Latest / Chartered Accountants Global Update / Episode 11: Beyond the Numbers: Sustainability, Digital Leadership and Healthy Firms

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Episode 11: Beyond the Numbers: Sustainability, Digital Leadership and Healthy Firms · Chartered Accountants Global Update

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_00: Hello, I'm Antja Dirks from Chartered Accountants Worldwide.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: This podcast has been researched and drafted with the support of AI.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: It's then reviewed, shaped, and signed off by our human editorial team.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: Even though we use AI to create this podcast, every story you hear is real.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: Every person we profile is a real person doing remarkable things.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: Every statistic is checked, every event is verified, every episode is approved by us, the human editors, who care deeply about this profession.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: Technology we use with purpose, oversight, and professional judgment exactly how it should be used.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: So, without further ado, I'm going to hand you over to Olivia.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_01: Hello and welcome to Chartered Accountants Global Update, the weekly audio newsletter from Chartered Accountants Worldwide.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_01: This is episode 11 of season two.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_01: This week, we're looking at three conversations shaping the profession right now.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_01: We'll unpack what a new EU voluntary sustainability standard could mean for accountants well beyond Europe.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_01: We'll preview an upcoming webinar on what it takes to lead in a digital first finance function, and we'll ask a question every firm leader should be asking.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_01: How healthy is your firm?
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_01: Let's get into it.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_01: Voluntary.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_01: In July, the European Commission formally adopted a proposed voluntary sustainability reporting standard designed for companies that sit outside the mandatory scope of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, or CSRD.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_01: It builds on EFRAG's Voluntary SME standard, which the Commission endorsed in 2025, and it forms part of the wider Omnibus One Simplification Program, aimed at cutting administrative burden without weakening the integrity of sustainability disclosures.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_01: There's an important protection built in too.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_01: Value chain partners with 1,000 employees or fewer can't be required to provide sustainability information beyond what this voluntary standard covers.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_01: For smaller businesses facing a growing stream of data requests from larger customers, that matters.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_01: The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland, ICAS, responded to the Commission's consultation, and its position came down to four priorities.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_01: First, proportionality.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_01: Standards for smaller businesses should reflect their real resource constraints.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_01: Second, decision-useful disclosures.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_01: Relevant, meaningful information that connects with financial reporting rather than sitting in a separate silo.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_01: Third, alignment with the European sustainability reporting standards, so businesses that grow into mandatory reporting aren't starting from scratch.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_01: And fourth, practical guidance, so that reporting is consistent and comparable.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_01: So, why should a chartered accountant in Sydney, Johannesburg, or Toronto care?
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_01: Because voluntary frameworks have a habit of becoming the foundation for future mandatory ones.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_01: And because supply chains are global, a business a long way from Brussels may soon be asked for exactly this kind of information.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_01: That's where our profession comes in, helping smaller organizations understand not just what to report, but why it matters.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_01: Automation, AI, and analytics are changing what finance teams do, but they're also changing what it takes to lead one.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_01: That's the focus of an upcoming webinar from CAW Network USA.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_01: Beyond Accounting, Women in Finance, empowering digital leaders for the future of finance.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_01: It takes place online on the 22nd of October from 12 noon to 1.30 pm Eastern Time, and it's free to attend.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_01: The panel brings together senior chartered accountants working across very different parts of the profession.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_01: Nancy Chakabuda, Senior Director and Global Leader at Cummins, Linda Nell, Managing Director and Head of Investor Solutions at Mahari Hospitality, and Shingi Gwindingui, Managing Consultant at Cross Country Consulting.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_01: The discussion will be moderated by Ryan Clacker, Director at the Siegfried Group.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_01: The conversation will look at the trends reshaping finance, from automation and artificial intelligence to analytics and digital integration.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_01: But the real emphasis is on people.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_01: What leadership skills matter in a digital first finance function, how do you build digital confidence and capability across a team, not just in one or two specialists?
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_01: And how can technology be used to drive innovation and better decisions rather than simply doing the same work faster?
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_01: It's a timely discussion.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_01: As tools become more powerful, the differentiator is increasingly the leader who can guide a team through change with clarity and confidence.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_01: And hearing that from women who are leading at a senior level across industry, consulting, and investment makes the conversation all the more valuable.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_01: The session is open to members, associates, and guests of CAW Network, USA, carries one CPE credit, and includes time for audience questions.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_01: You'll find the registration link in the show notes.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_01: Of course, leading well through change also depends on the health of the teams doing the work.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_01: Which brings us to our final story.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_01: In an article first published by Chartered Accountants Ireland, Sinead Manelli, FCA, principal at Manelli Coaching, asks a simple but searching question.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_01: How healthy is your firm?
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_01: The numbers she cites are striking.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_01: Fifty-five percent of chartered accountants report experiencing stress or burnout, and four out of five believe poor mental health is a growing issue for the profession.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_01: Sinead's point is that these figures aren't only about individuals.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_01: They tell us something about the environment people work in.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_01: Burnout, she argues, is feedback on how work is structured.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_01: She also highlights how pressure builds.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_01: In her words, pressure rarely comes from a single change, it comes from the accumulation of many small changes.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_01: Think AI adoption, expanded reporting, new service lines, and rising client expectations, all layered onto structures designed for a simpler time.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_01: And technology doesn't always remove pressure.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_01: Often it moves it.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_01: Concentrating complex, time-sensitive decisions at senior levels.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_01: For a profession built on judgment, the risk is subtle.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_01: When people lack the time and headspace to think, challenge, and escalate, standards erode gradually.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_01: That's why Sinead frames psychological safety as a governance issue, not just a well-being one.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_01: When people feel able to speak up early, risks surface sooner.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_01: So what does a structurally healthy firm look like?
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_01: Clear priorities and decision rights, workloads matched to capacity, simpler processes, technology that reduces complexity rather than adding to it, and recovery time after intense periods treated as essential, not optional.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_01: Well-being programs still matter.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_01: But as Sinead puts it, well-being is determined not only by how individuals cope, but by how work is organized for and around them.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_01: That brings us to the end of this week's episode.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_01: Three different stories with one common thread.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_01: The profession is being asked to look beyond the traditional numbers, whether that's sustainability information for smaller businesses, leadership in a digital first world, or the health of the firms we work in.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_01: You'll find links to all of today's stories at Chartered Accountantsworldwide.com.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_01: If you've enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and share it with a colleague.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks for listening to Chartered Accountants Global Update.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_01: Until next week, take care.