BSR at Climate Week NYC and UNGA Week | Events | Sustainable Business Network and Advisory Services

Our Events

As sustainability leaders from around the world gather in New York City for Climate Week NYC and UNGA Week September 21-28, BSR will be actively engaged throughout the period, convening business leaders and sustainability experts to explore solutions for a more inclusive and resilient transition. We invite you to join us at the events listed below.

BSR Recommended Climate Week NYC and UNGA Events

Check out our curated list of events exclusively for members to guide your Climate Week NYC and UNGA experience (access requires a BSR member login).

BSR Staff at Climate Week NYC and UNGA Week

Our team will be in New York City and looks forward to connecting with BSR members during this time. To schedule a meeting, please email us at hello@bsr.org.

Lara Birkes

Managing Director, Climate and Nature, BSR

Lara is responsible for leading BSR's Climate and Nature team globally and driving the organization’s work with Member companies' impact consulting, grants, and collaborative initiatives.

Lara is a sustainability and policy professional with over fifteen years of experience managing partnerships, sustainability initiatives and policy engagement with companies, international organizations, governments, and NGOs.

Prior to BSR, Lara was Global Head of Sustainability at Sonder, joining in 2020 to establish the corporate responsibility function, implementing policies to engrain responsible business practices across the company pre to post IPO.

She also serves on the Advisory Board of EQX Biome, a start-up working to mobilize financial markets to protect the world’s remaining biodiversity hotspots. In 2024 Lara started hosting a web series & podcast called Nature IS to raise awareness of the critical need for protection, conservation, and regeneration of biodiversity.

Lara holds a B.S. degree in International Business & Management from the University of Montana, a M.A. degree in International Trade Policy from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California and is a World Economic Forum Global Leadership Fellow.

Recent Insights From Lara Birkes

Full Bio

Laura Donnelly

Director, Climate and Nature, BSR

Laura leads BSR’s Nature team. Her focus is working with member companies to develop holistic and credible strategic approaches to address nature related impacts and dependencies. These engagements are conducted across industries, with an additional focus on understanding the linkages between nature and other areas of focus (e.g., human rights, climate, etc.).

Prior to joining BSR, Laura spent seven years on the markets transformation team at the Rainforest Alliance. Her role focused on engaging companies throughout agriculture supply chains in addressing risks and opportunities through incorporating nature-based solutions and interventions. This included working with companies from farm to market on their sustainability strategy utilizing the Rainforest Alliance program. Laura also has experience in the beauty industry, where she worked in brand management and marketing.

Laura holds a Master of Communication Management from the University of Southern California and a BS in Business Administration from Boston University.

Recent Insights From Laura Donnelly

Full Bio

Ameer Azim

Director, Climate and Nature, BSR

Ameer leads BSR’s climate work in the US and works closely with BSR’s Technology sector companies.

Ameer helps BSR members develop strategies to implement the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and enhance business resilience through climate risk assessment using climate scenario analysis and planning. He also works with BSR member companies on developing resilient and sustainable value chains.

Ameer was previously working with BSR’s Financial Services sector companies and led the Business Alliance to Scale Climate Solutions, a BSR carbon markets collaborative initiative now known as the Beyond Alliance.

Prior to joining BSR, Ameer was the chief financial economist at Climate Advisers Trust and Orbitas, where he conducted research on climate scenario analysis and financial research for the agriculture, forestry, and other land use (AFOLU) sector and engaged institutional investors on deforestation risks in investment portfolios. Ameer also brings over a decade of capital markets experience at financial institutions like ABN Amro, Citi, and Barclays Bank.

Ameer holds a MS in Sustainability Management from Columbia University and a BA in Economics and Government from College of William and Mary

Recent Insights From Ameer Azim

Full Bio

Julie Dugard

Associate Director, Climate and Nature, BSR

Julie serves as Manager of BSR’s Climate team, where she brings over 10 years of experience in corporate sustainability and climate action and supports BSR members with their climate strategies.

After joining BSR in 2021, Julie worked on multiple projects helping companies implementing TCFD recommendations, conducting climate scenario analysis (for the tech, financial and insurance industry), accelerating Net Zero transition, implementing just transition approaches (extractive industry) and scope 3 strategies (consumer goods sector). Since 2023, Julie manages BSR grant-funded work dedicated to Climate Transition Plans.

