Asia’s Hub for Climate Action & Sustainable Business Solutions #OnlyWayForward

Workshops

Workshops

Registration for Workshops will open in August.

Workshop A

Day 1 – Thursday 10 Sept

Supported by

10:15 – 11:30

What Meaningful Human Rights Due Diligence Approaches Look Like in Practice

10:15 – 11:30

As human rights due diligence (HRDD) becomes more embedded in regulation, investor expectations and business practice, companies face growing pressure to demonstrate not only compliance, but real outcomes for workers and communities across their supply chains.

Most companies already have HRDD systems in place, including audits, supplier data collection, ESG reporting and grievance mechanisms. Yet many continue to face persistent labour rights issues, limited visibility beyond Tier 1 suppliers, and uncertainty about whether their efforts are effectively preventing harm.

The challenge is often not a lack of tools, but how they are used. Audits and ESG reporting remain central to due diligence programmes and will continue to play an important role. However, when treated mainly as compliance exercises, they often fail to identify root causes, support remediation, or generate meaningful insight into worker risks.

This interactive workshop explores what effective HRDD looks like in practice, and how common tools can be strengthened and complemented to improve visibility, prevention and remediation.

Session Learnings:

  • Attendees will learn how to move HRDD from a compliance-focused exercise to a system that drives real improvements in working conditions and outcomes.
  • They will understand how to strengthen the use of audits so they go beyond identifying non-compliances and actively support corrective action and remediation.
  • They will explore how ESG reporting can be designed to inform decision-making and risk management, rather than functioning only as a disclosure requirement.
  • They will gain insight into how companies can improve visibility beyond Tier 1 suppliers and identify risks that traditional audit approaches often miss.
  • They will also examine practical ways to integrate prevention and remediation into existing due diligence systems so that identified issues are addressed more effectively and sustainably.

Post-Event Actions:

  • Delegates are encouraged to take forward a more practical and impact-focused approach to human rights due diligence within their own organisations.
  • Key actions include reviewing how existing audit and ESG reporting processes are used, and identifying opportunities to shift them from compliance-oriented exercises toward tools that support prevention, corrective action and remediation.
  • Participants are also invited to assess gaps in visibility beyond Tier 1 suppliers and consider additional approaches to better understand and address on-the-ground risks

Speakers

Gayang Ho

The Centre for Child Rights and Business

Director of Research

Gayang leads the research team in developing research studies, impact assessment tools, and insights based on evidence at The Centre for Child Rights and Business. Her work focuses on child and human rights due diligence issues and related risk areas. She has more than 18 years of experience in market and policy research across various private, public, and social sectors.

Before joining The Centre, she worked on research programmes related to sustainable development, such as climate change, sustainable mobility, sustainable development education, corporates’ sustainability programmes, and environmental philanthropy. She has published and presented her work at or on behalf of various development bodies, including UNDP, Asia Development Bank, UNICEF. Her exposure to different sectors, stakeholders, and international markets helps The Centre spread awareness of child rights risks and solutions among the business community. She has a Master of Commerce from the University of New South Wales and a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Toronto.

Ines Kaempfer

The Centre for Child Rights and Business

CEO

Ines is the CEO of The Centre for Child Rights and Business, a global social enterprise headquartered in Hong Kong, with programmes and staff across over 30 countries. With over 15 years of expertise in supply chain sustainability, she has been at the forefront of addressing child rights, labour rights, and human rights issues in Asia and beyond.

Since 2014, Ines has been instrumental in guiding The Centre to help businesses understand and address their impact on children, especially within supply chains. She leads the organisation’s strategic direction, overseeing global operations, and engaging with major multinational companies and partners. Ines also drives the development and scaling of innovative child rights and human rights due diligence programmes across diverse industries.

Under her leadership, The Centre has grown into a recognised leader in child rights and business, working with an expanding network of international companies and partners to create lasting, positive change for children, youth and parents worldwide.

