ACCA joined hands with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) in India as lead partner for a flagship annual sustainability conference themed ‘ESG-led Transformation for Viksit Bharat’.
Largest annual gathering of sustainability professionals
In its fourth edition now, the National Conference on Responsible Business Conduct (NCRBC) 2026 brought together policymakers, regulators, businesses, financial institutions, and sustainability experts to discuss the future of responsible business conduct in India. The two-day conference was organised by the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA), an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), Government of India. ACCA was proud to collaborate with IICA as a lead partner working alongside other leading organisations like UNICEF (Associate Partner).
India's MCA is the nodal ministry for the accountancy profession and is shaping the profession’s future in the country. MCA leads initiatives from setting corporate governance standards to shaping the regulatory environment accountants work within.
Through this event, ACCA continues to champion the role of professional accountants in the public interest.
ACCA’s Helen Brand on what’s next for the profession
The conference’s name references ‘Viksit Bharat’, which is India’s vision to become a fully developed nation by 2047. The event gave ACCA an opportunity to share views on where the profession is heading. As part of her keynote address, ACCA Chief Executive Helen Brand described India's economy as a ‘rocket ship bound to the moon,’ pointing to its rapid growth and rising influence on the world stage. She further noted what that growth means for accountancy and finance professionals. Citing ACCA's Global talent trends Report 2026, Helen highlighted that a growing majority of finance professionals worldwide now seek careers with genuine social impact, and how an employer discharges its social responsibility is becoming a bigger factor in where professionals choose to work. She further pointed out that accountants are now being asked to find entirely new ways of measuring value and success in business to include impact on the environment, contribution to society, and how responsibly and transparently it's governed. This, she said, is exactly why ACCA has taken a leading role in pushing for global sustainability reporting standards, so that organisations everywhere can be measured against the same accepted benchmarks.
For the profession, this means today's accountants are building a very different skill set from previous generations, one that includes capabilities in audit and assurance alongside newer ESG-related expertise. It's a vision that fits naturally with ACCA's broader message: that championing the professional accountant today means preparing them for a future where their role is broader, more strategic and at the heart of the world's biggest challenges.
Role of AI and data in ESG governance
ACCA co-designed a panel discussion on ‘role of AI and data in the future of ESG governance’. Moderated by ACCA’s head of policy development, Narayanan Vaidyanathan, the discussion brought together representatives from academics and industry. The panel discussion threw light on the:
- opportunity and need to use AI to improve sustainability reporting and management
- need for a hard law on AI regulation to give better guardrails on ESG data
- need for greater standardisation on data and process and how this will improve explainability and transparency, and intelligent automation of ESG with AI
- value of upskilling staff for AI, and the meaningful RoI this can generate over time
The discussion also left some open questions, such as assigning liability when/if AI fails or if it produces a flawed materiality view or ESG rating. These need to be handled and improved upon iteratively, with the group recognising these are complex problems and the eco-system is going through a process of discovery as new, previously unseen issues come up. Learning by trial and error is key to the success pathway.
ESG assurance and the evolving role of accountants
ACCA’s Head of Audit and Assurance, Antonis Diolas, joined a session on 'Beyond BRSR: Strengthening Sectoral ESG Adoption and Integration.' The panel saw participation from the public and private ecosystem, including National Financial Regulatory Authority (India’s audit regulator), Securities and Exchange Board of India (India’s capital markets regulator), Global Reporting Initiative, Deloitte India, and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Limited. He shared insights on the current state of assurance readiness as organisations and practitioners prepare for the implementation of ISSA 5000. The discussion reinforced that ESG reporting goes beyond compliance and requires collaboration, capacity building, and a shared commitment, with accountants playing a key connecting role.
