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Sustainability is now a core part of how clients are expected to manage risk, build resilience, and operate responsibly. Accountants and advisers are increasingly being asked for support on everything from decarbonisation roadmaps, energy efficiency investments, waste reduction strategies, climate and nature-related risk assessments, and supplier due diligence, to broader sustainability planning and alignment with government or investor expectations.

This session is designed to build your practical competence and mindset when advising clients on sustainability matters. We’ll explore how to keep conversations focused on what’s relevant, avoid overcomplicating the advice, and lead with clarity and integrity. For example, complex frameworks like double materiality are often misapplied—leading to the identification of irrelevant topics and overreporting. This session will show you how to apply sustainability thinking proportionately, focusing on impact, governance, and long-term value. You don’t need to be a specialist—just equipped with the right tools and judgement.

In this session Jose Antonio Hopkins & Marta Santamaria will cover the following topics:

• What sustainability means in a business context – moving beyond regulation to resilience and value
• How to help clients define sustainability goals that reflect their size, sector, and business model
• Understanding net zero and climate commitments – what matters and how to explain them simply
• A structured approach to developing a basic sustainability plan with clients (goals, actions, monitoring)
• Common challenges – maintaining integrity, avoiding overreporting, and embedding sustainability into governance

By attending this session, you will:

• Build confidence and the right mindset for discussing sustainability with clients
• Understand how to assess when and where sustainability is relevant to a client’s operations
• Know how to explain key terms such as net zero, transition planning, and resilience in plain language
• Be able to guide clients through a practical planning process that supports governance and long-term value
• Strengthen your role as a trusted adviser by applying sustainability with integrity, relevance, and practicality

This session will be of most interest to: -

• Accountants and advisers working with small and medium-sized businesses
• Finance professionals offering advisory services
• Financial controllers and business owners starting to explore sustainability
• Risk, compliance, and assurance professionals supporting internal and external reporting

Course level: Intermediate

No prior knowledge of sustainability reporting or technical frameworks is required. This course is designed for professionals who want to build confidence and capability in offering practical, proportionate, and strategic sustainability advice.