In addition to her role at The Centre, Ines serves as the Chair of the Steering Committee of the Fair Cobalt Alliance (FCA), a multi-stakeholder platform launched in 2020 to mobilise supply chain-wide resources and support a fair, safe and formal artisanal cobalt sector. As Chair, she helps guide the FCA’s strategic direction, align stakeholders and ensure accountability to its mission. She also serves on the Advisory Board of the Association of Professional Social Compliance Auditors (APSCA), where she contributes to developing recommendations that support APSCA’s mission and objectives and represent the perspectives of all stakeholders.

Satte Tsao

Li & Fung

Senior Vice President, Vendor Compliance and Sustainability​

With thanks to

14:00 – 15:15

Beyond the Bin: Rethinking Waste in Hong Kong

14:00 – 15:15

Recycling and food waste sound like solved problems, until you see the gap between what we think happens and what actually does. Hosted by the HKU Jockey Club Enterprise Sustainability Global Research Institute, this 75-minute workshop brings leading organisations across two focused conversations to make the chain visible from the inside.

Rethinking Recycling: Reward and Recover, explores what it actually takes for a bottle in a recycling bin to come back as a new bottle — from the consumer-facing incentives that get it there to the industrial processing that makes bottle-to-bottle recycling possible.

Rethinking Food Waste: Prevent and Reshape, examines where food surplus forms across the food system — from retail operations to the shifting patterns of how Hong Kong orders, prepares, and consumes food.

Expect to walk away knowing things most people in Hong Kong don’t — straight from the operators making it happen.

Session Learnings:

  • Understand how Hong Kong’s recycling chain actually functions, and where the friction lies between consumer behaviour, collection, and industrial-scale processing.
  • Learn what food-grade PET recycling specifically demands of every upstream player, and what ordinary residents don’t realise about how their own recycling habits decide whether a bottle becomes a new bottle or fails.
  • Have a clearer picture of where consumer-facing schemes meet the operational realities of the recycling industry, what each side enables, what each side requires, and where the trade-offs sit.
  • Gain a practical view of where food surplus forms in retail operations, and how shifting demand patterns, including the rise of food delivery, reshape preparation and packaging across the food chain.

Post-Event Actions:

  • Apply immediately actionable changes to their own household, organisational, or supply chain recycling practices.
  • Explore potential partnerships or commercial engagement with the featured organisations across the recycling and food waste reduction value chains.
  • Continue the cross-sector dialogue through follow-on engagement with the host organization and the wider research community working at the intersection of NGO practice, social enterprise, and corporate sustainability.
  • Share session insights within their own networks to support the shift from sustainability ambition toward coordinated, on-the-ground action.

With thanks to

Workshop B

Day 1 – Thursday 10 Sept

12:00 – 13:15

Designing with Nature-based Solutions (NbS): Towards an Ecological and Healthy City

12:00 – 13:15

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) have emerged as a powerful opportunity to transform how cities and businesses respond to climate change and biodiversity loss. Increasingly recognized by governments, private sector, and professionals, NbS are being integrated into projects that deliver both ecological and social value.

This workshop will explore the multifaceted role of NbS — not only as an environmental strategy, but as a driver of innovation, resilience, and value creation to address societal challenges. Through interactive discussions, participants will discover practical approaches to embedding NbS in design and planning, uncover its potential to strengthen ESG performance and green finance, and mainstreaming NbS across disciplines and engaging the public. By positioning NbS as a catalyst for biodiversity and human well-being in cities, this workshop empowers participants to champion nature-driven approaches that accelerate Hong Kong’s sustainable development and inspire broader community participation.

Session Learnings:

  • Understand key concepts, definitions and standards of NbS.
  • Explore practical approaches and case studies to integrating NbS into design and planning to enhance biodiversity and improve human well-being in development projects.
  • Discover the benefits of NbS in advancing ESG goals and green finance, highlighting its role in Sustainable Development Goals.
  • Explore strategies and actionable pathways for mainstreaming NbS across interdisciplinary professions and engaging the wider public.

