ICJ’s Advisory Opinion on Climate ChangeStrategic Implications for Boards

📅 Date: January 16, 2026
🕐 Time: 8:00 – 09:30 CET
📍 Online in Zoom

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is issuing its long-awaited Advisory Opinion on Climate Change, a landmark moment that will influence how governments, investors, and companies address climate responsibility.

This opinion will have far-reaching implications for boards, shaping how directors understand fiduciary duties, climate accountability, and legal risk in the years ahead.

Join this upcoming webinar, for an in-depth strategic briefing on what the ICJ’s opinion means for boards and senior leaders navigating the next phase of the global climate transition.

Key Discussion Points

• Practical reflections from experienced Non-Executive Directors (NEDs) on boardroom readiness.
• What the ICJ’s Advisory Opinion means for corporate governance and directors’ duties.
• Anticipating new litigation, regulatory, and disclosure expectations.
• How boards can align strategy, capital allocation, and risk oversight with emerging legal norms.

Please note: Participation is limited to individuals with active board mandates. This is to ensure a trusted and peer-based environment where directors feel comfortable sharing openly. When registering, kindly include your current board roles to help us curate a meaningful and relevant exchange.

Confirmed guest speakers:

Frank Kroes
Partner at Baker & McKenzie — Amsterdam. He has over 30 years of experience in complex commercial litigation and national and international arbitration, with a practice covering corporate liability, competition litigation, class actions, ESG-related disputes, professional negligence, and securities litigation. Frank advises clients across multiple sectors including energy, construction, chemicals, technology and finance, and regularly appears before top-level courts, including the Supreme Court and courts of the European Union, as well as in arbitration proceedings. In addition to his private practice, he serves as a Deputy Justice at the Court of Appeal of ‘s-Hertogenbosch and is a CEDR-accredited mediator.

Ana Barreira
Lawyer and the founding Director of International Institute for Law and Environment (IIDMA). She started her career at the Environmental Law Department of Allen & Overy and in served as legal advisor to the Spanish Presidency of the European Union in the run-up to the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Rio +10). Over the years she has worked as international consultant for the World Bank, the European Commission and the European Investment Bank on environmental law-making and enforcement across countries. At IIDMA she leads work on climate change, energy transition, and environmental democracy, and she is a member of the IUCN Commission on Environmental Law.

Caroline Ruellan
Independent Director at KKO International, President of SONJ Conseil. Caroline has nearly twenty years of experience advising boards, executives and shareholders on governance, board effectiveness, crisis situations, activism response and high-stakes strategic decisions. Caroline currently serves as an Independent Director at KKO International, President of SONJ Conseil, President of Le Cercle des Administrateurs, and a Member of the AMF’s Retail Investors Consultative Commission. She is also a long-time Forbes contributor. She holds an LL.M. from Harvard Law School and a Doctorate in Private Law from Université Panthéon-Assas.

Stathis Potamitis
Senior Partner at PotiamikisVeekris law firm and serves as NED of Theon Holdings, a Cypriot company listed on the Amsterdam stock exchange. He was the head of the law drafting committee of the latest Greek Insolvency Law and a member of the expert group advising the European Commission on insolvency and restructuring legislation. He has served as member of the Hellenic Corporate Governance Council that drafted the first Greek Corporate Governance Code and he produced a compilation of special good corporate governance practices for unlisted and family enterprises.

Moderation: Anna Guillaume – Chapter Zero France, Board & Steer Co Member.

A collaborative event organized by Boards Impact Forum, Chapter Zero France, Chapter Zero Netherlands, Chapter Zero Brussels and Climate Governance Initiative Greece.