There needs to be more knowledge around ESG for the IR community in Brazil, remarked Jean Leroy, CEO of Instituto Brasileiro de Relações com Investidores, Brazil’s IR society.
Leroy was a speaker at this year’s NIRI 2023 Annual Conference, sitting on a panel that discussed all things ESG. After the session he spoke to IR Magazine about the key takeaways, explaining how Brazil needs more focus from businesses on ESG and awareness around emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI).
‘Maybe ESG could change its name,’ he said. ‘It enters so much into investor decisions to incorporate ESG into the metrics that actually ESG should maybe one day disappear and be integrated into the investment decisions of the funds and the companies.’
Looking at AI, Leroy said he drew a big question mark on it because, while it’s gaining momentum and taking center stage, ‘it’s a subject no one knows’.
‘They don’t know how much it’s going to affect the industry and how much it’s going to affect even the IR side, but it’s something on the agenda,’ he added.
Thinking more about Brazil, Leroy noted that disclosure is an issue. ‘For IR, one of the issues has been around how to disclose and… I believe these disclosures need to be part of the DNA of a company,’ he said. ‘The CEO must know about them and the CFO must understand them.’