Post-Event Actions:

  •  Conduct self-assessment to evaluate whether projects or investments meet the criteria of NbS standards.
  • Identify opportunities for collaboration with landscape architects and partnering organizations to strengthen NbS for diverse industries and sectors.
  • Promote awareness and mainstream NbS through policy development, practical implementation, and education initiatives.

Speakers

Dr. Yin-Lun Chan

Hong Kong Institute of Landscape Architects

President

Dr Yin-Lun Chan is a landscape architect and urban historian, current President of the Hong Kong Institute of Landscape Architects (HKILA); Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Design and Architecture at the Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong (THEi). He holds a PhD in Architectural History and Theory and Master of Landscape Architecture. He is also Chief Editor the HKILA Journal Yuanlin and Chair of the Centre for Community Cultural Development (CCCD). His teaching and research explore intersections of community arts and design and landscape architecture. He is editor of The Landscape Profession of Hong Kong, 1978–2015.

My Sustainability Goals for 2026:

  • Initiating the landscape and ecological blueprint for Hong Kong
  • Publishing the mini-forest guidelines
  • Instigating the agenda on circular landscape practices

Marine Thomas

The Nature Conservancy Hong Kong Foundation Ltd

Associate Director of Conservation

Marine Thomas is Associate Director of Conservation for The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Hong Kong. She is responsible for overseeing TNC’s marine conservation projects on the ground, with a current focus on restoring natural habitats, community-based conservation, and developing sustainable livelihoods as nature-based solutions. Marine is also restoration ecologist specializing in estuarine ecosystems. Over the past 8 years, she has been developing restoration methods, evaluating ecosystem services, developing innovative conservation finance and advocating for policy changes that support widespread restoration efforts in Hong Kong’s waters.

My Sustainability Goals for 2026:

I would like to help Hong Kong develop a high-integrity ecotourism policy

Supported by

14:00 – 15:15

From ISSB Readiness to Stakeholder Engagement: Building an End-to-End ESG Reporting Journey

14:00 – 15:15

As ISSB-based sustainability reporting becomes mandatory across Hong Kong and many other Asian jurisdictions, organizations need more than compliance – they need an effective end-to-end reporting process.

In this joint workshop, KPMG Hong Kong and Tangelo will demonstrate how organizations can build an integrated ESG reporting journey, from understanding ISSB-based reporting requirements and establishing robust governance and data collection processes, through to producing high-quality sustainability reports and engaging stakeholders through modern digital reporting.

KPMG Hong Kong will share practical insights into materiality, value chain considerations, gap analyses, governance, and change management. Tangelo will demonstrate an integrated ESG reporting workflow, showing how organizations can streamline data collection, report production, and digital publication.

Using the award-winning Swire Pacific Sustainability Report as a real-world example, we will conclude by demonstrating how a modern sustainability microsite transforms a sustainability report into an engaging, accessible, and transparent digital experience.

Session Learnings:

  • Understand how ISSB-based reporting requirements are shaping sustainability reporting across Asia.
  • Learn how to establish a controlled, auditable ESG reporting process from materiality assessment to publication.
  • See how integrated ESG data collection and report production can improve efficiency, governance, and reporting quality.
  • Discover how digital sustainability reporting can increase stakeholder engagement beyond regulatory compliance.
  • Gain practical insights from a leading corporate sustainability reporting implementation.

Post-Event Actions:

  • Assess your organization’s readiness for ISSB-based sustainability reporting.
  • Identify opportunities to strengthen ESG data collection, governance, and reporting workflows.
  • Evaluate how digital reporting can improve stakeholder communication and transparency.
  • Develop a roadmap towards an integrated, end-to-end ESG reporting process.

