Three members appointed to the International Sustainability Standards Board from Europe and Japan

The IFRS Foundation Trustees have appointed Jenny Bofinger-Schuster, Hiroshi Komori and Veronika Pountcheva to the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB). The appointments bring the membership to 13; provide geographical balance; and add further investment expertise, practical corporate sustainability and reporting experience to the ISSB.

Ms Bofinger-Schuster joins the ISSB from Siemens, where she has served as Senior Vice President for sustainability and operational excellence, with responsibility for developing the company’s sustainability strategy and for implementing new disclosure requirements. She previously worked for Siemens Management Consulting and Horváth & Partners Management Consultants. She holds a Diploma in Business Administration from the University of Augsburg and an MBA from the University of Dayton, Ohio.

Mr Komori served as Senior Director and Head of the Stewardship and ESG Division at the Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) in Japan from 2015 to 2022, where he established the Division and developed GPIF’s investor engagement and participation in international sustainability initiatives. Before joining GPIF, he worked for Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, where he created an investor relations consulting service for Japanese companies and Saitama Bank (now Resona Bank). He holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from the International University of Japan.

Ms Pountcheva joins the ISSB from METRO, where she served as Senior Vice President of corporate responsibility and Co-chief Executive Officer of NX Food, with responsibility for developing the company’s long-term sustainability strategy. She previously held leadership roles at METRO in Bulgaria, Germany and Serbia. More recently, she also chaired initiatives at the Consumer Goods Forum and Leading Executives Advancing Diversity. She holds a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of National and World Economy in Sofia, and a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and Chemistry from the Technical University of Sofia.

Erkki Liikanen, Chair of the IFRS Foundation Trustees, said:

With these latest appointments we have a geographically balanced board with a broad range of expertise that puts the ISSB in good stead to respond to the global demand from companies, investors, regulators and others for better sustainability disclosures.

Emmanuel Faber, Chair of the ISSB, said:

We continue to strengthen the ISSB team so that we can deliver on our challenging and important task of developing standards that will enable companies to provide the sustainability disclosures that investors need. I’m delighted to welcome Jenny, Hiroshi and Veronika to the ISSB.

Ms Bofinger-Schuster said:

I am excited to join the ISSB because this role represents an excellent opportunity to play a part in delivering standards for the disclosures on sustainability risks and opportunities to the capital markets, helping both companies and investors make better informed decisions.

Mr Komori said:

I am honoured to be an inaugural ISSB member and excited about the journey ahead. I look forward to working with my fellow ISSB colleagues and engaging with stakeholders to develop and align sustainability disclosures for companies and investors around the world.

Ms Pountcheva said:

The ISSB has a unique role that can help enable positive change and collective action. I am honoured to be part of the team tasked with the development of sustainability standards for the capital markets.

The new ISSB members’ terms start in December, September and October 2022.

The ISSB’s next meeting takes place on the week commencing 19 September 2022. The meeting can be observed live from the meeting page.