For the past four years, we have offered continuous professional development sessions for our clients and the broader financial services sector during the second quarter. Each year, we use the series as an opportunity to talk about technical legal topics that our practitioners have been pondering. The FSCA requires key individuals and representatives to complete a set number of CPD hours annually to ensure they remain at the forefront of their field and can offer informed, insightful services to their clients.
It's not just key individuals and representatives who should remain curious - all professional advisors must keep learning to ensure that they can provide strategic advice and innovative solutions in an ever-evolving world. At ENS, we believe in this, and judging by the continued attendance at our sessions over the years, so do our clients and connections.
The 2024 CPD series drew mostly those who didn't need to complete hours but were certainly eager to take the time to engage with new ideas. We presented in-person micro-learning sessions for the first time since COVID, taking the opportunity to carry on the discussion over a cup of coffee, breaking free from the limitation of the virtual chat box.
Our ESG team canvassed a myriad of topics including
- Sustainable Fashion,
- Risks associated with biodiversity loss,
- Tax incentives for biodiversity protection and renewable infrastructure,
- Policy indications for regulating sustainable finance,
- IFRS S1 and S2 and the impact of this on the audit profession,
- Blue bonds,
- Mandatory sustainability reporting and how this may impact due diligence,
- Occupational health and safety for the professional workforce,
- Whether competition law may stifle innovation,
- How IP can unlock and protect new ideas necessary to meet the SDGs, and
- How the new amendments to PRECCA could increase a firm's liability if the corruption risk is not appropriately mitigated.
We also considered whether international efforts to dampen shareholder activism are relevant in a South African context and touched on some litigation trends that may make their way into our paradigm.
If you missed the in-person events, catch the recorded content for Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban on our website. You can also delve into the archive of our previous ESG series and webinars on this page. If any of the topics spark your interest and you would like to discuss opportunities or challenges that you may face, please engage our ESG practitioners.
We too are still learning, and our content continues to develop. We seek to embrace change and find the opportunities it presents for our clients and the broader communities in which we work – so feel free to reach out to the various departments below:
Insolvency, restructuring and business rescue
Mine and occupational health and safety (MOHS)
Natural Resources and Environment
Project Development and Project Finance
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.