Speakers

Arko Vervark

Tangelo Software

CCO

Arko Vervark, MBA, serves as Chief Commercial Officer at Tangelo Software, where he leads initiatives to enhance corporate reporting through innovative solutions. With a strong passion for advising organizations and empowering individuals, Arko focuses on streamlining corporate reporting processes like annual reporting and ESG reporting to meet the evolving demands of stakeholders.

Erin Hsu

Tangelo Software

Regional Sales Manager

With thanks to

15:45 – 17:00

From Data to Action: Affordable Housing at Speed

15:45 – 17:00

Hong Kong faces an urgent mandate: 189,000 public housing units delivered over five years, while meeting rising sustainability requirements including BEAM Plus certification and low-carbon construction standards. The ULI Asia Pacific Home Attainability Index 2026 benchmarks Hong Kong’s housing challenge against 40+ cities across the region, surfacing both the scale of the gap and what peer markets are doing differently.
This workshop opens with two short presentations — one presenting APAC-wide HAI data and regional comparisons, the second showcasing a Hong Kong case study in affordable and sustainable housing delivery — before participants break into small, role-specific table discussions. Each group works on one question: given what you now know and what you control, what will you commit to doing in the next 12 months?

Session Learnings:

  • How Hong Kong’s housing affordability compares to 41 cities across Asia Pacific, based on the ULI Asia Pacific Home Attainability Index 2026, and which regional delivery models are producing results
  • How Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) and Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) can reduce build time by 30–50% and costs by 20–30%, with direct co-benefits for carbon emissions — drawing on evidence from Singapore, Japan, and Australia
  • What specific regulatory, procurement, and financing barriers are slowing affordable and sustainable housing delivery in Hong Kong, and how they compare to challenges in peer markets
  • How green finance instruments can be structured to support affordable and sustainable housing simultaneously, and what conditions need to be in place for them to work at scale in Hong Kong

Post-Event Actions:

  • identify and commit to one specific action — in design, procurement, construction methods, or financing — that your organisation can take to support faster delivery of affordable and sustainable housing in Hong Kong in the next 12 months
  • Explore adoption of MiC, DfMA, or low-carbon construction methods in an upcoming project or procurement process
  • Assess the applicability of green finance instruments — green bonds, sustainability-linked loans — to a real housing project or investment decision within your organisation
  • Share HAI 2026 data and regional benchmarks internally to build awareness of Hong Kong’s housing challenge and the cross-sector response it requires

Supported by

Workshop A

Day 2 – Friday 11 Sept

Supported by

10:15 – 11:30

Architecting the Intelligent Enterprise: Transforming Corporate Operations through AI x ERP Synergy

10:15 – 11:30

In today’s complex business environment, enterprise data is expanding faster than legacy systems can process. To unlock true agility, organizations must move beyond traditional data entry. The future of corporate efficiency lies at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)—transforming the corporate core from a passive database into an autonomous, predictive engine.

This technical and operational workshop explores the practical integration of AI algorithms directly into enterprise ERP architecture. We will dive deep into how machine learning, predictive analytics, and automated data orchestration can be deployed across procurement, manufacturing, and resource allocation. Attendees will discover how to leverage AI x ERP synergy to eliminate operational silos, automate complex workflows, and optimize resource utilization. Join us to learn how leading organizations are modernizing their enterprise tech stack to drive maximum operational yield and future-proof their corporate infrastructure.

Session Learnings:

  • AI x ERP Architecture: Understanding the data pipelines and integration touchpoints required to embed AI into existing ERP modules.
  • Predictive Operations: How to use machine learning for demand forecasting, automated inventory optimization, and reducing operational waste.
  • Data-Driven Agility: Strategies for breaking down departmental silos to achieve real-time, cross-functional enterprise visibility.

