CPA Australia welcomes IESBA Chair for special discussions on ethics, sustainability, firm culture and governance
CPA Australia was very pleased to welcome the Chair of the International Ethics Standards Board (IESBA) to its Melbourne office for two special discussions on the role of ethics in sustainability, firm culture and governance.
Ms. Gabriela Figueiredo Dias was a guest speaker at the two events, attended by more than 3,500 CPA Australia members, and other guests, in-person and online across the two days in early May.
For the first event on the role of ethics in sustainability reporting, Ms. Dias was joined on a discussion panel by Terence Jeyaretnam, APAC Leader, Climate Change and Sustainability Services at EY, and Board Member of the AUASB, Michael Bray, KPMG Fellow of Integrated Reporting at Deakin University, Channa Wijesinghe, Chief Executive Officer of APESB, and Patrick Viljoen, ESG Lead at CPA Australia.
The second event on firm culture and governance saw Ms. Dias joined again by Channa Wijesinghe, Chief Executive Officer of APESB, as well as Dianne Azoor, Governance Risk and Audit Consultant.
Ram Subramanian, Interim Head of Policy & Advocacy at CPA Australia, explained the importance of the events in helping CPA Australia members and the accounting profession as a whole prepare for the changing regulatory landscape.
He said: “The reporting of sustainability risks, impacts, obligations and commitments, and the independent assurance of such reporting, are fast becoming critical metrics by which stakeholders measure organisational success. Ethical behavior and requirements are an important part of sustainability reporting and assurance.
“Having the right organisational culture and maintaining strong governance standards are also important prerequisites for well-functioning, sustainable accounting firms. In Australia, against the background of recent Parliamentary inquiries that have raised concerns around ethical failings within some firms, the IESBA project on firm culture and governance is a timely reminder of the validity and effectiveness of the IESBA Code of Ethics on matters such as firm leadership and culture.
“We were delighted to be able to provide our members and other guests with the opportunity to learn and understand the significance of sustainability reporting and assurance in modern organisational metrics, explore the ethical dimensions of sustainability reporting and assurance, and hear about the obligations and best practices related to firm culture and governance.
“Many thanks to Ms. Dias and our other guest speakers, as well as those who attended the events in-person or online for their contributions to two thoroughly productive and enjoyable discussions.”
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