Julie is also co-developing BSR’s work on alternative business models addressing the tension between business growth and sustainability targets.

Prior to joining BSR, Julie worked in Mazars’s sustainability services and risk practice, where she audited and advised companies on their ESG data and internal audit, control and risk approaches. During her time within Mazars, Julie also spent six months at the Mexico City office.

Julie holds a master’s degree in business from Kedge Business School and spent one semester at the University of Nottingham and another one at the University of Technology of Sydney. She speaks French, English, and Spanish.

Recent Insights From Julie Dugard

Full Bio

Adam Fishman

Associate Director, Transformation, BSR

Adam works with BSR member companies across industries on sustainability management, including stakeholder engagement, materiality, strategy and reporting, among other topics.

Prior to BSR, Adam was a thematic expert on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with the International Institute for Sustainable Development, focusing on the linkages between climate, development, business, and sustainable consumption and production. He previously worked on the SDGs team at World Resources Institute. During his graduate studies, Adam interned at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and was a Coca-Cola World Fund fellow with Conservation International, researching the strategic connections between the SDGs and corporate sustainability.

Adam holds a Master’s in Environmental Management from the Yale School of the Environment, specializing in Business and the Environment. He has a BA in Environmental Studies and Government, with a concentration in International Politics, from Wesleyan University.

Recent Insights From Adam Fishman

Full Bio

Aron Cramer

President and CEO, BSR

Aron is recognized globally as a preeminent authority on just and sustainable business. In addition to leading BSR, which has grown substantially throughout his tenure as President and CEO, Aron advises senior executives at BSR’s 300+ member companies and other global businesses and partners on the full spectrum of environmental, social, and governance issues.

Aron joined BSR in 1995 as the founding director of its Business and Human Rights program. He later opened BSR's Paris office in 2002, where he worked until becoming President and CEO in 2004. Aron has served on advisory boards to CEOs at AXA, Barrick Gold, Marks & Spencer, Nike, Recruit Holdings, SAP, Shell, and he serves as a director of the We Mean Business Coalition and RISE.

Aron speaks frequently at leading business and public fora and is widely quoted in top-tier media, such as the Financial Times, Le Figaro (France), The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Axios, and Politico. He is co-author of the book Sustainable Excellence: The Future of Business in a Fast-Changing World, which spotlights innovative sustainability strategies that enable business success.

Prior to joining BSR, Aron practiced law in San Francisco and worked as a journalist at ABC News in New York. He holds a BA from Tufts University and a JD from the University of California, Berkeley.

Recent Insights From Aron Cramer

Full Bio

Kayla Winarsky McKenzie

Associate Director, Human Rights, BSR

Kayla collaborates with BSR member companies on projects centering on the corporate responsibility to respect human rights, focusing on companies within the consumer sectors industry cluster. Her areas of expertise include energy transition, anti-corruption, and gender.

Prior to joining BSR, Kayla spent several years advising multinational companies and investors on human rights as an Adviser at the Danish Institute for Human Rights, during which she also served as a Lecturer in Law at the University of Amsterdam, focusing on Business and Human Rights (BHR), international human rights, anti-corruption, and EU law. Previously, she worked on global anti-corruption investigations and cross-border white collar litigations as an Associate Attorney at the international law firm King & Spalding LLP, where she was the founding member of the firm's BHR initiative.

Kayla holds a JD and a Certificate in Global Human Rights from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law, which included course work at the Institut de hautes études internationales et du développement, and a BA, Phi Beta Kappa, Summa Cum Laude from Tulane University.

Recent Insights From Kayla Winarsky McKenzie

Full Bio

Paloma Muñoz Quick

Director, Human Rights Standards, BSR

Paloma leads BSR’s work on Human Rights Standards, including standard-setting, knowledge management, and helping companies respond to emerging standards and regulation. She is also Senior Advisor to BSR’s Finance & Human Rights Practice.

Prior to joining BSR, Paloma was Advisor to the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights and Senior Consultant of the UN B-Tech Project, where she developed a vision for promoting the uptake of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights among investors and guidance on responsible investment in digital technologies. Prior to the UN, Paloma launched and led the Investor Alliance for Human Rights, where she developed thought leadership on the investor responsibility to respect human rights and supported stewardship engagements across industries. She also worked at the Danish Institute for Human Rights advising companies, governments, and civil society on business and human rights.