Post-Event Actions:

  • An Integration Blueprint: A clear technical map of how to utilize AI models directly in your existing ERP data pipelines.
  • High-ROI Use Cases: Practical applications—like predictive procurement and automated inventory tracking—to pitch to internal stakeholders for immediate cost savings.
  • A Silo-Breaking Framework: Strategies to shift your organization from reactive data entry to real-time, cross-functional automation across all departments.

Speakers

Jonathan Howells

Odoo

Go-To-Market & Enterprise Growth Lead

Jonathan Howells is an accomplished sales leader and Go-To-Market & Enterprise Growth Specialist, recognized for his distinguished track record of driving strategic growth and building elite, high-performing teams. With deep expertise in crafting impactful Go-To-Market (GTM) strategies, Jonathan specializes in aligning organizational vision with execution, consistently exceeding targets, and cultivating a vibrant, positive workplace culture.

Jonathan infuses his professional leadership with a unique passion for high performance, team cohesion, and continuous self-development. As a speaker, he brings actionable insights on outbound strategy, leadership, and the mindset required to build teams that strive toward shared excellence.

My Sustainability Goals for 2026:

  • Resource Optimization & Waste Reduction: ERP systems track inventory and logistics in real-time. By optimizing outbound workflows, businesses can eliminate overproduction and minimize transportation emissions (fuel waste).
  • Decarbonizing the Value Chain: Outbound business activities contribute directly to Scope 3 emissions. ERP platforms centralize data from supply chains and logistics, allowing companies to measure, manage, and reduce their distribution footprint.
  • Digital Transformation: Moving manual, paper-heavy outbound and sales workflows into automated, cloud-based ERP systems inherently slashes paper waste and operational energy consumption.

Stephane Motte

Odoo

Enterprise Solutions & Digital Transformation Lead

Stephane Motte specializes in helping organizations streamline their complex operations and scale efficiently through smart Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions. Backed by over seven years of deep-domain experience across the fast-paced E-commerce and SaaS sectors, Stephane brings a wealth of expertise in navigating digital transformation and market expansion within the APAC region.

He is passionate about empowering businesses to harness integrated tech stacks to optimize their outbound strategies, eliminate operational friction, and drive sustainable growth. At ReThink HK 2026, Stephane focuses on how modern cloud ERP systems can bridge the gap between day-to-day commercial execution and a company’s long-term environmental and operational sustainability goals.

My Sustainability Goals for 2026:

  • Zero-Waste Inventory: Advocate for the use of smart ERP forecasting to help E-commerce and retail brands eliminate deadstock and product waste.
  • Greener Logistics in APAC: Help businesses design smarter outbound and reverse logistics workflows to reduce the environmental impact of rapid cross-border shipping and customer returns.
  • Democratize Green Tech: Enable mid-market APAC enterprises to easily access and implement scalable SaaS tools that embed sustainability into their daily operational DNA.

With thanks to

15:15 – 16:30

Cut Through the Noise: How to Communicate Sustainability Progress with Substance and Accountability

15:15 – 16:30

Hong Kong companies are investing more than ever in sustainability — but stakeholder trust isn’t keeping pace. ESG reports are getting longer while readership stays flat. Net-zero pledges are multiplying while public skepticism grows. The problem isn’t a lack of effort — it’s a credibility gap in how progress gets communicated. Too much sustainability messaging is vague, jargon-heavy, and indistinguishable from one company to the next. The result: genuine progress gets drowned out alongside hollow claims.

This workshop equips sustainability and communications professionals with a practical framework for communicating sustainability work in ways that are specific, evidence-based, and trusted.

