In our third episode of season three we continue our discussion on sustainability reporting standards with Accountancy Europe's senior manager Paul Gisby, this time with a focus on governments, mainly excluded from our last debate. Governments make up a major part of the world economy with currently no internationally accepted standard for sustainability reporting, or for other elements of NFI reporting. Therefore it is crucial for the public sector to be held accountable through sustainable...

Season three continues with our very own Jona Basha, Senior manager at Accountancy Europe, and a look into sustainability reporting standards. She answers crucial questions about the sustainability reporting standards and how they make a difference. Unlike financial reporting, which is based on a globally trusted set of standards, sustainability reporting is still fragmented. Many competing options of what to report on emerged over the years. These varying ‘standards’ allowed companies to...

We kick off season three with a look at how our sustainable future begins with corporate reporting. How can that be, you might ask? Nadja Picard, Global Reporting Leader at PwC Germany joins us to answer some crucial questions about the future of corporate reporting. Many companies are already going beyond the financials, but without harmonisation in non-financial reporting standards, this can very easily lead to greenwashing, as companies choose to report only the non-financial information...

Before the summer break, we present you a special episode at the end of this season: On June 21 Accountancy Europe held a virtual fireside chat between European Parliament Vice-President Heidi Hautala and Olivier Boutellis-Taft, CEO of Accountancy Europe, which we turned into a podcast episode. In anticipation of the Commission’s proposals on Sustainable Corporate Governance, Heidi Hautala and Olivier Boutellis-Taft discussed the expected reform and how it can drive the transition to a...

The modern economy is flawed. It tends to ignore non-financial ‘externalities’, like the environment, when considering a company’s bottom line. As a result, our planet is at risk of massive environmental degradation. However, accountants can adapt and flip the balance sheet. We speak with Andrew Watson, co-founder of Rethinking Capital, about how this shift in accounting practices could hold the key to changing our economy. Listen now to hear how simple it is to bring sustainability into the...

We’ve covered the shift to sustainable corporate governance from a variety of angles on the podcast so far, and now we turn to the private sector to see what companies are doing. After all, they are a major player to get us beyond “business as usual”.  In this episode, we spoke with Karim Hajjar, Chief Financial Officer of Solvay. He shared with us not only Solvay’s experience of integrating sustainability into its business practices, but also his own personal story of why he believes that...

Everyone is talking about the BEIS consultation into "Restoring trust in audit and corporate governance" in the UK. To dig deeper into this consultation, we invited Mark Babington, the Executive Director of Regulatory Standards from the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) to share with us what is in the consultation and the work that FRC has done in the area of audit reform. Listen now and find out more about how the consultation addresses all aspects of corporate governance! Links to check...

The core of every business is its ideas, concepts and know-how. Protecting this intellectual property (IP) is standard for large companies, but is often still a mystery for SMEs. In this episode, we speak to the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), whose mission is to help businesses register their IP. Our guests Andrea Di Carlo, Deputy Executive Director and Inge Buffolo, Director of the Customer Department, explain to us why so few SMEs protect their IP and how the new EUIPO...

For the first time we interview two guests for the podcast: Myles Thompson, President of Accountancy Europe and Mark Vaessen, Deputy President of Accountancy Europe. Myles is our go-to expert on audit and has been leading our work on fraud and going concern. Mark is focused on making harmonised, integrated non-financial information reporting standards for corporate reporting a reality. We talked about the momentum and the speed of change in both audit and corporate reporting, both are in the...

As the Covid-19 pandemic and remote working continue into 2021, we cover mental health at work in this episode. We spoke to Vic Petri, CEO and Founder of Performance Innovations and former Partner at PwC, to learn about how to maintain motivation and drive. He was a global lead on human capital, focused on resolving mental health issues to guide teams to better performance and a healthier work environment. He discusses how to face mental health issues during an ongoing worldwide pandemic and...

In our first episode of 2021, Mathilde Mesnard, Deputy Director for Financial and Enterprise Affairs at the OECD, discusses the global debate around corporate governance. She breaks down the incremental changes that businesses have made to become more responsible and sustainable, but she sees now, that a more fundamental shift is necessary. She sees the need for system change, re-focusing corporate purpose on environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters . We also touch upon the work...

In our final episode of 2020, we speak with Brian Friedrich, board member of the International Ethics Standards Board (IESBA). Brian focuses on the digitalisation of the accountancy profession and the role of ethics in the digital transition. During this episode, Brain delves deeper into how IESBA interacts with the work of accountants and auditors and how working with an international code of ethics provides support for new technology-driven services. We also discuss the importance of...

