Senior leaders’ personal liability at risk as businesses fail to deliver on environmental initiatives
Almost half (42%) of senior business leaders have said they are worried they could be found personally liable for their business failing to deliver on environmental initiatives or by reporting climate related exposures, a study from QBE Insurance can reveal.
The research, which surveyed 500 senior decision makers in the UK, also revealed that one in five (21%) said they felt their company needed to do more to keep up with their competition in terms of ESG, with one in ten saying their company had already faced reputational risks or increased scrutiny on their ESG framework. While nearly a third have said that they have increased their focus on ESG over the past year there were 15% of respondents who said their business had no initiatives in place at all.
Rebecca Lowe, Senior Underwriting, Financial Lines, QBE Europe, said: QBE Europe said: “There is the potential for claims and litigation if a business promises to work towards a certain target and falls short and the decision makers involved could be held personally liable. There is also a potential for claims from ‘greenwashing’, where stated ESG initiatives are not as robust or as beneficial as they would lead customers and investors to believe.”
“It is likely a matter of time before the current environment catches up with underprepared senior decision makers. They need to make sure they are putting the right framework in place now and then continue to act to stay ahead of the latest regulation, rules and targets.”
COP26 delegates may be dismayed to learn that while 35% of survey respondents identified environmental, social, and governance (ESG) as one of the top priorities within their business an almost equal amount (29%) said it wasn’t of great importance at all.
Litigation against senior leaders ramps up over past 18 months
Survey results showed that senior leaders are concerned about their personal liability within their role more broadly. Nearly half (48%) of those surveyed said that their personal liability within their role has increased in the past 18 months. Out of those who have already had a claim made against them, nearly three quarter (72%) were in the past year.
However, just over a third (35%) believed they were adequately covered by insurance while a fifth said they wished more structures were in place to protect them in their role.
Rebecca continued: “Senior leaders are increasingly being held to account when a business issue arises and, as a result, falling short of ESG targets and governance will lead to claims. This also builds upon recent trends we have seen in social inflation where strong opinions on the performance and decision making of senior leaders manifest in them increasingly being held personally accountable for their actions.”
Authored by QBE
About QBE
QBE European Operations is part of QBE Insurance Group, one of the world’s leading international insurers and reinsurers and Standard & Poor’s A+ rated. Listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, QBE’s gross written premium for the year ended 31 December 2018 was US$13.7 billion.
As a business insurance specialist, QBE European Operations offers a range of insurance products from the standard suite of property, casualty and motor to the specialist financial lines, marine and energy. All are tailored to the individual needs of our small, medium and large client base.
We understand the crucial role that effective risk management plays in all organisations and work hard to understand our clients’ businesses so that we offer insurance solutions that meet their needs – from complex programmes to simpler e-trading solutions – and support them in minimising their risk exposures. Our expert risk management and rehabilitation practitioners focus on helping clients improve their risk management so that they may benefit from a reduction in claims frequency and costs.