In this one-day course, participants will learn the terms, standards, and processes involved in complying with the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and draft a practical action plan to get their organisation ready for it. 

At the end of the programme participants will:

• Be familiar with the CSRD including why it’s happening, which companies will need to report, and when;
• Have an overview of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) that companies will need to disclosure against to comply with CSRD;
• Understand how to run a CSRD-compliant Double Materiality Assessment, working in a structured way with stakeholders to identify material Impacts, Risks, and Opportunities (IROs);
• Know what a CSRD-compliant ‘Sustainability Statement’ (report) looks like in practice;
• Understand what it will take to organise internally for CSRD, including skills / teams and resources / software / processes / governance / assurance readiness;
• Have completed a high-level CSRD-readiness self-assessment and filled out a high-level CSRD action plan for their organisation;
• Feel confident discussing CSRD with colleagues;
• Be connected to a group of fellow executives, all dealing in some way with CSRD in their respective organisations, with whom they can share experiences and insights.

Programme Facilitators

This programme will be delivered by SustainabilityWorks (SW), one of Ireland’s leading, independent sustainability consultancies.

Laura Heuston

Laura Heuston is a Partner and Co-Founder with SW. She leads SW’s work on CSRD and on sustainable finance. She previously worked with Airtricity and KPMG, and is a Fellow Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax Consultant. She is currently supporting several Irish public, private, and semi-state companies to get ready for CSRD.

Karen Deignan

Karen Deignan is a Partner and Co-Founder with SW. She is an expert in sustainability strategy and reporting, having worked at the Carbon Trust and supported companies large and small, in Ireland and abroad, with sustainability reporting in line with voluntary frameworks such as GRI, and now the mandatory CSRD.

Aideen O’Hora

Aideen O’Hora is a Partner and Co-Founder with SW. An environmental scientist by background, she is an expert in sustainable business, energy, and climate innovation. Over her career she has created national programmes to inform policy and drive progress on corporate sustainability. She is currently supporting several Irish public, private, and semi-state companies to get ready for CSRD.

Sharon Keilthy

Sharon Keilthy is an Associate Director with SW and the lead trainer on SW’s courses with Ibec Academy. She is an experienced consultant, sustainability practitioner, and entrepreneur. She worked for ten years in consulting with McKinsey and Co, then started the world’s first eco-activist toystore, Jiminy, before returning to work in consulting with SW.

Donall Hogan

Donall Hogan is a Senior Consultant with SW and a Chartered Accountant by background. He is SW’s resident expert on the new European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) for CSRD and on the EU Taxonomy. He is currently supporting several Irish public, private, and semi-state companies to get ready for CSRD, including completing double materiality assessments and preparing EU Taxonomy disclosures.