Conference Agenda

Thu, Oct 3 8:00am - 9:00am CDT

Coffee & Conversations

Attendees are welcome to commence networking over a breakfast spread before sessions begin.

Thu, Oct 3 9:00am - 9:15am CDT

Welcome Remarks

Hear from Manufacturers Alliance with an event overview to kick off the conference day.

Sarah Barnett

Council Director, Manufacturers Alliance

Sarah Barnett is a Council Director at Manufacturers Alliance. She is a corporate ESG professional, having previously served in both corporate and consulting roles to help companies advance their sustainability programs and achieve their ESG and business goals.

Prior to joining the Alliance, Sarah led the global sustainability program for 4 years at Axalta, a global coatings manufacturer, last serving as the Director of ESG. She frequently engaged with colleagues across the company as well as customers, suppliers, investors, and the Board of Directors to advance the company’s sustainability efforts and launch ambitious 2030 ESG goals. Throughout her time at Axalta, Sarah was an active member of the Manufacturers Alliance Sustainability Council. Before joining Axalta, Sarah was a sustainability consultant at ERM, a global sustainability consultancy, supporting corporate clients across industries to meet their sustainability challenges. Sarah holds both a BS in Chemical Engineering and an MS in Sustainable Engineering from Villanova University.

Thu, Oct 3 9:15am - 10:00am CDT

Why ESG Remains a Key Priority

Manufacturers are increasingly facing challenges like supply chain constraints, resource scarcity, and an evolving regulatory landscape. To grow, they may need to rethink their operations while also keeping an eye on their environmental impact and the increased need for transparency. Set the scene with our opening keynote led by Crowe.

Rebecca Miller

Senior Manager, Crowe

Rebecca Miller has expertise in Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) topics and how they impact the supply chain. Ms. Miller received her Masters Degree in Environmental Policy and has spent her career focused on various aspects of manufacturing companies’ environmental obligations. Rebecca is a key leader of Crowe’s Emerging Risk Consulting team and brings years of experience with developing and managing compliance programs for Anti-Human Trafficking & Modern Slavery Regulations, Product Chemical Compliance, Conflict Minerals, and other global regulations and standards.

Prior to her time at Crowe, Ms. Miller managed supply chain and environmental compliance for a global manufacturer and a Fortune 500 distributor and has spent time working for the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Ms. Miller advises clients on their global regulatory compliance risk and works to develop compliance strategies to address and mitigate these risks. In addition, Ms. Miller assists clients in implementing compliance plans from performing due diligence to drafting compliance documentation and disclosures.

Thu, Oct 3 10:00am - 10:45am CDT

Navigating Change and Ambiguity in ESG Regulations

Organizations are pulled in every direction as they face the onslaught of regulations, supplier surveys, and ESG customer questionnaires. This leads organizations to ask: if we’re focused on everything in sustainability, how are we really leveraging the practice to drive value to what matters to us? Learn from Hillenbrand on the current world of ESG regulations (and how we got here), how to think through organizational change within your sustainability team, and how to build a practice focused on what matters to your stakeholders.

Tory Flynn

Chief Sustainability Officer, Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Hillenbrand

She first joined Hillenbrand in 2015, where she led the implementation of the company’s global corporate responsibility strategy and served on the Milacron integration team. She was instrumental in taking the company through its ESG materiality assessment, which culminated in the signing of the United Nations Global Compact in 2019. In 2022, she was recognized as one of the top 50 Women in Sustainability by SustainabilityX Magazine.

Thu, Oct 3 10:45am - 11:15am CDT

Networking Break

Get to know more about fellow attendees and expand your industry contacts.

Thu, Oct 3 11:15am - 12:00pm CDT

Breakout Discussions

Break out into smaller groups to hear how your peers in manufacturing are addressing ESG concerns. Dial into one or a few topics during this time period and pick the minds of cross-functional leaders.

Thu, Oct 3 12:00pm - 12:45pm CDT

Centralized Management of ESG Compliance Operations

Mobilizing resources to build a robust ESG compliance program takes an understanding of the requirements, business and IT infrastructure, as well as commitment from senior leadership to make this work a priority. This session will examine how Cummins structured the resources; human, IT systems, supply chain transparency tools and more to meet stakeholder needs now and in the future.

Josh Inman

Director, ESG Regulatory Affairs & Compliance, Cummins

Thu, Oct 3 12:45pm - 1:30pm CDT

Lunch

Grab a bite to eat and catch up on emails - or with your new connections.

Thu, Oct 3 1:30pm - 2:15pm CDT

Embedding Sustainability Innovation into Business Processes

Join us to hear SAP discuss their unique ERP to ESG approach that tracks ESG metrics, calculates carbon, shares carbon from suppliers and with customers, all on a path to count carbon like you count cash, in a Green Ledger. Their approach to addressing compelling circularity topics like Plastic Tax, Extended Producer Responsibility and EUDR will also be shared. Attendees will learn how SAP clients are using sustainability innovation to meet regulatory mandates and embedding sustainability into business process.

Japen Hollist

Head of Sustainability, Customer Advisory, North America, SAP

Japen Hollist is SAP’s Head of Sustainability, Customer Advisory, North America. Japen’s team is tasked with supporting and enabling the North American field force to help customers understand and use SAP sustainability solutions. Prior to SAP, Japen served as a Procurement Officer in a Fortune 500 insurance company. While there, he served on their CSR Committee helping the company to be ranked on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and becoming ISO 14001 certified. Japen is a graduate of the Harvard University Extension School with a master’s degree in sustainability.

Thu, Oct 3 2:15pm - 2:45pm CDT

Breakout Discussions

Something that you want to hear more about? Capitalize on the knowledge of fellow attendees and ask what you've been wondering about ESG.

Thu, Oct 3 2:45pm - 3:00pm CDT

Networking Break

Capture contacts and business cards before heading into the final sessions of the day.

Thu, Oct 3 3:00pm - 3:45pm CDT

A New Frontier for Trane: Circularity in Manufacturing

Join Scott Tew of Trane Technologies for a session that will explore innovative strategies that transform traditional product design and production models into sustainable, circular frameworks. Scott will discuss how Trane is integrating resource recovery, waste reduction, and closed-loop systems to enhance efficiency and drive profitability. This session will also provide a glimpse of the future of manufacturing and the critical role of circularity in achieving environmental goals and fostering a resilient economy.

Scott Tew

Vice President, Sustainability & Managing Director, Center for Energy Efficiency and Sustainability

Scott Tew serves as vice president of sustainability and co-founder of the Center for Energy Efficiency & Sustainability at Trane Technologies. In addition, he leads the Center for Healthy & Efficient Spaces. Tew is responsible for forward-looking sustainability initiatives aimed at transitioning to more efficient and climate-friendly solutions without compromising health or resource impacts. He is also responsible for climate and energy related public policy matters.

Thu, Oct 3 3:45pm - 4:00pm CDT

Closing Remarks

Recap the day with us and wrap up any unanswered discussions.