Why ESG Matters?
With Jon Solorzano
Vinson & Elkins
Jon Solorzano is a Los Angeles-based attorney who serves as counsel and co-head of the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) task force at the law firm of Vinson & Elkins. Prior to this role, he served as senior director for legal and corporate development at the Clorox Company.
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Beyond ESG, Jon is also a highly sought-after thought leader with significant expertise in related fields such as M&A, corporate governance, securities regulation, corporate and business development, consumer products, technology, human capital management, business financial strategy, and international matters for both high-growth start-ups and established Fortune 500 companies.
Few topics are as vexatious and polarizing in contemporary times as the acronym ESG. Legendary investors such as Warren Buffet and his second-in-command, the late Charlie Munger, along with other prominent corporate and finance figures, argue that ESG should not be a consideration in investment decisions.
Against this backdrop, Jon discusses with Regulatory Ramblings host Ajay Shamdasani why ESG matters to investors, companies, and society, alongside corporate social responsibility (CSR) and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). He stresses that while these concepts and movements are related and overlap to some degree, they are not necessarily the same thing. Indeed, Jon notes that those who coined the term ESG might have garnered more support for their cause had they emphasized (G)overnance rather than (E)nvironmental, as even skeptics of global warming can appreciate the importance of well-governed companies and how that affects share prices.
Jon also shares insights into his upbringing, background, and path into the legal profession, as well as how, as a transactional lawyer, he ended up leading his firm’s ESG practice.
While acknowledging the concerns of ESG detractors and naysayers, Jon predicts that 10-15 years from now, the nature of the debate and discussion will be very different. By then, few will even question the importance of ESG to the world’s well-being, he says, as millennials and Zoomers take over the reins of society in developed countries.
A telling sign that Jon's predictions are accurate is that for younger investors, ESG definitely matters as a yardstick in gauging what constitutes a socially conscious and sustainable investment.
The conversation concludes by examining the extent to which ESG mandates intersect with financial regulation, and why banking and financial institutions globally need to take ESG as seriously as their regulatory compliance and risk management requirements.
Podcast Discussion
The full conversation, marked with key topics/chapters on the player, spans about 56 minutes.
02:01 A Journey through Corporate Law and Stakeholder Engagement
08:05 Unveiling the Complexity: ESG vs. CSR in Corporate Responsibility and Investor Value
20:20 Exploring the ESG Backlash: Understanding Perspectives on Investor Value and Corporate Responsibility
25:01 Corporate Indifference: The Evolution of ESG Amidst Regulatory Pressures
32:59 ESG in a World of Socio-Economic Uncertainty and Geopolitical Tumult
36:28 How do you rebrand ESG: Adapting Perception and Purpose in Corporate Sustainability
41:26 Insights into the Intersection of ESG and Financial Regulation
44:22 Generation Shift: The Future Landscape of ESG
48:31 The Evolving Role of Professionals in ESG Decision-Making
52:41 Solorzano: Assessing a Practitioner's Journey in the evolving ESG Landscape
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Regulatory Ramblings podcasts is brought to you by The University of Hong Kong - Reg/Tech Lab, HKU-SCF Fintech Academy, Asia Global Institute, and HKU-edX Professional Certificate in Fintech, with support from the HKU Faculty of Law.
Useful links in this episode:
Mentioned in the discussion:
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Impact - Economist | Candice de Monts-Petit's Article: Understanding the Evolution of ESG
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HKU-SCF Fintech Academy - website
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Regulatory Ramblings Podcasts List
Regulatory Ramblings Podcast
Welcome to Regulatory Ramblings, a new podcast from a team at The University of Hong Kong on the intersection of all things pertaining to finance, technology, law and regulation. Hosted by the HKU Reg/Tech Lab, HKU-Standard Chartered FinTech Academy and the HKU-edX Professional Certificate in FinTech, join us as we hear from luminaries across multiple fields and professions as they share their candid thoughts in a stress-free environment - rather than the soundbites one typically hears from the mainstream press.
Regulatory Ramblings is a forum for those that appreciate long-form conversation. While it is something that may be regarded as lost art of an older time, it is nonetheless sorely needed in an age when glibness and flippancy pass for analysis in conventional journalism.
Having said that, we are grateful to be able to avail ourselves of modern technological resources to bring you chats with people you are probably not going to hear from elsewhere.
Ajay Shamdasani is a veteran writer, editor and researcher based in Hong Kong. He holds an AB in history and government from Ripon College, JD and MIPCT degrees from the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce Law School, and an LLM in financial regulation from the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Chicago-Kent College of Law.
His 15-year long career as a financial and legal journalist began as deputy editor of A Plus magazine – the journal of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants. From there, he assumed the helm of Macau Business magazine as its editor-in-chief, and later, joined Asialaw magazine as its deputy editor. More recently, he spent close to seven years as a senior correspondent with Thomson Reuters’ subscription-based trade-wire service Regulatory Intelligence/Compliance Complete (previously called Complinet) in Hong Kong. While there, he covered regulatory developments in that city, as well as Singapore, India and South Korea.
