Can accountants save the world? Best practice and insights for decarbonising Greater Manchester businesses
Great work is being done in Greater Manchester to support businesses in initiating or accelerating the design and implementation of decarbonisation plans, and to prepare them for new reporting standards. This breakfast event will feature experts in sustainability reporting and carbon accounting, alongside local leaders who will share their case studies and on-the-ground experiences of driving their businesses towards becoming carbon neutral.
This event is ideal for accounting or ESG professionals who want to learn more about upcoming changes to both national and international reporting standards. It also offers an excellent opportunity to gain insights and network with those leading the agenda in both best practice and business support in Greater Manchester.
The event will include networking, a panel discussion, and questions and answers.
This event is in collaboration with the ICAEW and Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s Bee Net Zero project.
Event objectives:
- Initiate and Accelerate Decarbonisation Plans: Encourage businesses, especially SMEs, to start or expedite the design and implementation of their decarbonisation strategies.
- Clarify Regulatory Landscape: Provide a clear understanding of the current regulatory landscape from an accounting and ESG perspective.- Future Outlook: Inform attendees about upcoming changes and requirements in the field.
- Highlight Early Action Benefits: Emphasise the advantages of starting decarbonisation efforts sooner rather than later.
- Showcase Available Support: Highlight the range of support available to businesses from Bee Net Zero, ICAEW, and their partners, reinforced with relevant case studies and examples.
About the Speakers:
Tom is a Low Carbon Economy Principal at the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), where he is programme manager for Bee Net Zero, a public-private partnership led by Greater Manchester’s Business Board that has the mission to make Greater Manchester the easiest place to become a net zero business. He joined in April 2023 from the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), where from October 2021 he was a Senior Policy Adviser, working primarily on clean heat policy. Prior to that he was a chartered accountant, working first in Audit and then Transaction Services at Deloitte (2009 to 2018) and Dow Schofield Watts (2018 to 2020), after which he completed an MA in Politics at the University of Manchester.
Joss supports clients mapping their carbon emissions across their operations and value chain (scope 1, 2 and 3). He is a carbon sustainability specialist with five years of experience working with organisations in the UK and internationally. Joss holds an MSc in Environment, Climate Change and Development from the University of Manchester’s Global Development Institute, specialising in infrastructure and resource extraction, and authoring a thesis on indigenous land rights and environmental justice. With the UK’s 2050 Net Zero target on the horizon, Joss is keen to work for an organisation delivering regional and national decarbonisation in line with he Paris 1.5 agreement.
Sarah sits within the sustainability team at ICAEW and is the technical lead on climate change. She drives the development of know-how to support members in tackling climate issues whether that be in business or practice and engages in policy work to drive meaningful government action. Sarah is also helping to deliver ICAEW’s own internal net zero strategy by engaging with internal stakeholders and ensuring the Institute conforms with best practice.
Sarah is the Secretary of the ICAEW Sustainability Committee that brings together experts across business, practice, NGOs, academia and public sector to tackle some of the biggest sustainability issues facing the profession. She also sits on various groups to inform and advise on how professionals can act on climate change, considering capacity building requirements and responding to the ever-changing policy landscape. This includes the Chartered Accountants Worldwide (CAW) Sustainability Taskforce, Professional Bodies Climate Action Charter (PBCAC), and the Sustainable Finance Education Charter.
Sarah also holds an MSc in Sustainable Development from Queens University Belfast and is a systems change organiser for the UK Youth Climate Coalition (UKYCC).
I’m Geraldine and look after all things marketing and business development related. From branding to business relationships, I try to cover all bases. My team and I make sure that #teambeevers are represented in the best way and in all the right places.
With over 20 years of experience, I enjoy working with like-minded individuals who are keen to engage, grow and ensure their business is a sustainable one. I love the work I do with clients around social value and community projects, and not forgetting the time I spend with students in my role as Enterprise Advisor at a secondary school in Lancashire.
Steve is co-founder and CEO of Creative Concern. An experienced strategist, writer and communications consultant, Steve specialises in ethical and sustainability issues, integrated campaigns, city strategies, brand development and creating strange installations out of trees, lights and beautiful type.
Recent projects include work with C40 cities, World Green Building Council, World Resources Institute, Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce, Newcastle City Council, Plymouth City Council and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.
Steve’s spent the last few years also helping to create a European network of partner agencies, called Do Not Smile – www.donotsmile.com
He is currently a board member of the Greater Manchester LEP, and was recently the interim chair of the Community Forest Trust and has previously chaired Manchester’s Climate Change Partnership. A long time ago he was Communications Director at Sustainability Northwest and Head of Campaigns at the Vegetarian Society of the UK.
Specialties: Particular areas of expertise include climate change, place making, city strategies, culture, sustainable transport, food issues and the natural environment.
Interested In The Event?
If you’re interested in attending, you can book online here.
For any further enquires about this event, contact [email protected]
