GRI names PwC’s Eelco van der Enden as new CEO

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), which specialises in setting sustainability standards and is heavily involved in developing moves in this area at EU level, has named board member Eelco van der Enden as its new CEO.

He joins from PwC, where he was global ESG platform leader for tax, legal, people and organisation services. The new CEO has more than 20 years of experience in senior financial and sustainability management roles.

Eric Hespenheide, chair of GRI, said: “I am pleased to confirm that the search for a new leader for GRI has concluded, with the appointment from January of Eelco van der Enden as our CEO. As a GRI board member for two years and having served on the committee that designed the GRI Tax Standard, Eelco already has a deep understanding of and commitment to our mission and values.

“With corporate transparency on the global agenda like never before, Eelco brings the expertise and energy we need to deliver our robust independent standards and accelerate our engagement with partners around the world,” he added.

Incoming CEO van der Enden said: “I am convinced that we need to both strengthen financial reporting and have sustainability standards that address double materiality. Value creation is important for innovation, employment, investment power and capabilities to change. But of equal importance are the environment and socioeconomic cohesion of society. One cannot exist without the other. I see it as one of my key responsibilities to ensure GRI is collaborating with all key organisations to ensure these two pillars are in place.”

He added that GRI’s “unique” leadership role in the co-construction of EU sustainability reporting standards is just one example of how the organisation can help global convergence on this issue.

“I am confident that the multi-stakeholder approach of GRI, with reporting that widens the lens to include both internal and external impacts and is on an equal footing with financial reporting, is crucial to unlocking the pressing sustainable development challenges we face as a global community,” he said.