Deloitte Builds Sustainability Eminence With New Appointments
American and Danish partners join GRI and AICPA boards
Long influential in the field of sustainability, Deloitte has further increased its eminence with important new appointments to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Sustainability Task Force.
GRI recently announced the appointment of new members on its Board of Directors, Stakeholder Council (SC), and Technical Advisory Committee (TAC)—the three governance bodies that oversee GRI’s activities and play a leading role in the development of its Sustainability Reporting Framework.
Helena Barton, a partner from the Denmark member firm with 15 years’ global experience in sustainability, has been elected chair of the GRI Stakeholder Council, the main multi-stakeholder forum in GRI’s governance structure. First elected to the SC in 2010, Helena most recently served as vice-chair. During her two-year term as chair, which starts in January 2014, she will attend Board of Directors meetings and will serve on several other committees, including the Nominating Committee and the Government Advisory Group.
Eric Hespenheide, recently retired after a 36-year career with both DTTL and the U.S. member firms, has been appointed as a member the GRI Board of Directors, the final decision-making authority at the organization. Deloitte has been well-represented within the GRI Board, as Peter Wong of the China member firm, now retired, served on the board for the past six years. The end of Peter’s term coincides with the beginning of Eric’s, ensuring a continuous Deloitte presence on the board.
Eric has also been appointed as chairman of the GRI Technical Advisory Committee, which provides expert sustainability reporting advice and oversees the development of the Reporting Framework.
Deloitte is a longstanding supporter of GRI and is involved in several significant projects. More information on these appointments may be found within this article: Strengthening its leadership: GRI welcomes new governance body members.
Eric has also been appointed chair of the AICPA’s Sustainability Assurance and Advisory Task Force which oversees the development of reporting, assurance, and other resources to enable AICPA members to add value to their company and client sustainability initiatives.
