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Sustainability and ESG reporting is moving rapidly from a “future consideration” to a core finance and governance issue for UK organisations. With the introduction of the UK Sustainability Reporting Standards (SRS), evolving EU regulatory expectations, and the rollout of the ISSA 5000 assurance standard, finance teams are under increasing pressure to understand what is required, what is proportionate, and how to respond in practice.

This course is designed for accountants, auditors, and finance professionals who need a clear, practical understanding of the regulatory landscape in 2026 and how to integrate sustainability considerations into existing finance, risk, and governance processes. Attendees will gain clarity on what has changed, why it matters, and how to respond in a way that is credible, efficient, and defensible under audit and regulatory scrutiny.

In this course Jose Antonio Hopkins and Stephen Pell cover the following topics:

• 2026 regulatory landscape - what actually matters
   Overview of UK SRS, key EU developments, and the introduction of ISSA 5000, focusing on what finance teams need to pay attention to and what can be deprioritised.
• What assurance teams will expect to see
   How sustainability information will be challenged under assurance, including governance, documentation, evidence, and consistency with financial reporting.
• Internal buy-in and governance - getting the basics right
   How to set up proportionate governance, clarify roles and responsibilities, and secure buy-in across finance, risk, internal audit, and senior management.
• Integrating sustainability risks into existing processes
   Practical ways to embed material sustainability risks into risk registers, financial planning, controls, and management reporting without creating parallel systems.
• Common pitfalls and practical next steps for 2026
   Typical issues seen in practice, how to avoid over-complication, and a clear set of actions finance teams can take following the session.