Paloma is a member of the US government’s Advisory Committee on Responsible Business Conduct. She sits on the Editorial Board of Developments in the Field of the Business and Human Rights Journal of Cambridge University.

She holds a Master of International Affairs (M.I.A.) in Human Rights from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and a B.A. in Political Science, also from Columbia University.

Paloma is Chilean-American and is fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Recent Insights From Paloma Muñoz Quick

Full Bio

Claudio Formisano

Global Lead, Human Trafficking and Forced Labor, BSR

Claudio leads BSR’s portfolio on addressing modern slavery, human trafficking, and forced labor. He develops guidance for companies seeking to prevent and mitigate human trafficking and forced labor risks and advances policies to scale impact through BSR’s collaborative initiatives like Tech Against Trafficking, the Global Business Coalition Against Human Trafficking, and Building Responsibly.

He brings almost two decades of years of experience in managing multidisciplinary programs on criminal justice, human rights, and security in multilateral settings. Prior to joining BSR, he worked at the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), establishing and leading the Secretariat of the UN Inter-Agency Coordination Group Against Trafficking in Persons (ICAT). As a senior advisor to the Special Representative for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), he oversaw country needs assessments in North America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa.

Claudio holds a MA in Advanced International Studies from the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, Austria and an Executive Certificate from Harvard JFK School of Government in building and leading diverse organizations. He speaks English, French, Spanish, and Italian.

Recent Insights From Claudio Formisano

Full Bio

Margot Thompson-Wells

Associate, Human Rights, BSR

Margot supports BSR member companies across industries in advancing human rights and sustainability management throughout their value chains. She also works on BSR’s Human Rights Working Group team, helping companies around the world implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and navigate emerging trends and best practices to strengthen their human rights strategies.

Before joining BSR, Margot worked in partnerships and public affairs at the United Nations Foundation, where she managed relationships with civil society, corporate partners, and UN agencies to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Her work included managing Global Goals Week, leading private sector engagement for the award-winning #EqualEverywhere gender equality campaign, and coordinating a U.S. Youth Climate Consultation for UN Climate Strategy alongside youth activists and UN bodies. Before this, Margot worked at a Colombian foundation in Bogotá and at a Geneva-based NGO focused on children's rights.

Margot holds a BA in International Relations from the University of Exeter and is fluent in English, French, and Spanish.

Recent Insights From Margot Thompson-Wells

Full Bio

Eileen Gallagher

Director, Climate and Nature, BSR

With nearly 20 years of experience, Eileen works with multinational companies to address climate change. She specializes in improving business strategy to consider how climate change and its solutions affect society, the environment, and the economy.

Eileen directs BSR’s advisory and grant-funded work where climate intersects with human rights and equity, inclusion, and justice. She also supports companies with climate risk and scenario analysis, emissions reduction targets, and net-zero roadmaps. Eileen is BSR’s climate lead in the Asia-Pacific region, where she analyzed how climate change affects vulnerable nations, its people, and global supply chains.

Prior to joining BSR in 2017, Eileen served as a sustainability consultant, supporting companies on sustainability strategy development, strategic stakeholder engagement, and environmental management. While working at a public policy organization, she gained experience in international development, climate policy analysis, and effective communications.

Eileen holds a Master of Environmental Management from Duke University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Connecticut.

Recent Insights From Eileen Gallagher

Full Bio

Beatriz Osorio Marugán

Manager, Climate and Nature, BSR

Beatriz is part of the nature and climate change teams, aiming at strengthening and developing BSR’s nature offering as well as tapping into the interconnectedness between these two areas and crafting solutions that uplift members’ climate and nature commitments and their overall impact.

Prior to joining BSR, Beatriz was the Consulting Director and Board Member at the Paris branch of a global social impact student consultancy, where she managed a range of missions, especially within the education, consumer, and financial sectors. She also worked for over two years as a public sector consultant at EY Madrid, where she mostly assisted public bodies in project definition, strategy, and implementation under the European Regional Development Fund scheme, participating in a wide array of projects focusing on social inclusion, the circular economy, green mobility, and smart cities.

Beatriz holds a MS in Sustainability and Social Innovation from HEC Paris, a MS in Management Consulting from Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, and a BSc in International Management and Modern Languages (IMML) from the University of Bath. She speaks Spanish, English, and French.

