8IFC

This year IFC brought together over 200 industry participants for its annual IFC Sustainability Exchange in Washington. The event, now in its 6th year, drew oil & gas, mining, power, forestry and agribusiness clients from around the world. Harvard Kennedy’s School Jane Nelson and actress and activist Julian Ormond, and US Executive Director Ian Solomon, were among the many distinguished speakers.

“The IFC Sustainability Exchange is a great platform that brings together the right players to wrestle with some of the challenges and issues of embedding sustainability into core business functions” said keynote speaker Jane Nelson, Director of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Corporate Social Responsibility.
This year’s participants included Rio Tinto, Newmont Mining, the Carlyle Group, Peru LNG, Exxon, Shell, Anadarko, AngoGoldAshanti, BP, Cargill, Chevron, Delloitte, EDF, BC Hydro, Ernst & Young, Price Waterhouse Coopers and many more.

“This conference brings together suppliers, the people that we engage with, our customers, our bankers, our partners in development. We get to talk about issues that affect us all, and I think that’s still kind of unique”, said Dr Chris Anderson, Americas Director Communities & Social Performance at Rio Tinto.
During more than 25 different sessions, participants had a unique opportunity to network and discuss new approaches in enhancing local benefits of projects. Topics covered areas such as stakeholder engagement, energy access, water management, supply chains, gender, and IFC’s Performance Standards.

“The caliber of clients and industry leaders represented is impressive and allows us to offer our smaller clients access to a unique network of sustainability experts and thought leadership. This ability sets us apart in the market and is a great value-add for our clients” said Lance Crist, IFC Global Head of Oil and Gas.
“This event is about creating a space for our clients to mix with other industry leaders and enhance their skills and networks – this ultimately leads to better results on the ground and greater development reach of their projects”, said Dafna Tapiero IFC Global Product Leader, Strategic Community Investment, Sustainable Business Advisory.