(New York, New York, May 1, 2020) – The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) is pleased to announce the extension of Dr. Stavros Thomadakis as IESBA Chairman until the end of 2021. This appointment was proposed by the International Federation of Accountants Nominating Committee and recently approved by the Public Interest Oversight Board.  

Dr. Thomadakis has chaired the IESBA since 2015. Under his leadership, the IESBA finalized the restructured and enhanced International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including International Independence Standards) and launched a digital version – the eCode. Dr. Thomadakis’ dedication and commitment to the public interest is reflected in IESBA’s comprehensive Strategy and Work Plan 2019–2023 (SWP). Already, IESBA has reached key milestones in this SWP, including progress in its Non-Assurance Services and Fees projects.

“I am honored to continue to lead the IESBA for a final term.” said Dr. Thomadakis. “We’ve gained considerable momentum with respect to global adoption of the IESBA Code, with approximately 80 countries adopting or in process of adopting the restructured 2018 version, and I am keen on expanding that further. In addition to pursuing IESBA’s priority standard-setting projects in the public interest, a key activity will be to assist IESBA’s stakeholders as they navigate the unprecedented challenges and ethical dilemmas arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. In this regard, the IESBA is working to expand its cooperation with others, including its ongoing coordination with the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB).”

Dr. Thomadakis is Emeritus Professor of financial economics at the University of Athens and an active member of the Hellenic Council for Corporate Governance, and of the Board of Trustees of the Cyprus Institute. He has taught at US universities (Baruch College CUNY, MIT), and has been a visiting scholar at Stern School of Business, NYU, and Yale University. He also served in many leadership roles, including as the first Chairman of the Public Interest Oversight Board (2005 to 2011) and Chairman of the Hellenic Capital Market Commission (1996-2004). Until late 2015, he also served as a member of the Securities and Markets Stakeholders Group of the European Securities and Markets Authority.

Szilvia Sramko joined the technical team of the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) in February 2018. She currently leads Work Stream 1 – Independence Standards for Sustainability Assurance of the Sustainability Task Force. Previously, she provided technical support to other IESBA’s workstreams, such as the Engagement Team/ Group Audits, Fees and Non-Assurance Services projects, and the Benchmarking initiative.

Prior to joining the IESBA, Ms. Sramko was Deputy Head of Department at the Auditors’ Public Oversight Authority in Hungary (Budapest). Before that, she served in several roles at the Ministry for National Economy in Hungary and participated in preparing legislative proposals to transpose the amendments to the European Union’s Accounting and Audit Directives into the national law.

Ms. Sramko holds a Doctor of Law degree from Eotvos Lorand University (Budapest, Hungary) along with a Master 1 degree in comparative law from Université Paris II Pathéon-Assas and Eotvos Lorand University (Paris, France / Budapest, Hungary).

Diane Jules is a former director of the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA). Since assuming the role in 2016, Ms. Jules worked to advance IESBA's strategic goals and priorities. She was integral to developing ethics and independence standards for global application and works closely with the chair and the IESBA to promote awareness, use and adoption of the International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including International Independence Standards). Ms. Jules’ responsibilities included building and strengthening IESBA’s relationships with its stakeholders which include investors, regulators, academics, firms and national standards setters. She oversaw IESBA’s operational activities, specifically in relation to its communication initiatives.

Ms. Jules was the key staff on the IESBA’s Non-Assurance Service Task Force and currently oversees the Board’s workstreams on technology and sustainability. Following the successful development and June 2019 launch of the IESBA eCode — a digital platform for accessing and navigating the IESBA Code. Prior to joining the IESBA, Ms. Jules was a Senior Technical Manager at the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board, and before that an Assistant Chief Auditor at the U.S. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). Prior to her career in standard-setting, Ms. Jules held various audit and professional practice positions, including as an Assurance Manager at Grant Thornton, LLP.

Ms. Jules was among the 77 women listed as Crain’s New York Business 2019 Notable Women in Accounting and Consulting. She is an active member of the New York State Society of CPAs and the American Institute of CPAs. Ms. Jules has been featured in industry publications, including the Strategic Finance Magazine and the Journal of Accountancy. She conducts editorial reviews on technical submissions to the Advances in Accounting Education: Teaching and Curriculum Innovations Series and the CPA Journal.  She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of Maryland College Park and is a licensed certified public accountant (CPA). She is also a chartered global management accountant (CGMA).

Watch the April 20 webinar to hear about IESBA's initiative on exploring the ethics implications arising from the transformative effects of technological trends and developments on the accounting, assurance, and finance functions. 

The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants® (IESBA®) today announced that it is extending by one month the comment period on the Exposure Drafts (EDs): Proposed Revisions to the Non-Assurance Services Provisions of the Code and Proposed Revisions to the Fee-related Provisions of the Code. The extension will provide stakeholders who are experiencing disruptions caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic additional time to comment. 

The new comment deadline is June 4, 2020. Stakeholders who are able to submit their feedback by May 4, 2020, the original comment deadline, are encouraged to do so. 

The EDs were released on January 21, 2020 and include proposals aimed at strengthening the non-assurance services (NAS) and fee-related independence provisions of the International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including International Independence Standards). 

For additional information about the EDs, including webinars that highlight key aspects of the proposals, please visit the IESBA’s website. 

About the IESBA

The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) is an independent global standard-setting board. The IESBA serves 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 IESBA believes a single set of high-quality ethics standards enhances the quality and consistency of services provided by professional accountants, thus contributing to public trust and confidence in the accountancy profession. The IESBA sets its standards in the public interest with advice from the IESBA Consultative Advisory Group (CAG) and under the oversight of the Public Interest Oversight Board (PIOB).

On November 20th, 2019 the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA), the ASEAN Federation of Accountants, and the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants co-hosted a 90-minute webinar focusing on the key features of the International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a global health and humanitarian crisis. Beyond the significant challenges that lay ahead in all facets of life, it also poses unprecedented risks to the world economy. The International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) and the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) are committed to doing our part to support a strong global response.

IAASB and IESBA are committed to continuing our work, albeit virtually, and seizing opportunities to adapt how we work, and what we work on, considering global needs and priorities.

In the short-term, we have transitioned to fully digital platforms to execute day-to-day work, plenary meetings and stakeholder outreach. In addition, we are developing, or will consider commissioning and/or sourcing reference materials, as appropriate for each Board, to help our stakeholders continue their work. To that end, we will be creating web resources on each board’s website with COVID-19 related messages and materials.

We are coordinating with the Public Interest Oversight Board (PIOB), regulatory authorities, and national standard setters on our approach. We are also discussing with the PIOB the best way to balance timeliness and the very real operational constraints many stakeholders face. These discussions will consider our stakeholders’ ability to provide feedback according to existing timelines and whether flexibility is required.

We are adapting rapidly and trying to be sensitive to many difficulties. We will place a priority on remaining closely linked with all our stakeholders during these trying times and will continue to review our response, as we may not get it right the first time, and may need to adjust further as the global situation changes. The IAASB, IESBA, and their staff stand ready to help where and when possible.  

We continue our work for the public interest. We understand the unprecedented crisis will bring unprecedented challenges. And we will meet them with a decisive and timely response.

Objective

(a)       The objective of this project is to develop provisions for the Code addressing threats that may be created when an individual who was previously involved in an

            audit or other assurance engagement (whether as the engagement partner or as another member of the engagement team) is appointed as the EQR on the

            same engagement.