IBA ESG Accelerator Training Programme: Introduction to ESG for lawyers

Garyn is an environmental law expert. His work is cross-sectoral and his clients operate in the energy, mining, oil and gas, industrial, waste management, biotechnology and construction sectors, to name a few. The nature of his work requires Garyn to be involved in every phase of his client's businesses, from the initial permitting stages, all the way through to the rehabilitation and closure of the operations. Throughout this business lifecycle, Garyn also runs complex environmental litigation matters, and is intimately involved in corporate transactional advice, including mergers, acquisitions, listings and disposals. Garyn is also the head of ESG for the firm, responsible for driving the firm's internal and external ESG strategy. He also sits on the Board of Directors of the Sustainable Finance Coalition.

Victoria is an English qualified lawyer, working part time at the Commonwealth Climate Law Initiative (CCLI) and part time at Puxley ESG. At CCLI, Victoria focusses on legal research on the implications of climate change and biodiversity loss on corporate law, particularly in relation to directors' and fiduciary duties and corporate governance in Africa. At Puxley ESG, Victoria advises international corporations operating in Africa on their exposure to climate and nature-related risks, with a focus on helping clients to navigate evolving legal sustainability frameworks in Europe that have extra-territorial reach. Victoria has a particular interest in the just transition and advising African organisations on striking a balance between the transition to a low carbon economy whilst protecting the rights of affected communities. Victoria is a tutor on the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) Governance for a Sustainable Future course and she is also the convenor for the legal practice group at the ESG Exchange, where she is collaborating with global sustainability experts to create a playbook for international business on "How to mitigate the risk of greenwashing".

Wellington is an experienced attorney with over 20 years’ experience in both private law firm practice and in-house counsel roles. His in-house counsel career has spanned industries like mobile telecommunications, banking and fast-moving consumer goods. Currently, he is the Vice President, Legal (General Counsel) for Unilever’s business in Africa. Wellington has held executive leadership roles for over 14 years, leading and developing legal teams while partnering and advising Executive/Leadership Teams and company Boards, including for listed entities. Wellington has extensive cross border experience having worked across Africa as well as working on, and delivering, global projects for global organisations. He has also worked on and delivered transformation projects for businesses to drive simplification and drive growth. His career has also included an academic bent, having tutored & lectured Law of Evidence and Banking and Negotiable Instruments law for over 8 years in the Faculty of Law at the University of Zimbabwe. Wellington’s passion lies in helping and inspiring others to realise their potential, and championing diversity and inclusion; passions which have found expression in a number of initiatives and engagements aimed at unlocking potential and creating space for all to thrive. Wellington holds a Bachelor of Laws Honours (LLBS) degree and Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Zimbabwe and is admitted in Zimbabwe as an attorney/legal practitioner, conveyancer and notary public.

Caliis Badoo is a Lawyer, a Chartered Banker and a Notary Public admitted to practice in Ghana. He has over twenty (20) years’ experience in teaching and practicing Corporate & Business Law with over 13 years in Securities Regulation and Enforcement experience with the Securities & Exchange Commission of Ghana. His key strengths include fine research and analytical skills, excellent communication and human relations, a great team worker with a bent for academia. He has very valuable experience in cross border and trade related issues having served and still serving as a member of the Technical Committee of the West Africa Securities Regulatory Association (WASRA) which seeks to provide oversight on cross border capital issues for the development of the subregion. WASRA has applied to become an appendage of ECOWAS under Article 53 of the ECOWAS Revised Treaty. He is also currently a Lecturer/Facilitator for the Legal & Regulatory Framework module of the Ghana Securities and Investment Institute (GISI) course designed for capital market professionals. He combines effective corporate and business law practice with teaching same. He has excellent drafting skills with a bias for commercial agreements. Currently, he is a Director and heads the Legal & Enforcement Department of the Securities & Exchange Commission, Ghana as Chief Manager having previously worked as Board Secretary, Secretary to the Approvals and Licensing Committee and Deputy Chief Manager, Senior Manager in the same Department. Prior to that he worked as an Attorney in two law firms in Ghana representing clients in court and providing them with professional legal advice on corporate and commercial matters. At all times during he career, he has remained a part-time lecturer. He has attended a number of training programmes with Harvard Law School, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (US SEC), the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the International Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) amongst others. He is a member of the IBA Capital Markets Forum, Securities Law Committee and the Immigration and Nationality Committee. He is also a member of IOSCO AMERC Working Group on Market Development. He has held the positions of Conference Coordinator (Jan. 2015 - Dec. 2016), Officer (Jan. 2017 - Dec. 2018), Conference Coordinator (Jan. 2019 - Dec. 2020) Secretary-Treasurer (Jan. 2020 - Dec. 2020), Vice Chair (Jan. 2021 - Dec. 2022) and now Chair of the African Regional Forum (ARF). He is currently an Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) Faculty of Law teaching the Master of Laws (LLM) course in the Regulation of Financial Markets. Caliis holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) Hons, B.L, MBA (Finance), ACIB, LLM (Financial Markets & Regulation). He is a Notary Public admitted to practice in Ghana.

I am the Co-founder of Stories Evolved, a global ESG and Sustainability Advisory firm and an internationally experienced lawyer and educator. My mission is to partner with clients, colleagues and educational institutions to navigate the evolving expectations and complexities of ESG, Sustainability and AI with credibility, clarity and foresight. With a Master’s Degree in Sustainability Leadership from the University of Cambridge and as a Senior Associate at the prestigious Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), an External Advisor to the CISL Global Board Programme, and a regular contributor to CISL’s executive online programmes, I work at the cutting edge of actionable thought leadership. While in practice, I worked at Bowmans (Johannesburg) and A&O Shearman (London). Stories Evolved’s clients include leading international and African legal businesses and financial institutions.