Stories

Chief Financial Officer, Unilever

Vice Chair, Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)

“A4S owes much of its success to Your Royal Highness’s ability to bring together different players – whether business, investor, pension trustee, government regulator or professional body – and to help them confront the issues from their different perspectives and to encourage them to work together to find solutions.” 

Director and Founder, Sustainability to Action

Coordinator, Gulf Finance Leaders Circle of Practice

“Learning about integrated thinking and reporting made me realise the tremendous value of this work and how we must incorporate this within the Gulf region.”

Senior Managing Partner and Chief Financial Officer, Brookfield Asset Managment

Member of the A4S CFO Leadership Network

“I believe the approach taken by A4S is also very strategic and differs from other organizations committed to sustainability because A4S recognizes the key role that finance will play in creating behavioural change”

Chief Financial Officer, Head of Finance and Employer Services, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB)

Member of the A4S CFO Leadership Network

“I came away from that experience [Summit in 2015] inspired to do more and to work with my colleagues across the accounting and finance profession to make Canada a leader in sustainability.” 

Chief Financial Officer, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan

Member of the A4S CFO Leadership Network

“A4S is a unique, forward-looking organization that was way ahead of its time when it was formed by Your Royal Highness in 2004.”

Chief Financial Officer, Pennon Group

Member of the A4S CFO Leadership Network

"Through A4S, and as a founder member of the CFO network, I have been inspired by the way the group has come together so passionately and cooperatively to embed sustainability into the financial decision making behind these projects.”

Chief Operating and Financial Officer, Burberry Group

Member of the A4S CFO Leadership Network

“Being part of the A4S network has provided a unique opportunity to collaborate with leading organisations and advance our understanding of key sustainability challenges.”

Director of Brand, Sainsbury’s

Member of the A4S Executive Board and Communciations Group

“HRH’s overview of these complex agendas, combined with the real insights that come from a lifetime devoted to the subject matter, results in conviction that is both infectious and resilient”

Chief Financial Officer, Heathrow Airport

Member of the A4S CFO Leadership Network

"Once we’d launched Heathrow 2.0, A4S was an inevitable next step. We realised that our financial decision-making needed to evolve if we were going to make the sustainable choices that would deliver our vision and A4S has helped us to do it. Working with other members to find inspiration and share best-practice has helped us achieve the progress we have made so far."

Finance Director, SSE

Member of the A4S CFO Leadership Network

"We have since 2006 had a core value of sustainability and making the correct long term decisions which aligned with the principle aim of the A4S project, to transform financial decision making."

Chief Financial Officer, Bupa

Former member of the A4S CFO Leadership Network

“Our commitment to A4S was one of the drivers behind the creation of the Bupa Energy Saver Fund (‘ESF Fund’), a financing model that enabled our regional Market Units to build low-carbon technologies into our properties”

MD Finance & Non-Regulated Business, Anglian Water Group

Member of the A4S CFO Leadership Network

“The A4S mission was a great way of engaging and inspiring the whole finance team so that they fully understood the intrinsic link between a successful sustainability strategy and a successful business, and how finance individuals could play a key role in supporting and delivering that strategy.”

Chief Financial Officer, Tesco

Member of the A4S CFO Leadership Network

“I know that the work of A4S acts as a strong and important support to many people working in finance in businesses, at all levels” 

Chief Financial Officer, The Crown Estate

Member of the A4S CFO Leadership Network

“A4S has given us an opportunity to connect with like-minded organisations and to learn from them on our journey to fully integrated annual reporting”

Chairman, The Natural Capital Coalition

Member, A4S Advisory Council

Former member of the A4S CFO Leadership Network

“My interaction with A4S fed into and strengthened my interest in promoting integrated reporting and non-financial reporting more generally, and my drive to catalyse positive change in the accountancy profession by supporting a shift away from a sole focus on financial returns.”

Chief Financial Officer, Royal DSM

Member of the A4S CFO Leadership Network

"Through my engagement with the A4S network, I have come to realize the importance of developing a finance culture in which sustainability is fully embraced. Our active role in the A4S Finance Culture project is a result of this. The work of the project team will help finance professionals realize how much impact they can have and empower them to help shape the next phase in the evolution of Finance."

