Keesa C. Schreane - Gambling on Green: Uncovering the Balance among Revenues, Reputations, and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance)

KEESA C. SCHREANE

Copyright 2023 by Keesa C. Schreane. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.

Published simultaneously in Canada.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is Available:

ISBN 9781119892090 (hardback)

ISBN 9781119892120 (epub)

ISBN 9781119892137 (ePDF)

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Cover Image: Olha Filatova/Shutterstock

To Mom, Dad, and Tiffany: Your love, wisdom, humor, and support have given me a foundation and safe space to imagine and believe that all things are possible.

Thanks to my family and friends, whose support made the journey of this book a brighter one.

Much appreciation to my Wiley team: executive editor Sheck Cho, managing editor Susan Cerra, marketing leader Jean-Karl Martin, sales leader Paul Reese, and editorial assistant Sam Wu, as well as my editorial coaches Hilary Poole and Erika Winston, and content editors Alex Joseph and Shivani Rajpal.

Optilytics Media, thanks for the phenomenal support in bringing structure to my external messaging, resources to deliver that messaging, and excitement around my vision.

Thanks to my Ceres partners who provided a wealth of information and support! Thank you to CEO Mindy Lubber, as well as Siobhan Collins, Mary Ann Ormond, Susan Sayers, and Whitney Williams.

A special round of thanks to my London Stock Exchange Group team members and friends who provided encouragement at every turn.

I appreciate my kind, generous interviewees who graciously shared their stories, expertise, and intelligence.

I'm thankful for my parents, my sister Tiffany, and my amazing community of aunts, uncles, cousins, and extended family who give grace, provide prayers, and steadfast support.

Rawlston, I am so grateful for your partnership, perspective, and continued encouragement.

To the Spirit in which I live, move, and have my being.

Keesa C. Schreane is a business strategist, commentator, and speaker. Her specialties include the ESG (environmental, social, and governance) space, as well as risk analysis and sustainable finance.

She is a founder, executive producer, and host of Refinitiv Sustainability Perspectives podcast. Recognized as an industry leader, the show discusses global ESG trends, regulations, and investment strategies with asset managers, asset owners, and C-suite sustainability and corporate officers.

She's also a broadcast television and livestream contributor and writer, who has appeared on numerous outlets including Black Enterprise, Cheddar News, CNBC, CBS, Essence, Latina, and Refinitiv Sustainability Perspectives.

Her expertise includes business development, commercial strategy, sales and marketing, employee resource group leadership, relationship management, and sustainable finance. She is a Fundamentals of Sustainability Accounting (FSA) credential holder and is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS).

Keesa serves on numerous boards and committees, including Ceres President's Council where she and other members leverage their expertise to support transforming the economy to build a just and sustainable future for people and planet.

Connect with Keesa at www.keesaschreane.com.

To be a good global citizen is to have a balanced perspective.

I've found that identifying how different things interrelate helps me understand how people's actions can reduce the pain of recent events, from pandemics and climate degradation to financial inequity and war. Focusing on interconnectivity helps me to see beyond the devastation. It helps me dare to see glimmers of hope and possibility based on how humans can compassionately respond to these events.

Of course, those glimmers of hope don't negate the realities, tragedies, and impacts that persist.

The potential for a global health crisis loomed for decades and yet somehow still felt like a surprise. COVID-19 directly affected everyone in a manner that many of us had not experienced in our lifetimes. People lived through the illness and death of loved ones, severe business disruption, shutdowns, lockdowns, and of course a lingering sense of unease during travel and in social gatherings. The ways we interact with each other, as well as how we perceive how our health choices affect those around us, are forever altered.

Personal health choices continued to be the subject of scrutiny as the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade in June 2022. Although some corporations swiftly committed to covering costs for employees who need to travel out of state for reproductive healthcare, many Americans still feel vulnerable, angry, and violated at decisions surrounding our health and privacy.

Then there are tragedies resulting from invasions and natural disasters and the disastrous human conditions that result. Heart-wrenching images of men, women, and children fleeing for their lives or confined en masse to small sanctuaries of relative safety like subways or bunkers are all too common. Real-time commentary on social media puts horrific images and stories of war and disaster center stage.