ICAS Insights: The Future of Sustainability
Catch up on the ICAS Insights webinar: The Future of Sustainability. Led by Anne Adrain, we hear from Indy Hothi CA, ICAS Vice President, Helen Marshall CA, CFO Falcon Coffees, and Hannah Armitage, Project Manager Financial Reporting Council on the future of sustainability post-COVID-19.
In this webinar our panellists discuss key questions relating to sustainability and the coronavirus pandemic including:
- What is the future of sustainability?
How does society need to change to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030?
Will coronavirus affect how we live, our environmental impact and policies, and make businesses more sustainable? - Will the current pandemic force a greener economy?
- What about the social impacts and the way we think about society more broadly?
Sustainability and the future of businesses and our society is a hot topic and our polls during the webinar show that this is a topic that is relevant and important to CAs. When asked “What are the three most important sustainability-related factors for you or your business?” viewers highlighted climate change/global warming, economic resilience and social equality and inclusion as their top three.
Our poll also shows that viewers would like to see their business become more sustainable even if it comes with an extra cost and 41% would also like to have a radical overhaul of the business environment.
Find out more from our panellists as Hannah takes us through what investors are looking for and Indy looks at how to measure social impact and outcomes, sustainable transformation and sustainability. We also hear from Helen on sustainability in the food chain, the effect of COVID-19 and its potential impact in the longer term on the sustainability of supply chains.
About the speakers:
Indy Hothi CA, ICAS Vice President
Indy is the co-founder of Upside Projects, a consultancy and venture builder which provides strategic advice on digital transformation, innovation and sustainability to public and private sector clients. Prior to Upside Projects, Indy was a senior economist with EY in London. He worked across a number of high-profile economic impact studies which influenced public policy and included clients such as the Premier League and Rugby World Cup.
Through his passion for social and humanitarian causes, Indy was a trustee of Khalsa Aid International, a charity which provides humanitarian aid in disaster areas and civil conflict zones. His work has led him to the frontline on a number of projects including Iraq, DR Congo, Lebanon, Nepal and Haiti.
Indy was recognised as One Young CA in 2015 and joined ICAS Council in 2016, representing the England and Wales area and supporting engagement with under 35s and the broader London community (through the London Area Network).
Helen Marshall CA, CFO, Falcon Coffees
Helen is CFO of Falcon Coffees, a role that aligns her skills as a CA and interest in sustainability. In 2015, after spending 6 years in audit at EY, Helen spent 9 months working in Kigali, Rwanda. It was during this time that she encountered Falcon Coffees, a UK-based green coffee trading company with a strong social impact agenda, and she joined them as CFO shortly later.
Helen actively pursues opportunities to further Falcon's sustainability agenda in a bid to change the way that agricultural commodities are sourced and traded. In addition, Helen has introduced measures for her office to become more environmentally friendly, including working with local suppliers, reducing waste and measuring the company's carbon footprint.
Helen was a Top 35 under 35 finalist in the Sustainability and CSR category in 2017 and won the 2017 ICAS Sustainability Essay using the example of the coffee industry to demonstrate how the measurement and creation of metrics and traceability mechanisms can contribute to a sustainable society. She also sits on the ICAS Sustainability Panel.
Hannah Armitage, Project Manager, Financial Reporting Lab of the FRC
Hannah is a Project Manager with the Financial Reporting Lab of the FRC. The Financial Reporting Lab provides an environment where investors and companies can come together to develop pragmatic solutions to today’s reporting needs.
Hannah joined the lab in 2017, moving from the FRC’s Corporate Governance Team, where she worked on reviews of the Stewardship Code and UK Corporate Governance Code.
Hannah is a qualified lawyer and prior to joining the FRC, worked in the Australian Department of the Treasury on corporations and corporate law policy.