On How CPAs Can Win More ESG Reporting Work

Welcome to AccelPro Audit, where we provide expert interviews and coaching to accelerate your professional development. Today we’re featuring a conversation with Tim Coville, associate professor of accounting at St. John’s University. 

ESG is an undoubtedly hot (if controversial) topic in the business world as companies and regulators wrestle with what businesses should disclose about their environmental and social impact, and exactly how. But despite all this noise and attention on the topic, CPA firms in North America currently handle a relatively small slice of ESG reporting and assurance work — just 15% according to Coville’s research. The rest goes to engineering firms and other consultants. 

In this interview, Coville discusses why public accountants don’t win more business related to ESG reporting, how the evolving regulatory landscape might change the situation and what auditors should be doing now to prepare to handle more of this sort of work in the future. Putting on his educator’s hat, Coville also reveals what advice he gives students on finding a fulfilling path in the world of audit and how working in the ESG space has helped him find meaning in his career.

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