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The 4A’s Sustainability Summit is a full-day virtual program on April 20, 2022. 

Please check back for updates to the program. Agenda is subject to change, invited speakers shown.

Sustainability Summit sessions are now available to watch on-demand.


Welcome 
Marla Kaplowitz - President & CEO, 4A's


The Time Is Now. Why Brands And Agencies Must Be The Architects Of Shaping The Future Of Environmental Sustainability. 
While international and domestic regulators and standard-setting NGOs will continue to work towards getting consensus and commitments on climate action, it's increasingly clear that the process will be slow, and like many complex negotiations, might evolve to a bare minimum standard. How can brands and agencies start evolving their practices now to be ahead of the curve?


Moderated By:
Marla Kaplowitz - President & CEO, 4A’s
Speakers:
Oliver Joyce, Global Chief Transformation Officer, Mindshare / GroupM 
Decarbonisation Programme Exec Director

Andy Last, CEO, MullenLowe salt

 

Google's Third Decade of Climate Action

Over the years, Google has evolved their ambitious sustainability goals - from carbon neutral to renewable energy - to their most ambitious goal yet: to be the first major company to operate on carbon-free energy, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week by 2030. Join us for a discussion of the short- and long-term strategies that enable Google to continue building sustainability into everything they do.

Speakers:

Nick Pearson, Global Head of Energy Policy, Google
Alison Pepper, EVP, Government Relations, 4A’s
 


Different Industries, Same Challenges. 
Advertising agencies and law firms are confronting a similar challenge - the increasing pressure from activists, shareholders and even employees to not accept certain clients or even work with certain business partners perceived to be on the wrong side of environmental issues. What should these groups be thinking about when evaluating new clients and business partners? 

Moderated By: 
Alison Pepper, EVP, Government Relations, 4A’s
Speakers:
Andrew Graff, CEO, Allen & Gerritsen

Guenther Schumacher, Chief Revenue Officer, Venable LLP

 


Congress’ Imperative to Address Climate Change: Is Bipartisanship Possible?
Since President Biden took office in 2021, two pieces of landmark federal legislation, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and Build Back Better were largely considered to be his strongest chance at enacting his ambitious climate change agenda, ushering in a new electric age and implementing other economy-wide strategies to help reduce nationwide carbon emissions. 
 
Some of these efforts have stalled, and with Congress seemingly more divided than ever, can we expect federal policymakers to come together to act meaningfully and promptly to address climate change? What policies already exist to help lawmakers address the challenge?

Moderated By: 

Amanda Anderson, Director of Government Relations, 4A’s
Speakers:
Ryan Bernstein, SVP, Federal Public Affairs, McGuireWoods Consulting

Jim Reilly, Senior Policy Advisor, Venable LLP


Sustainability Has a Communications Problem and Other Findings from McCann’s Global ‘Truth About Sustainability’ Research

The issues of climate change and sustainability are among the most important of our time, with 82% of people globally saying climate change is the biggest challenge facing the world in the next 20 years. 

Come join our expert panelists as they present the results of extensive original research on climate change and sustainability conducted via 32,000 consumer interviews across 26 markets. Learn more about what consumers are looking to see from companies, how brands and agencies should be thinking about sustainability efforts, and ultimately, what moves the needle on consumer perceptions.

Speakers

Jaclyn Kaminski, Global Director of Sustainability, McCann Worldgroup

Nadia Tuma-Weldon, Director of Truth Central, McCann Worldgroup

 

Break

 


Working To Leave Only Footprints. 
It's no secret that the past few years have been challenging for the travel industry. A global pandemic combined with a growing recognition of the environmental footprint of travel have left many would-be travelers wary. But what if there were a better way to travel, one that reimagined a new model that balanced the interests of travelers, locals, and the environment? 


Speakers: 

Jemma Gould, VP, Sustainability And Communications, Interpublic Group
Mikey Sadowski, GM of Global PR & Communications, Intrepid Travel

 



How To Determine Your Company's Carbon Footprint. And Why It Matters. 
As more companies try to understand their carbon footprint in efforts to make improvements in reductions, they start to run into a brick wall of confusion. What are Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions? How do companies measure them? Are companies using international or domestic standards? Are there even standards? What are the benchmarks? Is this all voluntary, or are companies now required to do this? Industry has questions, and our expert panelists have answers. 

