Upcoming Panel Discussion on Global Ethical Supply Chains

What Officers, Directors, and Counsel of International Oil Companies Should Know

K&L Gates LLP and Acorn International, LLC are hosting a panel discussion on global ethical supply chains and their implications for the oil and gas industry. Our panelists will address the increasingly prevalent and grave issues of human trafficking and forced labor in the supply chains of international corporations and best practices to mitigate risk not only to companies but also to officers and directors.

The panel will be followed by a cocktail reception.

Speakers will include:

• Andrew Buchman, Consultant, Acorn International, LLC

• H. Stephen Grace, Jr., Ph.D., H.S. Grace & Company, Inc.

• Amy Groff, Partner, K&L Gates LLP

• Minal Patel Davis, Special Advisor to the Mayor on Human Trafficking, City of Houston

• Kyle Wright, CEO, Stardust Fund

Moderators:

• Dean Slocum, President, Acorn International, LLC

• John Sullivan, Partner, K&L Gates LLP

Topics of discussion will include:

• Emerging anti-slavery laws, regulatory requirements and international standards and compliance tips

• Investor expectations (e.g. importance of ESG management for long term returns, integration of ESG risks into company strategy, role of board, how and what to disclose, etc.)

• Scope of global producers’ control and responsibility for supply chain (i.e. for how many levels is the producer responsible?)

• Supplier needs and challenges (what is feasible on managing human rights when viewed from the ground up?)

• Emerging tools to manage risk (mapping, audits, assessments, surveys and heat maps, blockchain-linked source verification, etc.)
• Trends and outlook for future risk, compliance and best practice success strategy