Financial services: the impact of climate change and sustainability disclosures
-
26 June 2025 8:30am - 10:00am
-
BDO LLP - London
-
Seminar
-
- financial services
- Free
-
CPD Points 1.00
This free event is hosted by BDO LLP.
Event overview
Climate change, nature degradation and biodiversity loss are one of the biggest risks of our time. Climate change and the transition to a net-zero emissions economy creates operational and financial risks for financial institutions and corporates and the Bank of England has set out rules for the firms that they regulate so as to develop proportionate controls to mitigate those risks.
Internal Audit plays a vital role in enhancing risk management practices as well transparency in climate change and sustainability reporting and boosting investor confidence.
The purpose of this session is to share knowledge and tools for internal auditors to enhance transparency, governance and sustainability in their organisations, ensuring they remain at the forefront of ESG and sustainability-related Internal Audit practices.
- The role of Internal Audit in progressing governance and oversight of climate and sustainability-related financial risk and opportunities
- Sustainable investment strategies and the impact of sustainable finance on portfolio performance
- Emerging trends such as nature, biodiversity and transition finance.
| 09:00 | Welcome and introductions | John Webb |
| 09:05 | The impact of climate change and sustainability disclosures | Mark Spencer |
| Gloria Perez Torres | ||
| 09:40 | Q&A | Chair: John Webb |
| 09:55 | Closing remarks | John Webb |
John Webb, Head of Internal Audit, Webb Sight Consultancy Ltd
John is an accountant and a certified fraud examiner, specialising in financial services internal audit, corporate governance and fraud. After 35 years of auditing financial services (Investment Banking, Asset Management and Insurance), John’s recent work as a contractor and Director of Webb Sight Consultancy Ltd has been as an Interim Chief Internal Auditor, Expert Witness, Expert Advisor to the Court, Quality Assurance Reviewer and Auditor of corporate governance and fraud risk management.
As well as editing CIIA guidance papers, John has written some of the guidance papers. He has contributed regularly to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners’ UK Fraud Manual.
Mark Spencer, Partner, BDO LLP
Mark is a Partner in BDO's FS Advisory practice and leads accounting and corporate reporting advice practice. Accounting and corporate reporting advisory helps financial institutions and corporates make complex accounting, financial reporting and corporate reporting challenges simpler and easier to understand or interpret, which results in more informed and therefore better decision-making while providing assurance and mitigating risks. He particularly specialises in structuring advice to achieve a desired accounting outcome and financial instruments, insurance contracts and digital assets and liabilities accounting and financial reporting as well as ESG and sustainability disclosure matters.
Mark regularly engages with key decision makers across regulatory organisations, bodies of influence and BDO’s peers at national and global levels, particularly in all of these areas, and currently sits on working parties of the UK Endorsement Board and ICAEW. This gives him deep insight into the challenges that financial institutions and corporates face when it comes to accounting, financial reporting and corporate reporting.
Gloria Perez Torres, Associate Director, BDO LLP
Gloria manages the ESG advisory programme for financial services firms in the banking, insurance, investments and pensions sectors. She advises clients on their strategic approach and implementation of climate change and sustainability-related risk controls, in line with local regulatory requirements and expectations.
Gloria has supported more than 30 financial institutions on implementation of the PRA’s requirements for managing climate change financial risk (SS 3/19) and Lloyd’s ESG Roadmap. In addition, she has lead the delivery o assurance engagements for global financial institutions, focusing on topics such as GHG emissions, gender and diversity data and TCFD reporting.
Gloria has a broad understanding of the financial services' regulatory environment in the UK and internationally, working with firms in the EU, Asia, USA and the Middle East. She also has significant experience of working across a number of jurisdictions, including Hong Kong and the United States.
Governance, risk and control