Director APAC

The opportunity is open to candidates across Asia as the position will be based remotely and requires travel. The main office is based in London.

Accounting for Sustainability (A4S) is a charity which works to transform finance to deliver a sustainable future. A4S was established by HM King Charles III in 2004, when he was The Prince of Wales, "to help ensure that we are not battling to meet 21st-century challenges with, at best, 20th-century decision-making and reporting systems". Today we work with leading CFOs, finance managers, business schools, the Government and more to drive a fundamental shift towards resilient business models and a sustainable economy.

The A4S CFO Leadership Network works with CFOs from large organizations to help them to embed the management of environmental and social issues into business strategy and decision-making. The network currently has chapters in Europe, Canada and the U.S. In 2021, A4S welcomed the new CFO Leadership Network Chapter in the Asia Pacific region.’

A4S is looking for a highly motivated director to lead the growth of the flagship CFO programme in the Asia Pacific region, helping to deliver impact and make sustainable business, business as usual. The ideal candidate will have excellent communication skills and a can-do attitude, working independently to grow awareness and support for A4S’s work across the region.

The Asia Pacific Director will be responsible for overseeing the successful operation and growth of A4S programmes in the region in line with A4S's overall strategy and objectives. This will include representing A4S at both internal and external events, leading the delivery of workshops, roundtables, and other capacity-building events, and overseeing APAC-led projects and outputs.

Responsibilities

Run and grow the Asia Pacific Chapter of the A4S CFO Leadership Network

• Help shape and develop the aims, objectives and activities of the CFO Leadership Network Chapter in line with the A4S overall strategy and ambition.
• Build membership of the chapter from across the region, ensuring member commitment to the network’s aims and objectives and a good sector mix.
• Establish strong relationships with all members of the chapter and their teams, understanding their organisation, history and ambition in embedding sustainability within strategy and business models. Ensure meetings are engaging and inspire action.
• Line manage, grow and provide leadership and direction to a regionally dispersed APAC team, ensuring they are empowered to complete their roles in supporting the CFO Leadership Network Chapter.
• Work with A4S staff in London and around the world to support the objectives of the Chapter and the overall strategy of A4S. This will include attending relevant international meetings as agreed with the Executive Director of the CFO Programme, including the A4S Annual Summit.
• Leverage your technical and regional understanding of the role of CFOs and their finance teams in delivering sustainable outcomes to shape and oversee chapter projects and activities, including working with members to set and deliver stretching commitments to action, working with the global Knowledge and Technical (K&T) team to produce high-quality guidance and reviewing all outputs.
• Act as global lead for projects driven from the region, working closely with colleagues around the world. Facilitate regional input to global projects led by other chapters.

Oversee the delivery of a regional and country-level strategy

• Review and refresh the current regional and country level strategy, ensuring it is impactful, responsive to diverse cultures, needs and expectations across the region, and supports the achievement of A4S’s global strategy and ambition.
• Develop and oversee delivery of the annual plan and budget for the APAC region, reporting progress on a monthly basis.
• Monitor progress against the strategy and annual plan, adapting as needed based on learning and experience from working with organisations across the region and responding to a rapidly changing environment.
• Lead the implementation of the regional and country-level programmes, with clear near and long-term targets for growth, impact and other outcomes.
• Support the growth and delivery of other A4S programmes in the region, including those related to capital markets, business schools, and the accounting community.
• Identify and engage with organizations / individuals who might help further A4S’s aims and objectives, including CFOs, Chairs and CEOs, senior regulators and capital markets representatives.
• Work with the central team to generate additional sources of funding for A4S programmes, including through partnerships and foundation funding.

Build capacity of finance teams across the region

• Deliver practical workshops and events across the region targeted at CFO and finance teams, providing insights and learning to help embed sustainability into strategy, processes and decisions.
• Deliver A4S Academy workshops and drive strong participation in the programme from across the region.
• Represent A4S at external meetings and conferences in both speaker and delegate capacity.

Communications, engagement and outreach activities

• Working with the A4S Communications and Engagement team, develop an impactful engagement plan to increase awareness of A4S and our work across the region.
• Lead the delivery of the agreed engagement plan, ensuring it meets agreed objectives.
• Build partnerships with relevant organisations, in line with A4S’s partnership strategy, to support the delivery of the regional engagement plan.
• Identify and set up opportunities for members to showcase their achievements and insights.
• Leverage members, A4S representatives, and stakeholders effectively to increase their profile and support the achievement of outreach goals.
• Define and oversee communications activities for the region, including reviewing communications and outreach material.
• Ensure that all communications are in line with the A4S brand and communications guidelines, seeking support and guidance from the A4S communications team and Communications Advisory Group of global experts.

Requirements:

• Current or former holder of a senior position in a corporate or professional services firm.
• Strong experience in business, accounting or finance
• Prior experience and a strong interest in sustainability
• Strong understanding and experience working in the APAC region
• Proven ability to build client, customer or membership base and achieve ambitious targets
• Ability to develop and maintain relationships at very senior levels
• Proven ability to lead, direct and support a team
• Excellent project management skills and proven ability to meet tight deadlines and work under pressure
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with strong presentation skills and experience presenting to both large and small groups of senior individuals, including in conference settings
• Ability to handle potentially sensitive situations with tact and diplomacy
• Discreet and able to maintain confidentiality at all times
• This role will require 30-40% of travelling in the Asia Pacific region.