing, focusing on early-stage goal-setting, planning and supplier engagement.
Strategies for building cross-departmental consensus and managing cost implications of low-carbon materials.
Best practices for setting clear and common technical specifications and verification procedures to enable informed decisions on material selection.
Practical approaches to expand the supplier base for low-carbon materials in Hong Kong.

Post-Event Actions

Identify specific development projects suitable for piloting reduced embodied carbon goals for steel and concrete
Establish a timeline for implementing low-carbon material procurement in identified pilot projects
Connect and expand existing supplier databases from industry platforms to improve information accessibility
Form working groups to develop standardized technical specifications and verification procedures

Session Rundown:
➢Welcome & Introduction

➢Opening Presentation / Keynote
Topic: From Business to Purpose: The Evolving Role of Leaders in Driving Social and
Environmental Impact

➢Roundtable 1: Leadership Qualities for a Sustainable Future
Prompt: What qualities and actions should define tomorrow’s leaders in responding to
sustainability challenges and social change?
– What core traits will define a purpose-driven leader?
– How can leaders balance business performance with environmental and social
responsibilities?
– Which traditional leadership assumptions or models hinder sustainable
development progress?
Report Out: ~1-minute summary from each table

➢Roundtable 2: Reimagining Leadership Development for a Sustainable Future
Prompt: How can we nurture future leaders through education, workplace culture, and policy?
– What changes are needed in higher education, training, mentorship, etc.?
– What roles do industry and academia play?
Report Out: ~1-minute summary from each table

➢Roundtable 3: Action & Commitment
Prompt: What can you do in your role to better support the development of leaders of tomorrow?
– Reflect individually, then share commitments at the table
– Identify collective opportunities for collaboration or follow-up
Report Out: ~1-minute summary from each table

➢Closing
– Share post-event follow-up plans (e.g. Summary report, call for action, etc.)
– Networking opportunity

Learnings

➢ Identify the global challenges and opportunities driving the need for sustainable,
socially responsible leadership.
➢ Explore the values, mindsets, and competencies essential for developing purposedriven leaders to create business and societal impact.
➢ Co-create strategies to transform leadership education and organisational practices
for a more inclusive, ethical, and sustainable future.

Post-Event Actions

➢ Explore collaboration or follow-up engagement opportunities.
➢ Support the publication of a session summary or insight report.
➢ Share key takeaways with your teams, students, or networks to broaden the impact
of the discussion.

This roundtable workshop zooms in on one of the key catalysts for accelerated actions in sustainability: SMEs (small-and-medium enterprises).

Accounting for more than 98% of the total number of enterprises and over 44% of total employment in Hong Kong as well as a large portion of economies all over the world, SMEs’ transition towards sustainability will drive a sea change and accelerate the advancement of UN Sustainable Development Goals.

SMEs (and all companies) incorporating sustainability in their business operations can build strong competitive advantages, land partnerships with corporations with robust sustainability programs, and benefit from operational cost savings over time. Moreover, since SMEs are prevalent in global supply chains, more SMEs integrating sustainability measures in their business operations means increased sustainability in the supply chains for corporations worldwide. However, at times of slow economic growth, SMEs often struggle to secure the necessary resources to integrate sustainability in their business operations.

In this roundtable workshop, we invite industry leaders and subject experts to delve into the challenges facing SMEs when implementing sustainability initiatives and the solutions that can help SMEs stay informed, agile, and proactive in accelerating such endeavors. Participants will gain a better understanding of the tools and resources available to integrate meaningful sustainability initiatives in business operations to accelerate sustainable development throughout the business ecosystem.

Learnings

– Challenges and solutions related to SMEs’ sustainability strategy and actions
– Tools and resources available to integrate and communicate meaningful sustainability initiatives in business operations
– Actionable ideas to incorporate sustainability into business settings

Post-Event Actions

– Effective integration and communication of meaningful sustainability initiatives in business operations
– Broad cross-sector collaboration to accelerate sustainability initiatives

As Hong Kong accelerates its sustainability transformation, a critical need has emerged to develop and enhance specialised skills across the workforce. This timely roundtable brings together sustainability learners, corporate leaders, and educators to address the urgent challenge of building sustainability capacity across sectors.

Participants will engage in focused discussions examining how sustainability learning journeys intersect with industry needs in Hong Kong’s unique context. Through structured dialogue between professionals pursuing sustainability education, organisations implementing sustainability initiatives, and institutions delivering education, this session aims to generate actionable insights for all stakeholders.

The roundtable features a dynamic format of expert presentations followed by facilitated table discussions, ensuring diverse perspectives are heard and innovative solutions are captured.

Learnings

– Understand evolving sustainability skill requirements from multiple perspectives
– Identify key gaps in current capacity building approaches
– Discover emerging best practices in sustainability education and professional development
– Build connections across the sustainability talent ecosystem

Post-Event Actions

– Apply insights to enhance sustainability training and education programs
– Develop collaborative approaches to address identified skills gaps
– Connect with potential partners for sustainability capacity building initiatives
– Implement specific strategies to advance sustainability skills within your organisation

As sustainability reshapes investment, AI is emerging as both a catalyst and a challenge. From processing ESG data to forecasting climate risks and detecting greenwashing, AI has the potential to transform sustainable finance. However, firms are still grappling with ethical concerns, responsible adoption, and building the right skillsets.

Join CFA Institute for a dynamic roundtable exploring how professionals can harness AI to drive sustainable value while maintaining transparency, trust, and sound judgment. Drawing on global expertise, the session will highlight practical ways to balance innovation with integrity.

Additionally, we’ll also consider the sustainability of AI itself, including its energy demands, carbon footprint, social impacts, and the need for ethical oversight. By addressing both how AI can advance sustainability and how we can ensure AI is sustainable, this roundtable fosters a holistic dialogue on the opportunities and challenges that AI presents for the future of finance.

Together, we’ll examine how organizations can responsibly integrate AI into sustainability strategies, elevate decision-making, and prepare for a future where human and machine intelligence must work in concert.

Learnings:

• Explore high impact use cases: Understand how AI is transforming climate modeling, ESG screening, impact measurement, and portfolio optimization.
• Address ethical blind spots: Learn how to identify and mitigate risks around data bias, model opacity, and accountability in AI-driven decisions.
• Build future-ready teams: Gain insight into the new capabilities finance professionals need to lead at the intersection of AI and sustainability—and how credentialing and continuous learning can close the skills gap.
• Develop a responsible AI roadmap: Discover practical steps to build governance, transparency, and risk controls into AI implementation across investment functions.
• Learn from global leaders: Hear real-world examples of how asset managers and institutions are embedding AI into their sustainability strategies—while maintaining investor trust and regulatory alignment.

Post-Event Actions:

• Evaluate your organization’s use of AI in ESG and sustainability workflows—identify where gaps in transparency, skill, or oversight may exist.
• Start a dialogue with data and tech teams to align on responsible AI principles and sustainability goals.
• Use learnings to shape your professional development roadmap, focusing on emerging intersections of finance, sustainability, and data science