In March 2023, the SEC proposed its long-awaited climate change disclosure rules. As businesses adjust to meet stakeholder demands and deliver new, high-quality reporting, they need someone with the right experience to lead the way. There has been a rise in ESG Controller jobs. The person responsible for assuring that any ESG-related disclosures a company makes are complete and accurate, just like a “traditional” corporate controller is responsible for assuring the accuracy of financial disclosures.

As ever more jurisdictions move toward mandatory disclosure of ESG metrics, (ex: the European Union’s new Corporate Sustainability Reporting directive and impending U.S. SEC requirements) the urgency to get those disclosures right has gone up. This course to as an introduction to the concept of requirements for Controllers and financial personnel to understand ESG disclosures. Whether the role related to ESG disclosures and information falls into the job responsibility of the controller or not is yet to be seen. However, it is clear the Controller must maintain some level of knowledge and expertise around the types and timing of such disclosures.

Learning Objectives
  • Explore and examine the proposed SEC rule.
  • Discover and evaluate the need for an ESG Controller.
  • Explore and examine operationalizing ESG disclosure.
  • Recognize and review ESG Controller responsibilities.
  • Recognize and review ESG Controller skills.
  • Identify Traits for an ESG Controller.
  • Recognize and review an ESG Controller example job description.
  • Explore and examine an ESG team and structure.
  • Identify and examine practical steps for operationalizing ESG.
Last updated/reviewed: August 20, 2024

Included In Certifications

This course is included in the following Certification Programs:

22 CoursesThe Controllership Series Certification

  1. The Controllership Series: The Controller Function - Elevating the Role
  2. The Controllership Series: The Controller Function - Strategic and Annual Planning
  3. The Controllership Series: The Controllers Role in Financial Forecasting
  4. The Controllership Series: Future Role of the Controller – Part 1
  5. The Controllership Series: Future Role of the Controller – Part 2
  6. The Controllership Series: The Controller Function - Cash and Investments
  7. ASC 842 Accounting for Leases - Deep Dive
  8. The Controllership Series: The Controller Function - Inventory Part 1
  9. The Controllership Series: The Controller Function - Inventory Part 2 - Inventory Valuation, Physical Inventory Methods and Inventory fraud
  10. The Controllership Series: Overhead, Direct and Indirect Costs and Allocation Methods
  11. The Controllership Series: Financial Statement Preparation and Presentation
  12. The Controllership Series: The Controllers Role in the Procurement Function
  13. The Controllership Series: The Role of The Controller in ESG
  14. The Controllership Series: The Controllers Role in Pro Forma Financials
  15. The Controllership Series: The Controllers Role in Data Analytics and Big Data
  16. The Controllership Series: Introduction to the Financial Close Process
  17. The Controllership Series: Managerial Accounting Basics and Cost Principles
  18. The Controllership Series: Sales, Collections and Customer Credit
  19. The Controllership Series: Addressing Cash Flow and Forecasting Uncertainty
  20. The Controllership Series: The Controller’s Skillset
  21. The Controllership Series: The Controllers Role in Internal Controls
  22. Tools for The Controllership Series Certificate
11 Reviews (79 ratings)

Reviews

5
Anonymous Author
Lynn did a great job explaining The proposed SEC rule.  The need for an ESG Controller  Operationalizing ESG disclosure  ESG Controller responsibilities.  ESG Controller skills  Traits for an ESG Controller  ESG Controller example job description  ESG team and structure  Practical steps for operationalizing ESG
5
Anonymous Author
It will be interesting to see how ESG reporting (whenever they come into effect in the US and soon to be in effect in Europe) affects the role of finance departments. This provides some idea of how it will fit with the controller function and what competencies are shared between the ESG requirements and financial disclosure requirements.
5
Anonymous Author
This course was very helpful in providing more understanding and clarification regarding ESG and its impact on controllers. The section that walked through the job description and expectations was very helpful, especially as this is a new topic and many roles have not been as defined.
5
Anonymous Author
Very powerful portrayal of how ESG reporting readiness requires company-wide coordination and strong cross-functional leadership. This course should be required learning not only for audit professionals, but for C-level executives and finance leaders in every listed company.
5
Member's Profile
Very interesting. It is important to understand the responsibilities of this role. Particularly important is the point that this is not the first time the profession has had to figure out how to handle new reporting requirements that cross the organization (e.g., SOx).
5
Anonymous Author
This is a great class to understand the potential impact of ESG, and to understand what new roles might be required.
5
Anonymous Author
Learned a lot about ESG, hear about it a lot but has not been required for reporting at place of work yet.
5
Anonymous Author
Really interesting course about a topic I hadn't considered before. Recommend for anyone.
5
Member's Profile
Great course I recommend this to everyone that wants to learn more about this topic
5
Anonymous Author
Great overview of the goals, the new roles and responsibilities for ESG
5
Anonymous Author
Another good course as I work through the Controllership series.
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Prerequisites
Course Complexity: Foundational
No advanced preparation or prerequisites are required for this course.
Education Provider Information
Company: Illumeo, Inc., 75 East Santa Clara St., Suite 1215, San Jose, CA 95113
Contact: For more information regarding this course, including complaint and cancellation policies, please contact our offices at (408) 400- 3993 or send an e-mail to .
Instructor for this course
  Course Overview CPE
Course Syllabus
INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
  Introduction to The Role of The Controller in ESG12:32
  SEC Proposal10:18
  The Need and Operationalizing ESG Reporting10:10
  ESG Controller Responsibilities and Skills12:22
  Traits of a Strong ESG Controller11:02
  Example Job Description12:08
  ESG Team and Structure9:32
  Summary3:06
CONTINUOUS PLAY
  The Controllership Series: The Role of The Controller in ESG1:21:10
SUPPORTING MATERIAL
  Slides: The Controllership Series: The Role of The Controller in ESGPDF
  The Controllership Series: The Role of The Controller in ESG Glossary/IndexPDF
REVIEW AND TEST
  REVIEW QUESTIONSquiz
 FINAL EXAMexam