Recent Insights From Beatriz Osorio Marugán

Full Bio

Show All BSR Staff at Climate Week NYC and UNGA Week

Relevant Sustainability Insights

Blog

Extreme Heat, Floods, and Supply Chain Shocks: How to Future-Proof Your Manufacturing Operations

Manufacturers face constant crisis management, with billion-dollar disasters forcing them to rethink risk. BSR shares 5 key steps to assess climate risks.

Reports

BSR Climate Scenarios 2025

2024 was the warmest year on record, with a global average surface temperature of more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial records. As climate risks intensify, the need for credible, science-based scenario planning has never been greater.

Reports

Resilient Business within Planetary Boundaries

Achieving global (and corporate) sustainability goals presents an opportunity for business, but attaining these goals requires systematic change. BSR provides practical guidance on impactful transformation that will deliver thriving business over the long term.

Reports

Charting the Course: Navigating the Climate Transition Plan Landscape

BSR’s new report provides an overview of the climate transition landscape, including awareness around existing regulations and frameworks as well as challenges business faces in complying with these regulations.

Recent Events

By Invitation Only

Exploring the Nexus of Human Rights with Climate and Nature

In this BSR Climate and Nature Integration Working Group in-person meeting, experts will examine how business can integrate a people-centered approach into climate and nature solutions, expanding business impact beyond the environment.

If you are interested in learning more about the Working Group, please email hello@bsr.org.

New York

September 22, 2025

10 am - 12 pm EDT

Rethink, Rework, Reshape: What’s Next for Climate Transition Plans and Scenarios

This event is at capacity. Kick off Climate Week NYC with BSR for a joint panel and interactive workshop focused on how climate transition planning and scenario analysis can create long-term business resilience. Learn directly from leading experts on their approaches, and then collaborate with peers to discuss practical applications.

New York

September 22, 2025

1 - 3 pm EDT

BSR Members Only

Mobilizing Boardroom Leadership Around the Interconnected Risks of Modern Slavery and Climate Change

Join us for a BSR workshop exploring how corporate boards can lead in addressing modern slavery risks fueled by climate-induced displacement, loss of livelihoods, and resource scarcity. Participants will co-develop strategies and engagement models to strengthen board governance, resilience, and ethical supply chains.

New York

September 23, 2025

10 - 11:30 am EDT

By Invitation Only

Scope 3 for Software Roundtable

This invite-only roundtable will convene leading software companies, standard setters, cloud providers, GHG accounting providers, and industry collaborations to discuss industry-specific Scope 3 emissions accounting challenges. Participants will explore solutions to harmonize emissions accounting with industry peers and address common challenges to decarbonize.

New York

September 24, 2025

8:30 - 10 am EDT

Credible Pathways to Change; Aligning Companies and Countries on Climate Goals

Join BSR, the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI), and the World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA) for a half-day, in-person event focused on the role of transition pathways in guiding companies and countries toward credible climate action.

New York

September 24, 2025

10 am - 1:30 pm EDT

Business Models for a People-Centered Climate Transition

This event is at capacity. Poorly managed climate transitions can fuel social unrest and expose companies and portfolios to material legal, reputational, and financial risks. Join BSR and Shift at Climate Week NYC for a multi-stakeholder forum to explore how people-centered business model transformation can safeguard human rights and enhance long-term value creation.

New York

September 24, 2025

11 am - 1 pm EDT

By Invitation Only

Climate Week NYC: CSO Dinner with BSR

At the mid-week mark of focused conversations amidst a changing and uncertain environment, we invite you to pause, reflect, and connect with your peers in sustainable business.

New York

September 24, 2025

6:30 - 9:30 pm EDT

Supplier Engagement Strategies to Achieve Scope 3 Targets

This event is at capacity. Join BSR and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) for a lively, interactive workshop which will strengthen your company’s supplier engagement strategies, and its management of Scope 3 emissions.

New York

September 25, 2025

2 - 3:30 pm EDT

By Invitation Only

Business Case for Sustainability with GlobeScan

Contributors to the Business Case for Sustainability project are invited to join BSR and GlobeScan at the BSR offices to discuss business case themes that are emerging in our research and in companies’ work. Designed for companies contributing to the report, this session offers early insights, peer dialogue, and a unique opportunity to influence the final report and toolkit.

New York

September 25, 2025

4:30 - 5:30 pm EDT

Events Page