Mark leads ACCA’s global public sector research as part of the Policy and Insights team, focusing on current issues affecting finance professionals working in the public sector across different countries. He has previously authored reports on public sector  sustainability reporting and assurance, jointly published by ACCA, IFAC and the INTOSAI Development Initiative, as well as  green budgeting and the evolving role of senior finance leadership in the public sector. Mark has a MA in Public Administration and Public Policy and a MSc in Public Financial Management. He is a qualified Chartered Public Finance Accountant and previously worked in local government in England.

1:00-2:20pm UTC/3:00-4:20pm CEST/9:00-10.20am EDT

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Karen is a Manager at the International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB), focusing on sustainability reporting technical projects. She is currently the staff lead on the Climate-related Disclosures project.

After her initial exposure to sustainability through a series of workshops with the Nature Conservancy, her career in sustainability and green finance began with the Climate Change and Sustainability Services, Financial Services team at EY in their Hong Kong office. Since then, she has also worked with the Blockchain and Climate Institute and Zevero, a carbon accounting startup. Her diverse experiences include sustainability and climate risk advisory, sustainability reporting, sustainable finance assurance, greenhouse gas accounting, and climate risk modelling through GIS.

Karen is an EFFAS Certified ESG Analyst® (CESGA) and a holder of the Sustainability and Climate Risk (SCR^®) Certificate, issued by the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP). Karen holds a MSc Sustainable and Green Finance from the National University of Singapore, where she collaborated with WWF Singapore on bankable nature-based solutions. She also holds a BSc (Hons) Geology from the University of Edinburgh, where her academic pursuits led her to the University Centre in Svalbard, where she studied permafrost and its associated climate and avalanche risks.

Ruth Forbes is President and CEO of FortisTCI in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) and is one of the few female CEOs in the utility sector serving the Caribbean region. Under her leadership, FortisTCI is focused on achieving a supportive regulatory environment to transition to a greener, smarter energy future. 

 Prior to assuming the leadership role, Mrs. Forbes was Senior Vice President of Corporate Services, Chief Financial Officer, and Company Secretary and has 17 years of experience in utilities. She has been instrumental in driving transformative change and innovation, having had oversight of several business functions, including finance, internal audit, legal, information technology, customer service, corporate communications, human resources, and supply chain management.
 
Mrs. Forbes has a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Barry University. She holds the Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designations. Mrs. Forbes also completed the Directors Education Program and received the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors through the University of Toronto - Rotman School of Management.
 
She serves as a Director on the boards of FortisOntario and Fortis Belize Limited and is also a Director on the board of The Caribbean Electric Utility Services Corporation (CARILEC). She has served for almost three years as the Governor’s Appointed Member to the Public Accounts Committee of the Turks and Caicos Islands. 

 Mrs. Forbes joined IFAC’s Professional Accountants in Business (PAIB) Advisory Group in January 2024. She was nominated by the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA).
 
Mrs. Forbes is a devout philanthropist and founder of “Jewels Ablaze”, an organization that empowers and supports girls and women.