Eric Freudenreich was appointed to the IFAC PAIB Advisory Group in January 2021, following his nomination by the French Compagnie Nationale des Commissaires aux Comptes (CNCC) and the Conseil National de l'Ordre des Experts-Comptables (CNOEC) of which he was the first ever PAIB to be registered in France.

Currently, Mr. Freudenreich chairs the Supervisory Board of AEW COMMERCES EUROPE and serves as a non-executive director in various real estate investment companies. His previous role was as the Internal Control Director for a group specializing in tubular solutions for the energy market, that he joined in 2003 after working for eight years in accounting firms in Frankfurt and Paris.

A Bordeaux Business School alumnus, Mr. Freudenreich's qualifications include being an Expert-comptable en entreprise, Certified Fraud Examiner, Certified Internal Auditor, with certifications in Risk Management Assurance, COSO Internal Control, COSO Enterprise Risk Management, and the ESG Certificate in internal auditing for sustainable organizations. He is also active in academia, lecturing at Paris-Dauphine University, and serves both as a trainer for the French IIA Chapter and a member of its Quality Services.

In addition to his advisory role with the IFAC PAIB, Mr. Freudenreich contributes to professional accounting governance in France. He is a member of the Registration Commission, operating under the Minister of the Economy, and playing a role in overseeing the registration of senior accountants with the CNOEC. Furthermore, he is involved with the Consultative Commission at the Ministry for Higher Education for the Professional Training of Chartered Accountants and is a member of the Technical College of the Association for Professional Accountants with elective or representative status, reflecting his commitment to the field.

A global search has begun for highly qualified individuals to fill four volunteer openings on the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) for an initial term of service of up to 3 years, commencing January 1, 2023.

The Public Interest Oversight Board’s (PIOB) newly formed Standard Setting Boards’ Nominations Committee has issued Invitations for Application, which includes the calls for both IESBA members and members of the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB). The application period will be open until March 30, 2022. The Board terms are renewable after the initial three years, for a maximum term of service of six years.

The Nominations Committee will make recommendations to the PIOB for up to four appointments and re-appointments to the IESBA. Individuals may also make nominations on their own behalf.

For additional information, please see the PIOB’s nominations web page or email SSBNominations@ipiob.org.

The Staff of the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) today released a set of frequently asked questions (FAQs) on the recently revised fee-related provisions of The International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including International Independence Standards) (the Code)*. The FAQs have been informed by the extensive discussions and consultations with a wide range of stakeholder groups and the IESBA’s own deliberations during the development and finalization of the standard.

The publication is designed to highlight, illustrate or explain aspects of the revised fee-related provisions in the Code and thereby assist in their proper application. It is intended to complement the Basis for Conclusions for the final standard and assist national standards setters, professional accountancy organizations, and professional accountants in public practice (including firms) as they adopt and/or implement the revised provisions. The publication is also intended to assist regulators and audit oversight bodies, the corporate governance community, investors, preparers, educational bodies or institutions, and other stakeholders in understanding the revised standard and its application.

*The revised standard addresses a number of topics, including threats to independence created by fees paid by an audit client (including fees for services other than audit), fee dependency, and transparency of fee-related information to those charged with governance and to the public from an auditor independence perspective in the case of public interest entities. The revised standard becomes effective for audits of financial statements for periods beginning on or after December 15, 2022. Read the provisions here.

Compliance Week caught up with Tom Seidenstein, chair of the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB), to talk about the independent organization’s current and future efforts to improve audit quality, the biggest challenges to audit confidence today, and what emerging issues might be around the corner.

Read the full article on the Compliance Week website.