A TIP FROM SACC-NE:
This is our 28th Annual Business Forum!
This year's forum will provide a bird's eye view of the global climate change debate, including a review of the outcomes of COP26 and what this means for international companies.
Agenda
12:00pm-12:30pm EST:
Welcome
Kenneth J. Vacovec, Partner at Vacovec, Mayotte & Singer
Economic Update
Dr. Michael Goodman, Senior Advisor to the Chancellor for Economic Development & Strategic Initiatives, Professor of Public Policy, UMass Dartmouth
Keynote "What Will It Take to Compete and Collaborate In a Climate Emergency. Lessons from COP26"
Rachel Kyte, Dean of The Fletcher School at Tufts University
12:30pm-1:30pm EST:
Panel discussion with:
Véronique Bourgier, Vice President Strategy & Marketing, Veolia North America
Claire Dykta, Head of UK Strategy, National Grid
Nathalie Wallace, Global Head of Sustainable Investing, Natixis Investment Managers
moderated by:
Dr. Peter Abbott, OBE, British Consul General to New England
The panel consists of executives who are well versed in the issues of climate change and sustainability and its implications for businesses following COP26.
Moderator & Speakers
Dr. Peter Abbott, OBE, British Consul General to New England
Dr. Peter Abbott has been a member of Her Majesty’s Diplomatic Service for 15 years. Before becoming British Consul General to New England in 2020, he served as Counsellor at the British High Commission in Islamabad, Pakistan, with operational oversight of the largest mission in the UK’s overseas diplomatic network.
Before joining the FCDO, Peter lived, studied and worked in the United States, including interning in the office of Dennis Hastert when he was Speaker of the US House of Representatives and working on Arianna Huffington’s 2003 gubernatorial campaign in California.
Dr. Michael Goodman, Senior Advisor to the Chancellor for Economic Development & Strategic Initiatives, Professor of Public Policy, UMass Dartmouth
In August 2020 Dr. Goodman was appointed Acting Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs by UMass System President Marty Meehan and served 18 months in that role. This followed six years of service as Executive Director of the Public Policy Center, two terms as Faculty Senate President, and six years as Chair of the Department of Public Policy. Professor Goodman joined the faculty at UMass Dartmouth in 2009 after serving for eight years as the Director of Economic and Public Policy Research at the UMass Donahue Institute. A leading analyst of the Massachusetts economy, he has authored or co-authored over fifty professional publications on a wide range of public policy issues including regional economic development and housing policy as well as demographic and other applied social science research topics. He has supported this research by generating over $6 million in external grant and contract funding from a diverse array of public and private sources.
Rachel Kyte, Dean of The Fletcher School, Tufts University
Rachel Kyte is the 14th dean of The Fletcher School at Tufts University. A 2002 graduate of Fletcher’s Global Master of Arts Program (GMAP) and a professor of practice at the school since 2012, Kyte is the first woman to lead the nation’s oldest graduate-only school of international affairs, which attracts students from all corners of the globe and at all stages of their careers. Prior to joining Fletcher, Kyte served as special representative of the UN secretary-general and chief executive officer of Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL). She previously was the World Bank Group vice president and special envoy for climate change, leading the run-up to the Paris Agreement. She was also vice president at the International Finance Corporation responsible for ESG risk and business advisory services.
