Speaker: Val Smith, Vice President of Environmental Affairs, Citigroup

Discussion Topic: Banks have long been scrutinized by civil society for their sustainability performance. This scrutiny has focused not just on a bank's operations and direct environmental footprint, but on a bank's financial transactions -- are banks financing projects that have environmental and/or social risks? What is the appropriate role of a bank on these issues, and how far along the value chain should a bank's responsibilities extend? What kind of influence should banks reasonably be expected to have on their clients activities, and how does that client engagement unfold?

Val Smith, VP Environmental Affairs for Citi, will discuss how Citi works to embed sustainability into their operations and financing policies. She will also present a recent case study related to the issue of human rights and Sudan, where Citi under US law cannot do business but where certain Citi clients have operations. Participants will learn about how corporate sustainability initiatives are conceived, developed, and implemented, and about the role that civil society plays in that process.

About Val: Val Smith is Vice President of Environmental Affairs for Citigroup. She is responsible for tracking environmental issues and providing relevant information to the businesses; engaging with SRI and NGO stakeholders; leading development of Citi's human rights strategy; reporting on Citi's environmental achievements; and helping to "green" Citi's operational footprint.

Valerie earned her MBA with a concentration in Sustainable Enterprise from UNC-Chapel Hill, and her BA in Environmental Science from the University of Virginia. Val has also worked for several environmental non-profits, including the Houston Advanced Research Center, National Audubon Society, and the Brainerd Foundation. She spent two years with the Peace Corps in Honduras as an Environmental Specialist. Val lives in Brooklyn, NY, with her husband and their two sons.

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