Moderated By:
Matthew Kasindorf, SVP, Business Intelligence & Insight Group, 4A’s
Speakers:

Martin Bryan, SVP, Group Partner, Head of Sustainability, UM Worldwide

Brian O’Kelley, CEO, Scope3



Planet Before Profit: How Agencies Can Create Lasting Partnerships with "Do Good" Brands. 
With the increasing pressure on agencies and brands to work together on campaigns with positive environmental impact, it’s more important than ever that agencies and brands address these questions during the RFP process. But what are the best strategies for approaching these issues, especially during that formative getting to know you stage? What do brands and agencies want to know from each other to get started off on the right foot? 

Moderated By:
Marilyn Mead, VP of Marketing, Winmo
Speakers:
Lisa Colantuono, President, AAR Partners
Nikki Crumpton, Chief Strategy Officer, Been There Done That

 

Helping Agencies Bring an ESG Mindset to Your Client Conversations:

Gain the ESG Mindset Leaders of Today Need to Adapt, Transform, and Pivot to the New Global Reality of Meeting Sustainability Challenges. 

 

Whether it is responding to new legislation to address forced labor in supply chains, pending SEC regulations requiring organizations provide transparency into contribution toward NetZero, or the shift from governing exclusively focused on profit to include people and planet while still driving growth, agencies need to be able to provide broader perspectives on the risks and opportunities to clients and their brands.

 

Expert panelists share their perspectives on the E, S and G risks and opportunities agencies need to communicate to your clients.

 

Moderated By:

Gwen Murphy, Co-Founder and CEO, SCERTIFY

Speakers:

Helle Bank Jorgensen, CEO & Founder, Competent Boards
Ellis A. Jones, VP & Chief Sustainability Officer, The Goodyear Tire And Rubber Co.

Nancy Michael, Chief Product Officer, The Climate Board


Ad Net Zero And AdGreen. 
Ad Net Zero is an ambitious initiative from the UK Advertising Association to provide a roadmap for the advertising industry to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030. AdGreen is a key tool as part of this to help agencies and advertisers measure and reduce their carbon emissions reductions from production. Come learn more about this initiative, and how your company can start using AdGreen.


Speakers:
Mark Read, CEO, WPP

Stephen Woodford, CEO, Advertising Association (UK)

 


BREAK

 
Ecolabels. 
B-Corp. EPEAT. Forest Stewardship Council. USDA Organic. What are ecolabels, how are brands and agencies using them, and what do consumers really think of them? What are the pros and cons of using them? 

Moderated By: 
Emilie Hitch, SVP, Strategy, broadhead
Speakers:

Susan Herbert, Senior Director, Ecolabels and Manufacturer Resources, Global Electronics Council
Laura Maness, CEO, Havas New York, Annex88 & Havas CX helia

 


It Was Technically The Truth. 
While the FTC and many states offer guidance to brands and agencies on how to avoid greenwashing, it increasingly appears that there's a gap between the guidance and what consumers want to see. Many brands are finding themselves in hot water for making claims that, while technically true, are raising consumer ire for being "greenwash." How do brands and agencies avoid this?

Moderated By:

Jordyn Eisenpress, Associate, Advertising, Marketing & Public Relations Group, Frankfurt Kurnit Klein + Selz
Speakers:
Laura Brett, VP, National Advertising Division (NAD), BBB National Programs

Pip Cross, Sustainability Strategist, Barkley
Katie White, Account Director, Martin Agency

 


The Evolution Of The Agency As Partners In Sustainability. 

While agencies have long been creative partners in strategy and messaging for their clients, there's increasingly an opportunity for agencies to be true business partners in helping clients align internal and external messaging, investment and partnership priorities, and hiring and retaining the right talent who are purpose-driven. This is especially true in the area of KPIs and measurement frameworks to help clients achieve not only their marketing goals, but enterprise sustainability objectives.

Moderated By: 
Mollie Rosen, EVP, Strategy, Insight & Innovation, 4A’s
Speakers:
Dan Lambe, CEO, Arbor Day Foundation

Denise Wong, CEO, One & All Agency



Closing Remarks
 

Agenda

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