ESG, the Challenge Begins
The impact of ESG performance, with a focus on the luxury fashion sector, will be the theme of the new challenge that Bocconi and Kering are launching for students attending two post-experience programs at SDA Bocconi and one Master of Science. The project stems from the shared view that this theme has acquired a fundamental role in recent years, confirmed by the growing number of requests from investors.
The challenge, with participation is on a voluntary basis, will involve students in small working groups to which a specific theme will be assigned. At the end of the semester, a jury composed of Bocconi professors and Kering's top management plus two independent external members will proclaim the winning groups among those who present the most innovative and original projects.
"Bocconi University and SDA Bocconi School of Management have been actively involving students and companies on ESG-related issues for some time," says Maurizio Dallocchio, professor of corporate finance at Bocconi and scientific director of the challenge, "by developing research activities and courses on sustainability. In this context, we immediately accepted Kering's proposal to enrich the learning experience of our students, with an innovative activity that will become part of their final overall assessment. The relationships between ESG factors and market performance can be critically examined from different (and always stimulating) perspectives: that of a professional investor, a lender, a shareholder or a rating agency, just to name a few. All our groups of students will work - within a rigorous academic approach and, at the same time, a strong empirical inclination - to analyze the relevant literature, collect official sources, and create models that adapt to the assigned research topic in order to draw the most appropriate conclusions. All this important work will be a substantial part of their final vote."
"At Kering we are extremely fortunate," said Marie-Claire Daveu, Chief Sustainability Officer and Institutional Affairs at Kering, "as it is our CEO, François-Henri Pinault, who is the first to be deeply convinced of the importance of placing sustainable development at the heart of our strategy, not only for ethical purposes, but because it is extremely logical from a business perspective. The same applies to issues such as diversity and inclusion, working conditions at our suppliers, and governance. Our commitment to these issues is historic, it is a fundamental part of our vision and the way we deal with our business on a daily basis. Having the opportunity to stimulate students from one of the most prestigious universities in the world on such fundamental issues is a privilege for us: if we want to be innovative and bold, we must offer the new generations the opportunity to propose new paths and courageous arguments. Young people represent a constantly increasing part of our clientele and our community, we have a duty to listen to them carefully. That's why this new challenge launched with Bocconi University is perfectly in line with the spirit and objectives of our Group."