CONNEXIS BLOG
First Workshop after the Corona Lockdown - June 2020
After several weeks of Corona-related isolation in Switzerland we held our first 2020 strategy workshop at our home office close to Basel - webinars & phone meetings are not sufficient for creative people. Sebastian Reich from our partners RKDS in Germany visited us and we held several intense work sessions over the course of two days.
Our primary task was to develop a new ESG-data driven dashboard for companies & investors that we are developing in cooperation with IVA Analytics from Germany. Well designed dashboards offer users enormous benefits, in terms of guided access to the most relevant corporate information as well as evaluation, analysis & comparisons.
In our case, dashboards will help prepare a lot of company ESG performance data from sustainability reports, combined with strategy assessment as well as financial & risk analyses.
Example: Relevance & materiality of climate measures such as CO2 taxation or switching to CO2-neutral energy sources for the short & medium-term success of a company.
Companies often report attractively on the determination of the materiality of sustainability issues, but rarely reflect this in their published risk reports or in the information on possible concrete effects on OPEX or CAPEX in the financial report - both mandatory reports. Our new dashboard will address exactly this issue and thereby improve transparency & disclosure.
Relaxed Dinner @ home
Finally it was time for our traditional cooking together, after a long & intense day. With all local restaurants closed due to the Corona restrictions we stayed in for dinner, enjoyed a very relaxed evening and opened a nice bottle of red wine.
After the extended isolation and countless virtual online meetings it was great to experience an actual person-to-person meeting, especially with a great business partner and close friend.
In our workshop we made a lot of progress with our ESG dashboard, as well as our joint strategy & business development. And of course, we also had a good time together.
Early Rise for a Beautiful Bike Ride
The next morning we got up early to enjoy a beautiful morning bicycle ride around our little town outside of Basel.
One of the very few 'positive aspects' of the pandemic is the peace & quiet of bicycle riding without any local motorized traffic.
This is especially the case in the early morning hours that are usually crowded with intense commuter traffic. Not surprisingly, this reduced motorized traffic has enticed more & more people to take up bicycling for transport as much as for sports & fun.
Annual Strategy Workshop in Vienna - July 2019
In July 2019 CONNEXIS held its latest annual strategy workshop in Vienna. Among many strategic questions we reviewed the latest ISO developments in the ESG field as well as the options for implementation of these new ISO ESG standards.
Business Brunch with Quality Austria & Breakfast with Denkstatt
The short trip to Vienna included a very productive business brunch with our colleagues from Quality Austria that gave us an opportunity to speak about the positioning of the new ISO ESG standards in the financial industry as well as a closer cooperation between our teams.
An early breakfast with our close friends and partners from Denkstatt brought us to the wonderful classic Cafe Dommayer in Vienna's 13th district, very close to the historic Schoenbrunn castle.
Meeting UNIDO's Project Development Team
We also had a chance to visit the project development team of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) at their impressive headquarter in Vienna.
Our primary topic was the strategic opportunity that sustainable finance presents for them, especially in the context of the UN SDGs and the new sustainability bonds. One of the key questions for UNIDO is the importance of collateral for Green Bonds in their project destinations.
Barbecue in the 'Wienerwald'
Finally, it was time to socialize with our colleagues and friends over a wonderful barbecue in the 'Wienerwald' - the gorgeous forest that surrounds the Northwestern districts of Vienna - clearly one of the highlights of this year’s visit.
As in the previous years, our 2019 Vienna strategy workshop was a very successful trip, packed with many productive work sessions, excellent meetings, but also also plenty of joy and fun.
We already look forward to returning to Vienna in 2020.