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    A satellite event of the Sustainable Finance Summit

    AI &

    Sustainable Finance

    From Research to Impact

    Program & ScheduleRegister

    Monday, June 1, 2026

    8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

    Espace CDPQ

    3 Place Ville Marie, Bureau 12350
    Montréal, Qc, H3B 0E7

    Event organised by

    GAIIA LabMichael D. Penner Institute on ESG

    About the Event

    A Space for Dialogue Between Research and Industry

    Organised by the Michael D. Penner Institute and the GAIIA research initiative, this day brings together researchers, financial institutions, fintechs, and public decision-makers around a common goal: exploring the promises, limitations, and conditions for success of artificial intelligence applied to sustainable finance (ESG, climate, impact, governance and risk).

    The event aims to create an open and structured dialogue space, foster a common language across disciplines, and initiate concrete collaborations between research and industry.

    Program for the Day

    Preliminary program, subject to change.

    8:30 – 9:00 AM

    Welcome and Registration
    Coffee, tea, fruit, and pastries

    9:00 – 9:15 AM

    Opening of the Day
    Welcome address – Manuel Morales & Marcelin Joanis

    9:15 – 10:00 AM

    Opening Keynotes
    Overview of AI in sustainable finance: promises, limitations, and perspectives

    • Ario Ashraf Vaghefi, ETH Zürich

    • Christian Felx, Vice President, Head of Responsible Investment, iA Global Asset Management (iAGMA) 

    10:00 – 10:15 AM

    Coffee Break

    10:15 – 11:00 AM

    Panel – Challenges and Opportunities
    Discussion among researchers, financial institutions, and innovation actors

    • Frédéric Godin, Associate Professor, Concordia University

    • Philippe Laforest, Senior Advisor, Responsible Investment, Desjardins

    • Isabelle Mégré, Director, Montreal Office, IFRS Foundation

    11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

    Demos & Experience Reports
    3 to 4 concrete presentations of AI solutions in sustainable finance (15 min each)

    • Davide Pulizzotto, GAIIA

    • Marie-Ève Mallette, Director, AI Solutions, CDPQ

    • Freddy Ntako, Director, Business Architecture and ESG Data Strategy, Desjardins

    12:00 – 1:00 PM

    Lunch and Special Address
    Networking lunch and high-level keynote address

    1:00 – 2:45 PM

    Parallel Sessions

    Session A: AI Innovation and ESG
    An interactive session led by researchers and practitioners, designed to deconstruct the black-box effect and offer a shared, nuanced, and critical understanding of AI tools. On the agenda:

    • Micro-Training: How to launch an AI innovation project in sustainable finance?

    • Round Table: Deconstructing a typical AI pipeline (data, models, deployment, governance). Identifying hidden risks: biases, hallucinations, and drift—and best practices for responsible use in sustainable finance.

    Session B: AI and ESG Regulatory Frameworks
    This session explores the intersection between artificial intelligence and ESG regulatory frameworks.

    • Julien Beaulieu, PhD Candidate, Imperial College London, United Kingdom

    • Yassine Ben Messaoud

    2:45 – 3:00 PM

    Closing
    Day summary

    3:00 – 4:00 PM

    Networking Cocktail
    Drinks and appetizers

    Topics Covered

    Opening Keynotes – Mettre la table

    An overview of current uses and challenges of AI in sustainable finance. Two keynotes will address key issues (data quality, explainability, model robustness) from both academic and industry perspectives.

    Panel – Challenges and Opportunities of AI in Sustainable Finance

    A discussion among researchers, financial institutions, and innovation actors around key questions, such as:

    • How to translate academic advances into operational solutions

    • Responsible AI and sustainable finance: alignment or tension?

    • The role of standards, regulation, and ethical frameworks

    • ntegrating ESG into portfolio optimization

    Demos & Lessons Learned – AI in Action

    Short presentations (10–15 min) by startups, scale-ups, internal teams from financial institutions, or research teams. Each demo will cover a real problem addressed, the data and models used, what works and what still needs improvement, and lessons learned.

    Lunch and Special Address

    A networking lunch followed by an address by a recognized leader in the financial sector, focusing on the strategic vision of sustainable finance and the role of AI in transforming markets.

    Afternoon Parallel Sessions

    Session A – AI Innovation and ESG

    Micro-workshop and roundtable on how to develop an innovation project in AI and sustainable finance, with discussion of risks, biases, hallucinations, pitfalls, and best practices.

    Session B – AI and ESG Regulatory Frameworks

    Exploring the intersection between artificial intelligence and ESG regulatory frameworks.

    Target Audience

    • Financial industry professionals (investment, risk, compliance, ESG)

    • Researchers in ESG, AI, quantitative finance, and economics

    • Public decision-makers and regulators

    Organizing Committee

    • Marcelin Joanis – Université de Montréal, Penner Institute

    • Manuel Morales – Université de Montréal, GAIIA

    • Yuan Zheng Li – Université de Montréal, Penner Institute

    • Mikaël Héroux-Vaillancourt – Université de Montréal, GAIIA

    • Davide Pulizzotto – Polytechnique Montréal, GAIIA

    Contact

    For any questions:

    Marcelin Joanis – Université de Montréal – Michael D. Penner Institute
    marcelin.joanis@umontreal.ca


    Manuel Morales – Université de Montréal – GAIIA

    manuel.morales@umontreal.ca

    This program is preliminary and subject to change. Speakers and partners will be confirmed in the coming weeks.

    Partners

    FinanceMontreal-Tagline-en.svgmila_logo_pure_white_transparent.pngLaCaisse_Logo_Renv.pnglogo-eth-white.pngia-financial-group-logo-white.tmb-small.pngd15-desjardins-logo-renv.pngscotiabank.png
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