Understanding the opportunities presented by ESG

Financial Management (FM) magazine

Jeremy Osborn, FCMA, CGMA, wants to make sure finance professionals are prepared for all that's coming their way. Osborn, AICPA & CIMA's global head of ESG, joined the FM podcast for a two-part discussion on the rising importance of ESG initiatives.

In part one of the interview, Osborn explained why ESG, along with related auditing and assurance opportunities, is becoming mainstream. In this part, he discusses his early interest in ESG topics, describes the current landscape of ESG reporting, and shares three reasons people take ESG seriously.

Osborn also explains how ESG has had a role in the shift that has happened related to understanding a company’s value.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

· An overview of the reporting requirements of the UK’s Task Force for Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD).

· How activities such as skiing in Switzerland have been affected by climate change.

· Why sustainability-related concerns are no longer simply “a risk to be managed”, according to Osborn.

· How an understanding of ESG information can shed light on the value of an organisation.

· Why the growing importance of ESG is, according to Osborn, one of the most significant changes the accounting profession has faced.