Connecting sustainability and finance

Dr Mario Abela, Director of Standards, Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)
Dr Mario Abela FCPA FCMA is an expert advisor on Sustainability Reporting at Bain &Co and in the past has worked with clients such as United Nations, CERES, Value Balancing Alliance and the Capitals Coalition. He is the past Chair of World Intangible Capital Initiative and has held a number of positions on a number advisory boards for global accounting bodies. Mario is a recognized expert in accounting, reporting and governance. Mario holds a PhD in Accounting from the University of London, a Masters of Science from Linkoping University, Sweden and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Melbourne, Australia. He has held senior executive positions in both the public and private sector and for the last decade has been working in the area of sustainability promoting the importance of accounting and governance in developing sustainable business models. 

Marie-Josee Privyk, Founder and ESG Advisor, FinComm Services
Marie-Josee (MJ) is an ESG Disclosure Coach and Founder of FinComm Services, providing individuals and companies with sustainability reporting information and advisory services. Drawing on more than 30 years of experience in capital markets, she combines her knowledge of financial analysis, capital markets, business valuation, investor relations, and financial and sustainability reporting to help her clients keep up with the rapidly evolving space and produce fit-for-purpose disclosures. Prior to returning to independent advisory, MJ was Chief ESG Innovation Officer at Novisto, a leading ESG data management software company. Since 2024, MJ is also Strategic Advisor on ESG for members of the QG100 Network, and a member of Capital régional et coopératif Desjardins’s development capital investment committee. She is also a board member of the Common Approach to Impact Measurement.

David Wray, Board Member, IESBA
David became a member of the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants in January 2024. He most recently worked as a Senior Director of Accounting and Reporting at Huawei Global Finance. He previously held several finance executive roles in the technology industry. David serves as a Board Member of the International CFO Alliance (ICFOA) and as its Chair of ESG. He is also the President of the DFCG's International Group and an Executive Member of the DFCG National Board. He holds technical advisory roles with various organisations in the US, UK, and South Africa.

Richard Spencer, Director, Sustainability, ICAEW
Richard joined ICAEW in 2005 to set up the sustainability practice within Reputation and Influence department. During this time Richard has led on the ICAEW’s thought leadership and engagement programme in sustainability.