CEO of University Pension Plan Ontario to speak at NZI annual conference

Barbara Zvan, president and CEO of the University Pension Plan Ontario (UPP), has been confirmed as a speaker for the upcoming Net Zero Investor Annual Conference.

Zvan will be speaking at a panel discussion at the London Stock Exchange on 12 December, alongside KLP vice president for corporate responsibility Heidi Finskas, on what was, or was not, achieved at COP27. The session will also touch on events at the COP15 biodiversity conference, which is taking place in Montreal from 7 to 19 December.

From here, the discussion is expected to branch out to considerations on how net-zero investor strategies are evolving, and whether there is scope for greater asset owner coalition building. The panel is also expected to explore how institutional investors are organising themselves to improve outcomes through engagement.

Zvan is the former chief risk and strategy officer for the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, which currently manages approximately $228bn in assets and is known for active corporate governance and climate strategies which aim for real world impact.

As well as leading UPP, Zvan serves on the Government of Canada’s Expert Panel on Sustainable Finance. She is also a co-founder of the G7 Investment Leadership Network, and a board member for the Global Risk Institute and the Responsible Investment Association.

Climate engagement

In October this year, Zvan spoke to Net Zero Investor as part of her role serving on the Climate Engagement Canada steering committee, as the programme looked to widen its membership to include global investors that are active in the Canadian market.

Zvan was recently named CEO of the year by Canada’s Report on Business magazine, which described her as “one part pension wonk, one part climate crusader”.

In response to receiving this accolade, Gale Rubenstein, chair of the UPP Board of Trustees, said: “Barbara is a truly exceptional leader who has dedicated her career to enhancing the security and sustainability of defined benefit pensions. We’re proud of her inspiring leadership, both at UPP and in the global financial community.”

Other speakers recently confirmed for the Net Zero Investor Annual Conference are Aidan Thomson, head of the environment practice at law firm Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, and Benjamin Franta, senior research fellow in climate litigation at the Oxford Sustainable Law Programme.

Both Thomson and Franta will be speaking on a panel regarding climate litigation, assessing the changing landscape for companies, governments and institutional investors.