A4S Ambassador and Member, A4S Advisory Council

Former Chief Financial Officer, adidas, and member of the A4S CFO Leadership Network

“While CFO for adidas, inspired by His Royal Highness’s call to action, I implemented a decision making methodology called Integrated Performance Management which attempts to force awareness of the impact of decision alternatives, also on our environmental footprint.”

Vice President of Finance Marketing and Sustainability, Unilever

Chairman of the A4S CFO Leadership Network’s Enhancing Investor Engagement Working Group

“Conversation inspired by A4S has enabled great progress to be made in understanding the barriers to longer term discussions.”

Chief Executive Officer, Argos

Member, A4S Advisory Council

Former member of the A4S CFO Leadership Network

“Through the work with A4S, the broader networking of the group and our evaluation of our progress on the sustainability maturity model, we embedded sustainability as a factor into all our major capital investment decision papers that go to the Board for approval.” 

President and Chief Financial Officer, Salesforce

Member of the A4S CFO Leadership Network

"investing in sustainability just makes good business sense."

Director General, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)

Chief Executive Officer, Global Accounting Alliance (GAA)

Member of the A4S Accounting Bodies Network

“I now recognise Your Royal Highness was a forceful public voice ahead of its time; never daunted by the sceptics; putting opinions into action.”

Partner, PwC

Member, A4S Expert Panel

“Your Royal Highness’s role in bringing together all the necessary international organisations to establish the International Integrated Reporting Council and, more recently, the Task Force on Climate related Financial Disclosure will, I believe, be seen in the future as major milestones.”

Chief Executive Officer, Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), Member, A4S Advisory Council and Member of the A4S Accounting Bodies Network

“Your Royal Highness has continued to show great leadership in promoting to business and finance their obligations to the planet.”

Partner, KPMG Netherlands

Member, Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), and Member, A4S Expert Panel

“The focus that Accounting for Sustainability puts on the financial functionaries of organizations is the most powerful approach taken.”

Global Director of IFRS Research, Deloitte

Former Technical Director, International Accounting Standards Board, and former Member, International Integrated Reporting Council Working Group

Head of Professional Accountants in Business and Integrated Reporting, International Federation of Accountants (IFAC)

“Crucially, A4S and the ABN have continued to inspire accountancy bodies to deliver guidance on all aspects of sustainability accounting to their members and students.”

Vice President, Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA Canada)

Director, Canadian Chapter of the A4S CFO Leadership Network, Member of the A4S Accounting Bodies Network

“Your Royal Highness’s conviction that sustainability is an issue that must be core to how businesses operate has been a beacon to myself and others like me, and an inspiration to stay the course.”

David Cruickshank, Global Chairman, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited and Member, A4S Advisory Council

Veronica Poole, Global IFRS Leader, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited

Policy Advisor ESG, CPA Australia

Member of the A4S Accounting Bodies Network

Chief Executive Officer, Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT)

Member of the A4S Accounting Bodies Network

Chief Executive Office, Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)

Member, A4S Advisory Council

Member of the A4S Accounting Bodies Network

Partner, Climate Change and Sustainability, EY

Managing Partner and Chief Operating Officer, PwC UK

Member, A4S Advisory Council

Partner, KPMG

Member, A4S Advisory Council

Chief Executive Officer, The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS)

Member of the A4S Accounting Bodies Network

Chief Executive Officer, Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand

Member of the A4S Accounting Bodies Network

Managing Director, International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC)

Chief Executive of Management Accounting, Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (AICPA)

Member of the A4S Accounting Bodies Network

Professor of Public Financial Management,Victoria University of Wellington

Former Chief Executive Officer, International Federation of Accountants

Founding member, International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC)

North American Lead, International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC)

Chair, Environment Agency and Chair, Environment Agency Pension Fund Investment Committee

Member, A4S Executive Board, Member, A4S Asset Owners Network

“The [Asset Owners] Network is providing a valuable environment for Chairs to explore how to increase our resilience to risks associated with climate change and other ESG trends”

Chairman of the Trustee Board, HSBC Bank (UK) Pension Fund

Special Adviser, FSB Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)

Member, A4S Asset Owners Network; Former member, A4S Supervisory Board

“For me personally, participation in A4S and subsequently in IR, significantly broadened my thinking and equipped me with the skills with which I am striving to tackle how the Financial System can support the transition to a low carbon economy.” 

