Global Reporting Initiative CEO Eelco van der Enden plans to step down at the end of the year when his three-year contract concludes on Dec. 31.
He was appointed CEO in January 2022, but his relationship with the sustainability standard-setter began in 2017, when he started serving in advisory and supervisory roles for GRI, including membership of the technical committee that developed the world's first global tax transparency standard. He was appointed to GRI's board of directors in 2020.
GRI is an independent not-for-profit organization and standard-setter that has worked to develop a common global language used to assess and report on environmental, social and economic impacts. In recent years, after a number of other ESG standard-setters such as the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board and the Climate Disclosure Standards Board
"I'm incredibly proud of what we have achieved together at GRI in my time here, during a period in which there has been an explosion of interest in sustainability reporting, and a rapid shift in expectations as we move from voluntary to mandatory disclosure requirements in many markets," Van der Enden said in a statement Friday. "We have been able to build on 25 years of GRI's heritage, at the same time as ensuring the organization is fit for the future. The past few years have been a time of transition, where we have worked closely with partners to ensure there is a common baseline for globally applicable and comparable sustainability data. Alongside our widely used reporting standards, initiatives such as the Sustainability Innovation Lab have laid a solid foundation for capacity building. By enabling the transparency that builds trust in organizations, I believe we are helping to create a happier and healthier world for business and society."
"I look forward to seeing GRI go from strength to strength, as we go beyond simply serving as the architect of the global language of impact reporting to also teaching people to speak this language fluently and communicate more effectively with one another," he added. "The end of the year and my fixed term three-year contract is a natural point for me to pass on the role of CEO to someone who can take GRI through the next phase of its evolution. Until then, the work continues and I look forward to working with GRI's board and senior leaders to find my replacement during the remainder of the year."
Van der Enden
"What will be GRI's pathway forward? Alignment, alignment, alignment," Van der Enden told Accounting Today. "We seek to cooperate and align working processes when it comes to sustainability reporting. We can set joint agendas with the ISSB. We can, as far as I'm concerned, share projects and whatever is needed to make sure that cooperation between them is good."
Van der Enden was appointed GRI CEO in January 2022 after four years in governance roles with the organization. In 2017, he was appointed to the Technical Committee that developed GRI 207: Tax 2019, and he then joined the GRI board in January 2020. Prior to GRI, he worked for PwC as a partner and later as global ESG platform leader for tax, legal, people and organization services. He has also served as chair of the Tax Policy Group of Accountancy Europe, and held a variety of senior roles at publicly listed companies, including as head of treasury, risk management and tax.
A recruitment process to find his successor has begun. He will continue to operate as CEO until his departure to provide an orderly transition.
"Eelco has done a tremendous job leading GRI through increasing harmonization of reporting standards and has positioned the organization to fulfill its purpose and expand its impact in the future — financially, structurally and strategically," said Jessica Fries, chair of the GRI Supervisory Board, in a statement. "He's been hugely effective and we are confident that his successor will build on the strong foundations that he will leave behind."