Session Learnings:

  • Understand why most sustainability communications fail to build trust — and what the research says about what works
  • Apply a credibility lens to existing sustainability messaging to identify greenwashing risks before publication
  • Use a practical framework to make sustainability communications more specific, accountable and audience-relevant
  • Bridge the gap between sustainability teams and communications teams

Post-event Actions:

  • Apply the “Red Pen Exercise” to one piece of your organisation’s current sustainability communications and identify three improvements
  • Share the Substance Framework with your communications, legal or IR counterparts as a shared quality standard
  • Revisit your next ESG report or sustainability announcement draft using the accountability criteria from the workshop

Speakers

Carol Yeung

Omnicom Public Relations

President & General Manager

Carol is the President and General Manager at Omnicom Public Relations Hong Kong. She was the ESG lead at Golin Ketchum, with 18 years of experience in brand reputation and communications. Recognized as Innovator 25, 40 under 40 and a Women to Watch by Campaign Asia-Pacific, she holds a certification in Sustainable Business Strategy from Harvard Business School.

She has successfully led two two-year campaigns for the Hong Kong Government’s Environmental Protection Department, focusing on public education for waste reduction and recycling, and developed a strategy to phase out microbeads in personal care products.

In addition to her public sector work, Carol advises brands on sustainability communications.

Carol also served as chairperson and deputy chairperson of PRHK, and has supported the partnership between ReThink and PRHK for 3 years.

Supported by

Workshop B

Day 2 – Friday 11 Sept

13:45 – 15:00

Nature as a Business Solution: Inspirations for Hong Kong Companies

13:45 – 15:00

Nature-based solutions have moved from niche environmental concept to proven business strategy – delivering measurable returns on operational resilience, cost reduction, stakeholder trust, and regulatory readiness. Yet CGI HK’s research finds that nature remains largely a nascent topic from Hong Kong boardrooms, with limited awareness of how nature-related risks and opportunities connect to core business performance.

This workshop shifts the conversation from compliance to competitive advantage. Hosted by CGI HK in collaboration with leading sustainability specialists, the session showcases real-world examples of how Hong Kong and regional companies have deployed nature-based solutions to solve tangible business challenges – from urban heat management and water resilience to biodiversity-linked asset value and supply chain durability. Following the case study showcase, participants work in small groups to identify which nature-based approaches are most relevant and actionable for their own sector and context. Collective insights will be shared with the CGI HK community.

Session Learnings:

  • Understand how leading companies in Hong Kong and the region are deploying nature-based solutions to address real operational, reputational, and financial challenges
  • Discover the business case for nature across different sectors – including built environment, financial services, hospitality, and logistics – with concrete examples and outcomes
  • Learn how nature-related frameworks (including TNFD considerations) can be practically integrated into corporate strategy without requiring deep technical expertise at the outset
  • Leave with sector-specific ideas and a peer network to support your organisation’s first steps toward nature-positive action

Post-Event Actions:

  • Share case study inspiration with colleagues and leadership – positioning nature-based solutions as a business opportunity, not a reporting obligation
  • Identify one nature-related risk or opportunity most relevant to your organisation and explore what a first assessment might look like
  • Connect with case study presenters for follow-up conversations on sector-specific applications
  • Engage with CGI HK’s ongoing nature governance resources and peer learning network

Speakers

Spencer Liu

Climate Governance Initiative Hong Kong Chapter

Executive Director

Spencer Liu is Executive Director of the Climate Governance Initiative Hong Kong Chapter (CGI HK), a non-profit initiative dedicated to empowering board directors to exercise effective climate governance. In this role, Spencer works with business leaders and governance professionals to strengthen boardroom capabilities and embed climate oversight across Hong Kong’s corporate landscape, influencing through practical guidance, cross-sector engagement, and original research to support decision-making in the climate transition.

Beyond CGI HK, Spencer has founded Riverwood Climate Solutions, where he advises corporations and startups across Asia on climate technologies, with a focus on strategy and venture building in sustainable transportation and circular economy.

Earlier in his career, Spencer spent eight years at McKinsey & Company, where he co-led sustainability and green business building in Greater China as an Associate Partner. He is a CFA charterholder, CESGA holder, and LEED Green Associate.

My Sustainability Goals for 2026:

Deepen tradeoff discussions in sustainability-embedded business decisions in the board room

Supported by

All sessions are subject to change.