Chief Investment Officer, HSBC Bank UK Pension Scheme

“It was at an A4S meeting where the idea of incorporating climate change risk mitigation into the Trustee of a pension scheme’s Statement of Investment Principles was first discussed.” 

Chair, Brunel Pension Partnership

Member, A4S Asset Owners Network

“We are grateful to His Royal Highness for his vision and clarity of thought over several decades, which is now culminating in real change across the world.” 

Senior Partner, Aon

“What happened that evening left an impression with me and with hindsight was an important catalyst in our firm’s commitment to allocate greater resources to environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) related research.”

Chief Executive, International Cooperative and Mutual Insurance Federation

“Your Royal Highness’s vision is vital to changing the current paradigm of the financial world”

Chief Executive Officer, Aviva Investors

“In many ways our whole programme of work on sustainable finance at Aviva has been inspired by His Royal Highness, since he has demonstrated and ensure that these issues matter at the very highest level.” 

President and Chief Executive Officer, CFA Institute

“As a direct result of the initiatives sponsored by Your Royal Highness, we have increased the content of our curriculum that deals with environmental impact upon corporate valuation.”

Vice Chairman, International Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), and Chairman, Securities Commission Malaysia

Former member, International Integrated Reporting Council

“The efforts spearheaded by The Prince’s Accounting for Sustainability Project (A4S) in building more resilient businesses and a sustainable economy has been instrumental in facilitating much needed change to integrate sustainability into business strategies, corporate reporting, financial practices and investment decision making.”

Technical Advisor, International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), and Chair of CIPFA’s Accounting and Auditing Standards Panel

Former Head of Financial Reporting Policy, HM Treasury

“I am convinced Your Royal Highness’s A4S project has started to make a difference in the public sector and I am proud to have been able to play a small role in it.” 

Chairman, International Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), and Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission

Chairman, International Valuation Standards (IVS) Council

Former Chairman, International Accounting Standards Board, and Founding member, International Integrated Reporting Council

“Integrated reporting and sustainability reporting has increased exponentially in recent years, largely as a result of the push Your Royal Highness gave the initiative in its early stages.” 

Chairman, International Accounting Standards Board (IASB)

Member, International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC)

“When I started in his role, the possible financial relevance of sustainability issues was not yet subject to the Board’s consideration. However, the work of A4S and the establishment of initiatives such as the International Integrated Reporting Council have contributed to discussions about the Board’s role in this field.” 

Former Chairman, Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB)

Former member, International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC)

Chief Statistician and Director of Statistics Directorate, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

“Attending the conference [Measure What Matters] reinforced my long-held conviction that the OECD must continue to put well-being and sustainability at the core of its work if we are to fulfil our mission to promote ‘better policies for better lives’.”

Secretary General, Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD)

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, GIST Advisory

President, W.W.F. International; UN TEEB Study Leader and Founding Member, the Natural Capital Coalition

“Your Royal Highness’s frequent insistence that society should measure what matters, and manage the challenge of our times using metrics that are appropriate for the 21^st century rather than a much earlier era, was one of the inspirations for my early work on “green accounting”.”

Chief Executive Officer, International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC)

Former Member of the European Parliament and rapporteur for Corporate Social Responsibility

“It was at the meeting you convened in 2010 at St James’s Palace that the hearts and minds of these individuals, including myself, were won over and the decision to convene the IIRC took hold.”

Professor of Sustainability Accounting, Lancaster University Management School

Member of the A4S Expert Panel

“The work of A4S in engaging with business schools has inspired academics to broaden their horizons by introducing sustainability accounting into their curricular and research programmes.”

Executive Editor, Review of Financial Stuides

Deputy Dean and College Dean for Academic Affairs, Cornell SC Johnson College of Business

“Allow me to close my letter by thanking His Royal Highness for the inspiration to do my part to advance scholarship on the important topic of Climate Finance”

Chair of the Board, Petrobas, and Professor, University of São Paulo School of Economics, Administration and Accountancy, Former member, A4S Advisory Council, Former member, International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC)

Adjunct Professor, Rotman School of Management

Member of the A4S Expert Panel

Emeritus Professor of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia,

Former member of A4S Steering Committee, Project Board, Advisory Group, and Executive Board