CA Sri Lanka kicks off 4-month long webinar series today to shed key insights to Integrated Reporting

With integrated reporting (IR) continuing to remain a key area of focus across the globe amidst reinforced demands for corporate responsibility, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka) which has continuously promoted the IR framework in the country, has once organised a wide-ranging webinar series on this important subject.

An exciting line up of highly specialised subject experts will steer a nine-session online seminar series which will kick off today and conclude on 8 September. The Zoom-based series will be especially beneficial to annual report preparers, business leaders, entrepreneurs, CFOs, CEOs, academia and students who want to learn more about integrated reporting and its numerous benefits apart from why companies, both big and small must follow the framework.

The series opener on 16 June features Smart Academy Chief Officer Raja Senanayake who will speak on “Integrated Reporting: The Investor’s Perspective.” This will be followed by a panel discussion involving CFA Sri Lanka Society President Dinesh Warusavitharana and University of Colombo Faculty of Management and Finance Department of Accounting Dr. Nuradhi Jayasiri.

The second session on “SDGs in Integrated Thinking and Reporting” will be presented by Global Strategic Corporate Sustainability Ltd., Chairman/CEO Dr. Ravi Fernando on 29 June. The third session by BDO Sri Lanka Partner Jerad Dias on 6 July will shed light on “The Paradigm Shift: The Future of Reporting on Value Creation.”

The fourth session, on 19 July will feature KPMG Sri Lanka Partner Ranjani Joseph who will share her insights on “Integrated Reporting Assurance,” while the fifth session on how to use the “International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) Framework and Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) Standards together” will be presented by SheConsults Ltd., Director Aruni Rajakarier on 27 July. With more corporates looking to adopt integrated reporting, the sixth session on 10 August will see DIMO PLC Director/CFO Suresh Gooneratne share his company’s experience during the session titled “Integrated Reporting and the Anatomy of the Corporate.”

The seventh session on “Transition to Integrated Reporting: How to Get Started” will be held on 18 August featuring John Keells Holdings Group Financial Controller and Vice President Mohan Thanthirige who will shed insights on how corporates can kick off their integrated reporting journey. The eighth session on the “IFC Governance and Disclosures Framework on Integrated Reporting” is scheduled for 30 August and will feature IFC - South Asia ESG Officer Lopa Rahman while series will conclude with the ninth session titled ‘An Asian Perspective on Practical Challenges and Strategies for Successful Implementation’ on 8 September which will be presented by Linkoping University (Sweden) Lecturer and IIRC London Ambassador Dr. Nandita Mishra.

The moderators for the series will be Integrated Reporting Council of Sri Lanka Chairman Ashane Jayasekara and former Chairman Asite Talwatte.

Unlike in the past, stakeholders including investors today have higher expectations and demands from companies now and amidst increasing access to information, they are privy to what is happening around them in terms of environment, technology and good practices. Hence, there is a growing need for companies, both big and small to ensure it provides stakeholders with access to information in terms of how the company is creating and adding value on a short and long-term basis, while moving away from the conventional annual reporting, which largely focused on financial aspects and the bottom line of a company.

Since 2012, CA Sri Lanka has taken the lead in promoting the Integrated Reporting framework amongst corporates in Sri Lanka, and in 2016, CA Sri Lanka also launched the Integrated Reporting Council of Sri Lanka, under the guidance of the International Integrated Reporting Council.