The governance structure consists of an Interim Standards Board and two independent technical committees. The Interim Standards Board was constituted with a term limit of one year (ending June 30, 2012) and will be replaced with an expanded longer serving Board in 2012. 

The mandate of the Standards Board is to provide oversight and guidance on the strategy and development of the Standards while AccountAbility serves as the Secretariat and Steward of AA1000 with responsibility for financial and business matters. Through a process of advice, support and challenge the Interim Standards Board is responsible for setting and forwarding the Standards’ agenda and increasing its impact globally.

Members of the Interim Standards Board were selected based on a number of criteria, including: familiarity with AccountAbility and the AA1000 Series of Standards, experience using the AA1000 Standards, experience in setting and developing sustainability or other relevant standards, and familiarity with best practices in organisational and standard setting governance.

The independent technical committees, one focused on the AccountAbility Principles Standard (AA1000APS) and the Assurance Standard (AA1000AS); and the other on the Stakeholder Engagement Standard (AA1000SES), provide guidance and recommendations on the technical content and development of the Standards.

A separate legal entity structure exists to house the Standards in order to further reinforce the principle of Independence.  As a result, financial gains from the Standards resulting from licensing or other activities are restricted to use in further developing the Standards. Firewalls have been established between Standards and AccountAbility’s other lines of business (Advisory Services, Research).

The Interim Standards Board

  • Anant G. Nadkarni, Chairman -- Vice-President of Group Corporate Sustainability, TATA, India. Coordinates social, environmental and related initiatives for nearly fifty major Tata companies; previous AccountAbility Standards Board Member.
  • Professor Carol Adams -- Pro Vice-Chancellor (Sustainability) La Trobe University, Melbourne, the first University to apply the AA1000 AccountAbility Principles to its sustainability governance, management and stakeholder engagement processes; Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors; previous AccountAbility Council Member.
  • Jason Perks -- Director, Two Tomorrows, lead trainer on Standards courses since 2006; experienced AA1000 AS Assurer; current Member of AA1000APS/AS Technical Committee.
  • John Scade -- Specialist CSR consultant and qualified Sustainability Assurance Practitioner; translated the AA1000 APS & AS into Spanish following their revision in 2008; current Member of the AA1000 SES Technical Committee.
  • Terence Jeyaretnam -- Director Net Balance, Australia; LEAD Certified Sustainability Assurance Practitioner; experienced AA1000 AS Assurer, current Member of AA1000APS/AS Technical Committee.
  • Kurt Ramin -- Global Head of Standards at AccountAbility, previously director and advisor to the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Foundation at the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), London.

Members of the Interim Standards Board were selected based on a number of criteria, including: familiarity with AccountAbility and the AA1000 Series of Standards; experience using the AA1000 Standards; experience in setting and developing sustainability or other relevant standards; and familiarity with best practices in organisational and standard setting governance.

Meeting Minutes:
AA1000APS & AS Technical Committee

Anne Mette Christiansen - Senior Manager, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Belgium
Beat Gruninger - Director, BSD
Carla Edgley - Lecturer, Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University
Cora Olsen - Project Manager, Global TBL Management-team, part of Corporate Branding & Responsibility, Novo Nordisk A/S
Dave Lucas - Corporate Specialist, Eskom Holdings Ltd
David York - Head of Audit, ACCA
Helena Barton - Managing Director, Corporate Context Limited
Hiroko Ozawa - Manager, Advisory Service, Climate Change and Sustainability Service team, Ernst & Young ShinNihon
Jason Perks - Group Director, Two Tomorrows
Terence Jeyaretnam - Director, Net Balance

AA1000SES Technical Committee

Artuso, Eros Assistant Director, PriceWaterhouseCoopers
Aston, John J. Managing Director, astoneco management
Bou Ghanem, Monir Head of Stakeholder Relations, EAD
Ewings, Alison Head of Sustainability, Westpac
Hell, Christian Assistant Manager, KPMG
Jayaram, Santhosh Head, Sustainability and Business Excellence Services, Det Norske Veritas AS
Kim, Dongsoo Director of Sustainability Management Centre, Korea Productivity Center
Knight, Alan The SROI Network and Independent Sustainability Advisor
Leggatt, Nicky Technical Director, Jacobs
NG’Andu, Suzyo Bank Secretary, Zambia National Commercial Bank
Pattberg, Anne Senior Manager, PriceWaterhouseCoopers (was Head of Sustainability at Camelot to March 2011)
Scade, John Managing Director, MAS Business
Schukat, Philip Policy Advisor and Specialist for Environmental and Social Standard Systems, GIZ
Shikhar Jain Senior Counsellor, Confederation of Indian Industry
Sterne, Rod Head of Strategies, WWF
Waheed, Ambreen Founding Executive Director, RBI-Responsible Business Initiative
Williamson, Janet Senior Policy Officer, Trades Union Congress (TUC)


Download the Terms of Reference for the Technical Committees
Download the Terms of Reference for the Interim Standards Board