In this episode, we speak with Accountancy Europe’s CEO, Olivier Boutellis-Taft, on the importance of corporate governance in paving the way for a sustainable economy. Olivier emphasises the urgency of the current environmental social and governance crises, which have become even more apparent since the Covid-19 pandemic began. He explains how sustainable corporate governance can be instrumental in keeping businesses and the economy functioning. Olivier makes reference to the European...

Our latest episode is an exclusive discussion with the Chair of Accountancy Europe’s Sustainable Finance Group, Wim Bartels and the Vice-Chair of the same group, Rami Feghali. In this episode, we learn about how the accountancy profession is preparing for the EU’s shift to sustainable finance. Specifically, they address what is being done on the side of accountants to accommodate sustainability into corporate reporting. They discuss the practical challenges and opportunities for the...

In this episode, we bring you highlights from a speech made by the European Commission’s Alain Deckers about the European Single Electronic Format (ESEF). He is the Head of Unit for Corporate reporting, Audit and Credit Rating Agencies in DG FISMA at the European Commission and he spoke at our Implementing ESEF webinar. Alain discusses the importance of sustainability and digitisation for the EU agenda and how ESEF fits into this larger picture. He further explains the possibility of a delay...

In this episode we speak with the digital expert of the Accountancy Europe SME team, Martin de Bie. Martin talks to us about the digital transition of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and how going digital is the best chance for SMEs to stay competitive in a modern economy. He further discusses the main challenges between SMEs and digitalisation, the risks involved with insolvency and SMEs as well ways in which accountants can best adapt to the evolving environment. Have a listen to...

In Part 2 of our conversation with the Chair of Accountancy Europe's anti-money laundering (AML) working party, Angela Foyle, we discuss the role of accountants in the fight against financial crime. Angela discusses the public responsibility of accountants in AML, the need for a multidisciplinary supervisor to regulate the financial sector as well as the importance of ensuring cooperation continues between the EU and the accountancy profession. Angela also explains how the Covid-19 pandemic...

Accountancy Europe’s podcast Because People Count is back! With the European Commission President citing anti-money laundering (AML) as a priority in her state of the union letter of intent, we delve into the fight against financial crime with Angela Foyle, Chair of Accountancy Europe’s AML working party. The first part of this interview focuses on AML within the European Union, specifically the European Commission’s AML action plan and why it is important for the EU to implement this. Angela...

In part 2 of our conversation with the Chair of Accountancy Europe’s Public Sector policy group, Thomas Müller-Marqués Berger, we discuss the long-term actions required to help overcome the Covid-19. Thomas discusses the importance of high quality financial reporting standards which can lead to greater consistency and comparability for the public sector. He also discusses how the Coivd-19 crisis highlighted the lack of investment in the public sector which now requires the proper tools in...

In our fifth coronavirus bonus episode we talk to Thomas Müller-Marqués Berger, Chair of Accountancy Europe’s Public Sector policy group. Thomas discusses with us how the Coivd19 crisis differs from the 2008/09 financial crisis and the wider repercussions of the global lockdown across the economy. He also talks to us about the need for good governance across the public sector and the importance of transparency when dealing with government expenditures in light of the coronacrisis. Stay tuned...

Our fourth coronavirus bonus episode looks at how a post Covid-19 Europe might look like in an interview with Eleni Kanelli, Head of Advocacy at Accountancy Europe. Eleni discusses with us her predictions for Europe following the recent EU recovery plan announcement and the particular importance of sustainability in the recovery efforts which she argues is now even more crucial. She also explores the role of accountants and how they can help companies broaden their approach to risk management...

In our third bonus coronavirus episode we speak with Ben Renier, Senior Manager at Accountancy Europe. Ben explores the repercussions of the corona crisis for corporate reporting and particularly focuses on banks. He also discusses how IFRS 9 can incorporate the irregularities of the current situation and outlines other accommodations that have been made for both companies and banks to report on this period. Stay tuned to hear more about the updates on EU financial and non-financial...

In this special coronavirus episode, we talk to Hilde Blomme, Deputy CEO of Accountancy Europe. Hilde discusses the broader impacts that the pandemic is having on financial reporting and auditing. She discusses the ways in which the reporting will need to adapt and the practical implications for the auditing profession. She also touches on the future, post-crisis, and what structural changes may need to be introduced. Stay tuned to hear more about updates on EU financial and non-financial...

In this special coronavirus episode, we talk to Accountancy Europe's President Florin Toma. He works at an SME accountancy firm and is on the front line, helping SMEs survive the coronavirus crisis. He discusses how SMEs can protect themselves in the face of the global pandemic and the relationship between accountants and SMEs. Stay tuned to hear more about updates on EU financial and non-financial matters! For information regarding your data privacy, visit Acast.com/privacy