KPMG appoints new partner to lead on ESG reporting

KPMG has appointed Hilary Eastman as a partner in accountancy advisory services to lead the support it provides clients as they look to comply with new ESG reporting requirements. 

Eastman has over 20 years of experience in corporate reporting, investor engagement, and business valuation across sectors. 

She joins the firm from PwC where she led the global investor engagement programme, responsible for understanding investor views on corporate reporting and assurance. She is also a former senior technical manager at the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) where she led the projects to develop IFRS 13 fair value measurement and transformed and led the board’s investor liaison programme.

Eastman will now lead KPMG UK’s ESG reporting practice, advising FTSE and other corporate clients in developing their approach to mandatory and voluntary sustainability reporting, including TCFD, ISSB and CSRD. 

She will join over 350 dedicated ESG specialists, supporting both public and private clients across a range of ESG-related services, including reporting and assurance, decarbonisation, climate risk and nature strategy and transformation, sustainable supply chains, advising on deals and ESG due diligence, and ESG tax and legal support. 

Commenting on her appointment, Eastman said: “It’s an exciting time to be joining KPMG and to get to work supporting our clients. The combination of my understanding of what investors are looking for and my knowledge of developing accounting standards and performing valuations helps me bring a comprehensive and pragmatic perspective to reporting. 

“I am particularly interested in the future direction of corporate reporting, including the connectivity between sustainability and financial reporting and the potential for technology to influence how corporate information is generated and consumed.”

Richard Andrews, partner and head of ESG at KPMG UK, added: “One of the key elements driving the conversations around ESG in boardrooms is the growing need for external reporting. We have seen an exponential increase in ESG-related reporting demands from investors and regulators in recent years, who are looking for high quality information to inform their decision-making and on which to base their assessment of those companies.

“Hilary’s experience will help our clients understand new reporting requirements while keeping a focus on delivering information that is useful to investors.”