Claire Revenig is a Senior Manager in Grant Thornton LLP's Audit Quality and Risk Group. She focuses on the implementation of international and US issued audit and assurance standards into the Grant Thornton audit methodology. Ms. Revenig has experience in auditing public and private clients in various industries. She has worked in a national audit and assurance role for over five years where she supported the rollout of Grant Thorton's global audit methodology, including developing technical audit training.

Ms. Revenig is a Certified Public Accountant (Colorado) with the Colorado Society of CPAs and a member of the American Institute of CPAs. She has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Metropolitan State University of Denver.

Misha Pieters currently leads a team of staff that supports the Auditing and Assurance Standards Board of New Zealand in its role of developing and issuing auditing and assurance standards in New Zealand. Ms. Peters comes from an auditing background, having previously worked at KPMG.

Ms. Peters has also previously assisted the IAASB and International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants with their extended external reporting projects (now part of the sustainability assurance project), eCode and technology projects as a staff fellow. She has a Master of Commerce from the University of the Witwatersrand and is a member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants and Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand. 

The IAASB is holding a range of engaging webinars and events to enhance understanding of the newly proposed International Standard on Sustainability Assurance (ISSA) 5000, General Requirements for Sustainability Assurance Engagements—and encourage participation in the public consultation.

1. Amplified Engagement through Stakeholder Survey: Recognizing the diverse perspectives and levels of expertise within our stakeholder community, an alternative avenue for feedback has been developed. In addition to the comprehensive Explanatory Memorandum and Response Template, the IAASB has created a stakeholder survey. This user-friendly tool allows the IAASB to obtain the views of stakeholders who may not ordinarily respond to IAASB consultations, including preparers of sustainability information, those with the oversight of its preparation, investors and other users of the sustainability information, sustainability reporting standard setters and members of the academic community. Survey responses will be aggregated and analyzed in conjunction with other feedback received.

2. Webinars for Enhanced Understanding: Learn more about ISSA 5000 at these dedicated IAASB webinars for practitioners and regulators, offered at two different times to allow for global participation.

• Dates & Times: September 6, 1-2:30 pm ET and September 7, 8-9:30 am ET
• Register Here for September 6
• Register Here for September 7

3. Empowering Global Exchange at Notable Events: Mark your calendars for these events that offer opportunities for learning, sharing, and networking.

• Corporate Disclosures webinar: Introducing a new global standard for sustainability assurance
  • Date & Time: September 22 at 3 pm BST / 10 am ET
  • Register Here
• IFAC Sustainability Summit–Asia Pacific: A collaborative endeavor with the ASEAN Federation of Accountants, Confederation of Asian and Pacific Accountants, South Asian Federation of Accountants, and Jeju Group.
  • Dates & Times:
    • September 27, 8:30-10:30 am Mumbai / 1:00-3:00 pm Melbourne / 10:00 am-12:00 pm Jakarta / 11:00 am-1:00 pm Singapore / 12:00-2:00 pm Tokyo / 4:00-6:00 am London / 11:00 pm-1:00 am New York
      • Register Here for day one, September 27
    • September 28, 10:30 am-1:00 pm Mumbai / 3:00–5:30 pm Melbourne / 12:00-2:30 pm Jakarta / 1:00-3:30 pm Singapore / 2:00-4:30 pm Tokyo / 6:00-8:30 am London / 1:00–3:30 am New York
      • Register Here for day two, September 28
• IFAC & Accountancy Europe In-Person Event: Preparing for High-Quality Sustainability Assurance Engagements
  • Date, Time & Location: October 3 at 2 pm CEST in Brussels
  • Register Here

For further details and updates, visit the IAASB website: iaasb.org/ISSA5000

Join the IAASB for a deep dive into its proposed International Standard on Sustainability Assurance (ISSA) 5000, General Requirements for Sustainability Assurance Engagements, focusing on the IAASB’s approach to drafting the standard and the challenges it addresses. ISSA 5000 will serve as a comprehensive, stand-alone standard suitable for any sustainability assurance engagement.

This webinar will provide participants, especially assurance practitioners and regulators, with:

Join the IAASB for a deep dive into its proposed International Standard on Sustainability Assurance (ISSA) 5000, General Requirements for Sustainability Assurance Engagements, focusing on the IAASB’s approach to drafting the standard and the challenges it addresses. ISSA 5000 will serve as a comprehensive, stand-alone standard suitable for any sustainability assurance engagement.

This webinar will provide participants, especially assurance practitioners and regulators, with:

The IAASB issued the proposed, landmark International Standard on Sustainability Assurance (ISSA) 5000, General Requirements for Sustainability Assurance Engagements, for public consultation on August 2.

When approved, ISSA 5000 will be the most comprehensive sustainability assurance standard available to all assurance practitioners across the globe. It will apply to sustainability information reported about any appropriate sustainability matter and prepared under any suitable framework. It will also apply for both limited and reasonable assurance engagements.

ISSA 5000 also benefits from close consultation and coordination with other global organizations, including IOSCO, FSB, IESBA, ISSB, and GRI.

From August 2 to December 1 is when we need to hear from you; your feedback on the proposed standard is crucial. We need to hear from those who:

• Prepare, use or provide assurance on sustainability information
• Use reported sustainability information to make decisions, including audit committee members, investors, and others.

Follow us on LinkedIn or on Twitter or register & subscribe on our website for updates on the proposed ISSA 5000’s release and for announcements about upcoming webinars and events.

The International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) today issued its proposed International Standard on Sustainability Assurance (ISSA) 5000, General Requirements for Sustainability Assurance Engagements. With its focus on assurance on sustainability reporting, ISSA 5000, when approved, will be the most comprehensive sustainability assurance standard available to all assurance practitioners across the globe.

“Our proposed ISSA 5000 is a crucial step in enhancing confidence and trust in sustainability reporting. This proposal directly responds to the International Organization of Securities Commissions recommendations and complements the work of other standard setters, including the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants,” noted IAASB Chair Tom Seidenstein. “Corporate reporting, whether financial or sustainability focused, is more trusted when it receives external and independent assurance based upon globally accepted standards independently developed in the public interest.”

ISSA 5000 is a principles-based, overarching standard suitable for both limited and reasonable assurance engagements on sustainability information reported across any sustainability topic. The IAASB drafted the standard to work with sustainability information prepared under any suitable reporting framework. These frameworks include the many reporting frameworks already in place and those under development, including but not limited to those issued by the European Union, the International Sustainability Standards Board, the Global Reporting Initiative, the International Organization for Standardization, and others. The standard is profession agnostic, supporting its use by both professional accountant and non-accountant assurance practitioners when performing high quality sustainability assurance engagements.

The IAASB is committed to an extensive, high-level outreach plan to ensure broad stakeholder input. One core element of the outreach is a series of four roundtables beginning in September. The IAASB will also take part in virtual, regional, and national events, many held in partnership with other organizations, throughout the consultation period.

“Receiving the broadest range of views from our stakeholders will improve both the quality of and trust in the final standard. Our unprecedented commitment to outreach will allow us to engage directly with a much wider group of stakeholders to gather the valuable insights we need to finalize a high-quality robust standard,” noted IAASB Vice-Chair and Sustainability Task Force Chair Josephine Jackson.

For additional information on upcoming events, follow the IAASB on LinkedIn and/or Twitter and register/subscribe to our mailing list.

ISSA 5000 will be available French, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish in the coming weeks. The IAASB invites all stakeholders to comment on the proposed revisions via the IAASB website by December 1, 2023.