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LEARNING RESOURCE

Fundamentals of ESG Certificate
not just a matter of understanding the techni-
calities of a single document, he said, especially Kick-start your understanding of ESG
(environmental protection, social inclusion, and
given how fast some of the voluntary standards
governance) issues with this course, designed to
are changing. help you learn how the landscape has developed
Instead, Neff said, the goal is to get a deeper, and the key role CPAs and finance professionals
contextual understanding of “what ESG means, have to play.
and how it’s impacting our clients,” he said. “What
CPE SELF-STUDY
are their stakeholders looking for?”
He and others suggested keeping current on
For more information or to make a purchase, go to aicpa.org/cpe-learning
ESG topics by following ESG-related podcasts,
or call the Institute at 888-777-7077.
blogs, and more, as well as the resources published
by organizations like the AICPA.
TAPPING INTO CORE SKILLS
As they’re hiring accountants for ESG, team AICPA RESOURCES
leaders are looking for hires who can thrive in a
complex, fast-changing specialty, where the right Webcast
answer isn’t always obvious. That requires a strong New developments in sustainability standard setting and SEC rulemaking
set of core accounting skills, as well as other soft
Practice aid
skills and attributes that can help in navigat-
Considerations of ESG-related matters in an audit of financial statements
ing change.
For Kevin O’Connell, CPA, Trust Solu-
tions ESG practice leader at PwC, that means
experience with evolving GAAP standards and
other forms of change in accounting, since they
will be helping clients to implement new forms candidates’ ability to learn quickly by asking ques-
of reporting. tions: Are they good interviewers?
Besides mastering new standards, his team will “We actually provide a lot of our new hires
have to help clients align ESG reporting with with training in conducting interviews,” she said.
their existing financial reporting schedules. For The goal is to allow employees to lead conversa-
example, O’Connell said, some ESG reports are tions that build trust with clients and surface
currently completed during the summer but may important information.
need to move to February or March to align with “What we want to learn is what is working for
the 10-K reporting cycle. [clients], how can we make things work better,
That points to a larger need for expertise in how do we move the needle in the organization?
related specialties like change management and And that requires folks to trust you,” Rozil-
project management. “If you’re good at under- lis added.
standing business processes and controls, there’s a Rozillis also looks for humility. If someone
place for you in [an] ESG practice,” he said. needs to be the “smartest guy in the room,” that
Candidates for ESG jobs also have to be com- often leaves them unable to learn and adapt —
fortable with ambiguity and open-ended questions. especially in an area like ESG, where standards
“Accountants have historically been able to come and protocols aren’t yet finalized.
in and have a universally accepted framework to “You’ll have to be willing to do a lot more
follow that comes with their job — financial ac- learning, a lot more listening,” she said. “That can
counting standards,” Neff said. But in ESG, there’s be really humbling, especially if you’re advanced in
not always a clear answer to every question, or even your career.”
a singular framework to follow, he said. But the challenges of a shift to ESG can come
That’s why he and others have looked for with rewards, too, no matter where someone is in
candidates with intellectual curiosity — an their career. Besides the thrills and opportunities
attribute that could help them plan projects of joining a fast-growing part of the profession,
where there isn’t a single, clear-cut protocol or ESG accountants often report a personal satisfac-
method of execution. tion in working on issues with an importance that
At Moss Adams, Rozillis said she looks at extends far beyond the world of business. ■

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