RSM UK’s Rich Hall named first UK Accounting for Nature Accredited Auditor
RSM UK’s Rich Hall has become the UK’s first Accounting for Nature (AfN) Accredited Auditor enhancing the firm’s ESG offering and positioning it at the forefront of the fast-emerging nature accounting and assurance market.
The accreditation provides the unique ability to deliver independent environmental audits working to Accounting for Nature’s global environmental accounting standard to certify credible, verified nature claims for clients across the UK.
Accounting for Nature is a leading certifiable and transparent environmental accounting framework that helps inform better investment, policy and management decisions in natural capital, such as carbon, soil, water and biodiversity.
Rich Hall is a leading ESG professional with over 20 years’ experience leading sustainability and assurance projects in the UK and globally, that support the needs of business with sustainable financial reporting. Becoming an Accounting for Nature® Accredited Auditor expands the services of the firm’s growing ESG team and strategically enhances its offering in the UK market.
Rich Hall, consulting partner and Head of ESG and Sustainability services at RSM UK and Ireland, said: “This is a major strategic milestone for our ESG practice. We are at the forefront of the fast-emerging nature accounting and assurance market, and this accreditation gives us a unique ability to independently verify environmental accounts under the global Accounting for Nature® Framework and Standard for our UK clients.
“The incorporation of nature into financial decision-making is moving from aspiration to requirement. Whether it’s an agricultural business, investment firm or corporation with nature-related risks, the scientific approach translates ecological health into economic terms helping to better integrate nature into commercial decisions. This adds credibility to our clients’ sustainability strategies, which is an increasingly powerful tool for businesses and policy makers.”
Dr Adrian Ward, Chief Executive Officer at Accounting for Nature, said: “Rich’s accreditation represents an important milestone in the expansion of independently assured Environmental Accounting. As a respected sustainability professional, his appointment as the first Accredited Auditor under the Accounting for Nature® Framework in the UK strengthens global capacity for credible, science-based reporting on nature.
“While RSM Australia has delivered independent assurance across Certified Environmental Accounts for several years, today’s development extends that capability internationally. Transparent and accountable investment in nature depends on rigorous, third-party verification — and we welcome the role Rich and his team will play in upholding that standard.”