People & Purpose Theatre
Competence Greenwashing: Contributing to Today’s Workforce Skills Gap
Day 1 : 15:50 – 16:40
According to a Reuters study in 2022, the number of Chief Sustainability Officers has more than tripled since 2021. And here in APAC, the number of green jobs has risen by over 30% in the last five years. Unfortunately, the skills and personnel needed to do these key jobs has not kept pace with demand, and we are experiencing global shortage of ESG talent and skills available globally to deliver on the green transition needed. This is leading to more executive playing up their knowledge, skills and experience on ESG and sustainability, a practice coined as “competence greenwashing.
Learnings:
- Why competence greenwashing is a problem.
- Which industries are fudging ESG skills?
- What skills and competencies do people working in ESG need?
- What is the future of ESG talent in Asia and in Hong Kong?
Speakers
Haily Chan
Manager, Sustainable Development
Swire Pacific
Haily Chan
Swire Pacific
Manager, Sustainable Development
Haily has extensive experience in the field of corporate sustainability, including disclosures, strategy development, and stakeholder engagement. At Swire, she advises on key policies and developments related to sustainability and supports the implementation of the Group’s sustainability strategy, SwireTHRIVE, with a focus on managing water and supply chain impacts. She also manages the Group’s capacity building programmes and engagement strategy to further embed sustainability within the business.
My sustainability goals for 2024:
Enhance organisational sustainability fluency and literacy in support of SwireTHRIVE objectives.
Mark Cheung
Co-Founder
Network of Environmental Student Societies
Mark Cheung
Network of Environmental Student Societies
Co-Founder
Mark is a recent graduate from the University of Hong Kong and now leverages his knowledge and experience as a sustainability analyst. Beyond the corporate world, he served as a youth delegate at various UN conferences, participated in an Antarctica Climate Change expedition, and currently holds the position of UN Asia Pacific Youth Advisor on Environmental and Climate Justice.
He co-founded NESS, a youth-led climate organization focused on raising awareness and building capacity for climate action. Through NESS, Mark hopes to empower youth to become advocates for sustainability and foster young changemakers in our community.
My Sustainability Goals for 2024:
I hope to bridge the gap between youth and companies in the green job market amidst the rising demand for green talents and to raise youth awareness with my experience through impact-driven initiatives, sharing, and more.
Supported by
The British Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong
The Chamber is one of Hong Kong’s biggest and most active independent international business organisations representing a broad span of British, Hong Kong and international companies doing business in, with, or through Hong Kong.
The Chamber encourages diversity in its membership and activities and has a 1,000 members from the biggest multinationals through to a broad range of medium and smaller companies and start-ups. The Chamber’s aim is to help our members grow their business, and promote and represent their business interests by providing representation and advocacy; networking and brand exposure; as well as information and insight.