Bruno Tesnière became a Technical Advisor for Christelle Martin in May 2022. A former partner at PwC in France, Mr. Tesnière was also the Chief Risk Officer, Partner Responsible for Independence and member of the leadership team, with experience in financial and IT audit. He is a member of the Ethics Group of the Compagnie National des Commissaires aux Comptes. Mr. Tesnière has also been involved in digitalization of financial reporting especially through promoting XBRL as Chair of XBRL Advisory Committee for the IFRS Foundation (2008 to 2013) and as chair of XBRL Europe (until 2016) a non-for profit organization for the development of the XBRL Standard in Europe and an affiliate of XBRL International.
Mr. Tesnière is a Certified Public Accountant and CISA, member of the Compagnie National des Commissaires aux Comptes and of the Ordre des Experts-Comptables in France. He has an MBA from Neoma (France).
The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) is reminding stakeholders and encouraging the public to act soon and submit comments on their two open exposure drafts.
The Proposed Revisions to the Code Relating to the Definition of Engagement Team and Group Audits establish provisions that comprehensively address independence considerations for firms and individuals involved in an engagement to perform an audit of group financial statements. The exposure draft landing page linked above includes a webinar explaining the proposed revisions.
Comments are requested by May 31, 2022.
The Proposed Technology-related Revisions to the Code seeks to enhance the Code’s robustness and expand its relevance in an environment being reshaped by rapid technological advancements. The proposed amendments will guide the ethical mindset and behavior of professional accountants in business and in public practice as they deal with changes brought by technology in their work processes and the content of the services they provide. The exposure draft landing page linked above includes a webinar explaining the proposed revisions.
Comments are requested by June 20, 2022. (For stakeholders who are unable to submit a formal response, an online survey has been created for the Tech ED.)
Public input is a critical component of the standards setting process. The IESBA encourages all stakeholders to comment on both important exposure drafts. Learn more about the IESBA at www.ethicsboard.org
“Considerable advances have been made in recent years to strengthen the International Independence Standards, further reinforcing the important role of the independent audit to the integrity of financial markets worldwide,” said IESBA Chair Gabriela Figueiredo Dias. “This timely benchmarking analysis answers many questions we have received and provides much insight into how the provisions in the Code compare with those of a major jurisdiction like the U.S., and will ultimately instill greater public confidence in the robustness of the Code.”
The IESBA launched the benchmarking study to promote awareness and further adoption of the Code. Without making judgments as to the relative merits of the two independence frameworks, the report highlights the similarities and key differences between the Code and the U.S. SEC and PCAOB rules in areas of greatest interest to stakeholders, including the permissibility of non-assurance services to audit clients, fees, long association with an audit client, and business and financial relationships. The IESBA will consider the findings of the benchmarking analysis in developing its 2024-2027 Strategy and Work Plan.
Alongside the detailed report, the IESBA Staff has published an abridged report that provides an overview of the main similarities and differences, as well as an additional publication with further information on the background and objectives of the initiative.
The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) invites all stakeholders to join its webinar discussing the critical role that complying with ethics standards, including on independence, play in ensuring reliable and trustworthy sustainability information.
“This Report includes my final message as IESBA Chairman and showcases the significant progress that the IESBA has made on behalf of the public interest during a time of great uncertainty,” said Dr. Stavros Thomadakis, former Chairman of the IESBA. “This includes the critical work that has been completed to strengthen the International Independence Standards, especially in relation to Non-Assurance Services, Fees, and the definition of a public interest entity; as well as timely and important milestones in projects related to Tax planning, Technology, and Independence in Group Audits. I am also proud of the extensive work that has been done jointly with certain National Standards Setters to highlight the applicability of the International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including International Independence Standards) to the unique challenges posed by the COVID-19 Pandemic.”
The 2020-2021 Report provides an overview of the IESBA’s extensive stakeholder outreach efforts. It also provides information about the Board’s partnership with IFAC to promote awareness, adoption, and effective implementation of the Code.
“As evidenced by this report, the IESBA’s body of work during the years the world was engulfed in a global pandemic is as important as it is impressive,” said IESBA Chair Gabriela Figueiredo Dias. “The IESBA successfully pushed key strategic initiatives further – such as the work to strengthen the International Independence Standards – while skillfully pivoting to address the real-time issues affecting professional accountants brought on by innovations in technology and the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The Report also provides an overview of the IESBA’s Consultative Advisory Group (CAG) and includes a message from the IESBA CAG Chairman, Mr. Gaylen Hansen.
The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) is an independent global standard-setting board. The IESBA’s mission is to serve the public interest by setting ethics standards, including auditor independence requirements, which seek to raise the bar for ethical conduct and practice for all professional accountants through a robust, globally operable International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including International Independence Standards) (the Code).
Showcases Significant Milestones Reached in Elevating Ethics and Independence Standards
This IESBA Sustainability and Ethics Discussion examines the critical role that complying with ethics standards, including on independence, plays in ensuring reliable and trustworthy sustainability information. The one-hour, live-streamed conversation between IESBA Chair, Gabriela Figueiredo Dias; IESBA Sustainability Working Group Chair and UK Financial Reporting Council Executive Director, Mark Babington, and Financial Conduct Authority Director of ESG, Sacha Sadan provided key insights about the applicability of the International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including International Independence Standards) (the Code) to the preparation and presentation of sustainability information and the provision of assurance thereon.
Instilling Public Trust and Confidence in Sustainability Reporting and Assurance
Mr. Twagirimana is the Quality and Development Manager at the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Rwanda (ICPAR). He is responsible for the overall compliance with IFAC Statements of Membership Obligations (SMOs). He plays a key role in the adoption, implementation and compliance with international standards, including IESBA Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants and, investigation and discipline of members. Prior to joining ICPAR, Mr. Twagirimana worked in audit practice and consultancy with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and in telecommunication with MTN Rwanda.
Mr. Twagirimana is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Rwanda. He holds an MBA from Heriot-Watt University. He is also a member of the Technical Committees for the Pan African Federation of Accountants (PAFA) and East African Community Institutes of Accountants (EACIA).
Nominated to represent the East African Region, Mr Twagirimana is also a member of the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) for the International Financial Reporting for Non-Profit Organizations (IFR4NPO) Project – which has a role of developing non-mandatory internationally-applicable financial reporting guidance for Not-for-Profit Organisations (NPOs).
The webinar is scheduled for May 25, 10am EDT. Click here to register.
The one-hour live-streamed event will be presented by Mike Ashley, IESBA Public Interest Entity (PIE) Task Force Chair, and Andrew Mintzer, IESBA PIE Rollout Working Group Chair.
The revised provisions extend the scope of application of additional independence requirements for audits of financial statements of PIEs through enlarging the universe of entities that are PIEs. The revised provisions recognize the essential role relevant local bodies play in identifying the specific entities that should be scoped in as PIEs in their jurisdictions, encouraging them to properly refine the PIE categories in the expanded IESBA definition and adding any other PIE categories relevant to their environments. The revised provisions provide guidance to the local bodies in this regard. There is also a new transparency requirement for firms to publicly disclose the application of independence requirements for PIEs where they have done so.
The webinar will be held in English and available on YouTube.
