Official logo of the EU Skills Week (ACCA, IFAC and Green Finance Platform logos)

Woman sitting on the ground outside using laptop in front of a wall of green foliage

About the event

On 17 May 2022, global and EU  experts discussed  the skills and education need for finance professionals to play their part in contributing to the Green Transition at joint ACCA, IFAC and Green Finance Platform event during the EU Skills Week 2022, attended by over 420 participants

You can watch the event recording online:

EU Skills Week-VET and the Green Transition: what are the skills and education needed for finance professionals to play their part? - event video

 

As part of EU Skills Week 2022, ACCA, IFAC and Green Finance Platform discussed with renowned experts from the European Parliament, the European Commission and the European Investment Fund, academics and the accountancy profession what are the skills and education needed for finance professionals to play their part in contributing to the Green Transition.

After a welcome address by Helen Brand, OBE, Chief Executive of ACCA and a keynote speech by Victor Negrescu, MEP, the panel discussion  moderated by Helen Partridge, Director of International Accountancy Education at IFAC welcomed Julie Fionda, Deputy Head of the Unit  in charge of the Skills Agenda at the European Commission; Jeremy McDaniels, Senior Advisor on Sustainable Finance at the Institute of International Finance (IIF); Nancy Kamp - Roelands, Professor of Non-financial information, integrated reporting and assurance at the University of Groningen; and Thomas Verheye, Principal Advisor Green Finance and Investment at the European Commission, currently seconded to the European Investment Fund (EIF) . Concluding remarks were delivered by Alan Johnson, President of IFAC.

Discussions confirmed that it is imperative that everyone plays a role towards the Green Transition and that cooperation and partnerships will be key. The accountancy profession is ready to take up the challenge of sustainability information, but it needs to acquire new knowledge, to broaden its perspective on enterprise value to a more holistic view and enhance our skills, since sustainability information is much more strategic, covering a wide range of topics and related indicators. Bringing the professions together to accelerate the pace of knowledge acquisition and upskilling of both finance professionals and professional accountants we will be able to drive or even lead sustainable decision making in our organizations.  

Main highlights:

Helen Brand, OBE, Chief Executive at ACCA set the scene: ‘As climate and environmental risks become a core component of mainstream business, everyone within the organisation needs to understand how their own work can contribute and will be affected. This is particularly important for accounting and finance professionals, who have a critical role to play in putting sustainability at the heart of decision-making, both to lead on enhanced risk management and long-term value creation, and to champion responsible practices. To make sure they have the right tools to do so, they must be equipped with the right education and skills, to in turn, instill this sustainability culture in the companies they work for or advise. As the EU co-legislators are debating the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence initiative, there is no doubt that finance professionals will also need to continue their own sustainable business education as policies and regulation change, while best practice evolves at a rapid pace. There are several ways in which ACCA helps the profession develop the required skills: in being a role model; in developing future members through the qualification; in maintaining and enhancing the capabilities of members through lifelong learning; and also in publishing research and insights and providing policy and technical support.’

Read more about the event

Webinar speakers

  • Helen Brand, OBE, Chief Executive, ACCA

    Helen Brand

    OBE, Chief Executive, ACCA

  • Victor Negrescu, MEP, S&D

    Victor Negrescu

    MEP, S&D

  • Helen Partridge, Director of International Accountancy Education at IFAC

    Helen Partridge

    Director of International Accountancy Education at IFAC

  • Julie Fionda, Deputy Head of Unit, Skills and Qualification, DG EMPL, European Commission

    Julie Fionda

    Deputy Head of Unit, Skills and Qualification, DG EMPL, European Commission

  • Jeremy McDaniels, Senior Advisor, Sustainable Finance, IIF

    Jeremy McDaniels

    Senior Advisor, Sustainable Finance, IIF

  • Nancy Kamp - Roelands, Professor Non-financial information, integrated reporting and assurance at the University of Groningen

    Nancy Kamp - Roelands

    Professor Non-financial information, integrated reporting and assurance at the University of Groningen

  • Thomas Verheye, Principal Advisor Green Finance and Investment at the European Commission and the European Investment Fund (EIF)

    Thomas Verheye

    Principal Advisor Green Finance and Investment at the European Commission and the European Investment Fund (EIF)

  • Alan Johnson, IFAC President

    Alan Johnson

    IFAC President

Biographies

Helen Brand OBE
Chief Executive, ACCA

Helen Brand is chief executive of ACCA, the global body for professional accountants, a post she has held since 2008.

Helen has built her career within professional bodies and has considerable experience and knowledge of the 176 markets in which ACCA currently operates. 

Read more about Helen Brand

 

Victor Negrescu MEP
S&D

Victor Negrescu is a Romanian politician, member of the Social Democratic Party, the youngest Romanian MEP elected at the European Parliament in May 2014. He is an active Member in the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament and a permanent Member of the Committee on Budgets and the Delegation to the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly. 

Read more about Victor Negrescu

 

Helen Partridge
Director of International Accountancy Education at IFAC

Helen Partridge leads the accountancy education work at IFAC. In this role, she has oversight and leadership of IFAC’s global approach to advancing accountancy education working together with the International Panel on Accountancy Education. 

Read more about Helen Partridge

 

Julie Fionda
Deputy Head of Unit, Skills and Qualifications
DG EMPL European Commission

Julie Fionda is a British official working in the European Commission since 2002. She has a background in economics and she is currently Deputy Head of Unit in the DG Employment, Skills Agenda unit. 

Read more about Julie Fionda

 

Jeremy McDaniels
Senior Advisor, Sustainable Finance, IIF

Jeremy McDaniels serves as Senior Policy Advisor, Sustainable Finance, in the IIF Global Policy Initiatives department. In this role, Jeremy is responsible for the IIF's Sustainable Finance Working Group (SFWG), leading projects on climate risk assessment, disclosure, terminology and definitions. 

Read more about Jeremy McDaniels

 

Nancy Kamp - Roelands
Professor Non-financial Information, Integrated Reporting and Assurance
the University of Groningen

Nancy Kamp-Roelands is a professor non-financial information, integrated reporting and assurance at the University of Groningen. She initiated an online course on sustainable entrepreneurship for accountancy and finance professionals and is teaching in the postgraduate course Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) Reporting and Assurance at the University of Groningen Business School. 

Read more about Nancy Kamp-Roelands

 

Thomas Verheye
Principal Advisor Green Finance and Investment
at the European Commission and the European Investment Fund (EIF)

Thomas Verheye is Special Advisor at the European Investment Fund on matters relating to sustainable finance and investment. He advises the Director General and senior managers on strategic directions and actions necessary for promoting greening the financial system and the economy. 

Read more about Thomas Verhaye

 

Alan Johnson
IFAC President

Alan Johnson became IFAC President in November 2020, having previously served as Deputy President from 2018-2020 and aboard member since November 2015. He was nominated to the IFAC board by the ACCA.

Read more about Alan Johnson