The Future of Sustainability and ESG: Between Life and Death?

In a moment marked by legal and political uncertainty surrounding the future of sustainability and ESG standards - particularly in light of the European Commission’s controversial Omnibus proposal - this workshop offers a timely space for critical reflection and strategic dialogue.

“The Future of Sustainability and ESG: Between Life and Death?”, taking place on 27 June 2025 at the University of Lisbon School of Law brings together leading voices from academia, business, and law to unpack the shifting political terrain, corporate challenges, and the growing role of litigation.

Join us in person or online to explore what is at stake, what is being renegotiated, and how legal tools and collective action might shape a more sustainable future.

Meet the guest speakers: 

Megan Bowman is a full Professor of Law and founding Director of the King’s Centre for Climate Law & Governance at KCL.
She also leads the King's/United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) partnership on Legal Readiness for Climate Finance and consults to governments and the private sector on implementing the Paris Agreement and transitioning to net zero.
Megan's expertise focuses on empirical and transnational analyses of financial regulation and company law in the context of climate change and planetary sustainability.
Her award-winning research has been cited in scientific reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC 2022), the UN High-Level Climate Champions' Pivot Point regulatory report (2022) and featured in the eco-arts digital display The Quiet Enchanting on The Strand in London (2023).
Megan is also a qualified barrister and solicitor of the High Court of Australia and Supreme Court of Victoria. She holds a double bachelor’s degree in Arts/Law (Hons, Monash), an LLM in Comparative Law (McGill) and a PhD in regulatory theory (ANU).

João Tiago Silveira is a Professor at the University of Lisbon School of Law, in Public Law and Administrative Law.
At the Faculty, he is also President of the Institute of Legal and Political Sciences and a member of the Board of the International Association of Legislation.
Since 2017, he has been a partner at the law firm Morais Leitão, where he coordinates the Public Law, Urban Planning and Environment department. He regularly teaches university courses and participates as a speaker at conferences on Administrative Law, Administrative Licensing and Better Regulation.
Previously, he has played an active role in public positions, namely as the State Secretary of Justice, State Secretary of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, and Director of the Legislative Policy and Planning Office of the Ministry of Justice. He was also a member of the High Council for the Public Prosecutors and a government advisor. João Tiago holds a Bachelor of Laws, a Master of Laws, and a Doctoral degree in Law from the University of Lisbon School of Law.

Aylin Yildiz Noorda is a Postdoctoral Researcher / Project Manager affiliated with the Lisbon Public Law Research Centre and Utrecht University.
She has over 7 years of experience in the sustainability & ESG law field, including sustainability consultancy to multinational firms.
Previously, she contributed to training young professionals at the National University of Singapore and acted as a guest lecturer at several institutions, including Carleton University, the University of Bern, and Jindal Law School.
She has received several competitive research grants and professional awards, including the Postdoc. Mobility Grant, the Gender Equality Grant of the Swiss National Science Foundation, and the International Law Association (ILA) Scholarship. Aylin holds a PhD in Law from the University of Bern, an LLM from the University of Toronto, an LLB Hons from LSE, and an LLB eq from the University of Istanbul.

Nuno Bettencourt is a Partner in the Audit & Assurance area at Deloitte Portugal, responsible for the Sustainability Reporting and Audit in Portugal. He is a specialist in European and international financial reporting and sustainability standards, internal control and financial audit. He also serves as the Market Activation Leader in Generative Artificial Intelligence.
In addition to his professional role, he is an accredited trainer in accounting and financial matters and a frequent keynote speaker at leading conferences and forums, actively contributing to the dissemination of knowledge in the sector.

Jernej Letnar Černič is a Full Professor of Human Rights and Constitutional Law at the European Faculty of Law at the New University in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Jernej has twenty-two years of global experience in research, teaching, consulting and training in business and human rights.
He holds a PhD in Law from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom. Currently, he is leading a research project on "Corporate accountability, human rights, and climate change".

Madalena Perestrelo de Oliveira is a Senior Counsel at PLMJ, where she coordinates the PLMJ Think Tank and the PLMJ Forum on Sustainable Corporate Governance. She has several years of experience in Banking and Finance, Corporate M&A, civil law, commercial law, and securities law.
She has been a lecturer at the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon since 2011 and previously taught at the Católica School of Business and Economics. She co-heads postgraduate courses in corporate finance, corporate governance, insolvency law, and corporate recovery, as well as intensive courses in investment funds and breach of contract.
She has published scientific articles and monographs in her areas of study. Madalena holds a PhD from the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon. Madalena is also a non-executive director at Novabase, a Portuguese listed company.

Carla Amado Gomes is a Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon (2019). Guest Professor at the Faculty of Law of the Catholic University (Porto).
Teaches master's and postgraduate courses in Environmental Law, Administrative Law and Energy Law in Angola, Mozambique and Brazil.
Regularly participates in training activities at the Center for Judicial Studies. Has a vast body of published work in the areas of Administrative Law, Administrative Procedural Law, Environmental Law, Cultural Heritage Law, and Energy Law, areas in which she teaches.
More recently, Carla has stood out for studying environmental issues from the point of view of Public Law, from issues related to energy resources to the protection of biodiversity and the law of natural disasters, organising several conferences, participating in colloquiums and collective research projects on interdisciplinary nature where academics and technicians from various social and natural sciences collaborate. 

Carlos Costa Pina is a Lawyer and Partner at SRS Legal in charge of the Projects Area.
He has a diverse professional experience of more than 30 years, encompassing law practice, public and private management and academic activity, where he is concluding his PhD on EU financial law.
He focuses mainly on the financial, capital markets, regulatory and energy sectors, having accompanied various national and international operations of corporate restructuring and M&A, as well as ESG, audit, risk and compliance projects.
Previously, he was Secretary of State for Treasury and Finance, Director of the CMVM and several private companies, such as Galp Energia. He also served as a Board Member of FuelsEurope.

Heloísa Oliveira holds a PhD in Law from the University of Lisbon Law School, specialising in environmental law, where she currently serves as an Assistant Professor.
She is an Effective Researcher at the Lisbon Public Law Research Centre and a Coordinating Consultant at the State Legal Centre. Her research focuses on environmental law, encompassing various aspects of administrative law, public international law, European Union law, and fundamental rights. She has participated in numerous scientific events in this field and has published several book chapters and articles.
Previously, she served as Chief of Staff for the Secretary of State for the Presidency of the Council of Ministers from 2017 to 2019 and as an Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2015 to 2017. Earlier in her career, she practised law at the Cuatrecasas law firm from 2007 to 2011.