Sustainable Governance

PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes) is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organisation, founded in 1999 which promotes sustainably managed forests through independent third party certification, and works to provide a market for the products of those forests.

Over the past year, Z/Yen has been working closely with PEFC on a variety of projects, including an Image & Impact Assessment, an Organisational Location Assessment, and a Governance Study. Building on this successful work, PEFC has commissioned Z/Yen to develop and conduct a full Governance Review. The Governance Review follows from the organisation’s recently adopted Strategic Plan, which aims to increase membership, continue to strengthen certification standards of Members’ National Governing Bodies for forestry, and work with a broad group of stakeholders.

An International Panel of Experts is charged to make recommendations on strengthening PEFC’s governance, improving organisation effectiveness, and expanding engagement with a broader group of stakeholders. Chaired by Lord Jamie Lindsay and guided by six other experts in forestry, environmental policy, and management, the Panel will review how PEFC carries out its Mission and continues to improve effectiveness in sustainable forestry management. In early February, Z/Yen hosted the first meeting of the Panel, convened to provide direction and oversight for the Review.

Interested parties are encouraged to share their opinions about the organisation and its governance structure by completing a survey as well as alert colleagues who might be interested in contributing. For more information, contact Alexander Knapp at Z/Yen.

Working In UNISON

Work on the Membership Lifecycle Services project for UNISON, the trades union, continues apace, with numerous Z/Yen people working on various aspects of the work. The project goal is to improve management of member relations over the course of their membership. Permanent members of the Z/Yen team involved are Ian, Mark, Jez, Nick, Mary and Linda. Four external specialists help – Alexandria (when she is not finishing off her MBA), Sonya (when she’s not acting), Caroline (when she’s not dancing) and David (when he’s not busy planning global domination). Never to be left out, Michael attends planning meetings, but we try to keep these to a minimum!

A Professor’s Lot Is Not A Happy One

Gresham College has invited Michael Mainelli to extend his three-year lecture series to four. In addition, Gresham has asked Michael to join their Council for 2008/2009. We thought Michael would have “said it all” after three years, so you can imagine that the “Professor’s Lot” are not the happy ones to find out from Michael that he had enough left unsaid for seven more lectures! Michael’s final lecture in the 2007/2008 academic year is “Save The World: A Commercial Break” on Monday, 28 April 2008, 18:00, Barnard’s Inn Hall, Holborn, London EC1N 2HH. As always, Z/Yen will host a complimentary drinks reception afterwards.

London Accord-ing To Z/Yen

Our massive, mutual climate change initiative, the London Accord, continues to attract attention. In addition to several hundred people attending events as diverse as the Mansion House launch (19 December), the Gresham College seminar (30 January) or the Centre for the Study of Financial Innovation Roundtable (14 February), policy makers have begun to take note. Z/Yen has been pleased to welcome policy-makers from Germany, the USA, Italy and the EU for discussions on the policy implications of the London Accord, principally the role of the carbon markets, numerous technologies, forestry and carbon sequestration in providing investment opportunities to avoid climate change. Further, there are numerous forthcoming events. Any Now & Z/Yen readers who wish to participate should contact Linda Cook at Z/Yen:

• Securities Industry Management Association - “The London Accord” (members’ presentation) - London, England (18 March 2008).
• Accenture, Planning For The Future - “The London Accord – Climate Change Solutions” - London, England (20 March 2008).
• Finexpo, Green City 2008 - “Investment Strategies - Risks & Opportunities For Financial Institutions” - London, England (10 April 2008).
• European Chief Procurement Officers’ Club - “The London Accord - Implications For The Corporation” - Berlin, Germany (11 April 2008).
• Tomorrow’s Company - “The London Accord & Climate Change” - London, England (29 April 2008).
• City of London Corporation - “The London Accord” - Brussels, Belgium (6 May 2008).
• Securities & Investment Institute - “The London Accord” - London, England (22 May 2008).
• IIR, Strategic Risk Management – “The London Accord: Risk, Investment & Climate Change” – London, England (4 June 2008).