IFAC Recognizes Paul Druckman with Global Leadership Award for Contributions to Profession

The International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) has selected Paul Druckman of the United Kingdom as the 2021 recipient of the IFAC Global Leadership, recognizing his contributions to the advancement of the global accountancy profession and capital markets.

Druckman is a passionate global leader in capital market reform, bringing about significant advancements in corporate governance and corporate reporting to enhance accountability for responsible business and sustainability. He currently serves as the Chairman of both Clear Insurance and the World Benchmarking Alliance, which is developing transformative benchmarks to enable companies to accelerate their contribution to sustainable development goals.

After qualifying as a chartered accountant in 1979, and becoming a mathematics teacher and then IT entrepreneur, Druckman served as president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales (ICAEW) in 2004/5. Druckman subsequently acted as executive chair of the Prince of Wales’s Accounting for Sustainability Project, and in this role he was central to the formation of the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) to bring about an enhanced corporate reporting system relevant to the digital, knowledge-driven, and resource-constrained world of the 21st century. He led the IIRC as founding CEO achieving the development of the International Integrated Reporting Framework in 2013.

Druckman has also been a board member of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) over two separate terms, including the post Enron era and then again until 2019. He also chaired the FRC’s Corporate Reporting Council, which sets UK accounting standards.

“I am delighted that Paul has received the IFAC Global Leadership Award this year,” said President of IFAC Alan Johnson. “While his roots are as a Chartered Accountant, his entrepreneurial spirit and drive have led him to a very successful career within the profession, one which we all benefit from through his insights into important emerging fields, such as technology and sustainability. Given the commitments by world leaders at COP26 that ends this week, Paul’s vision for a sustainable world on which he has been campaigning for many years is hopefully now in sight.”

Established in 2017 by the IFAC Board, the IFAC Global Leadership Award in Honor of Robert Sempier recognizes individuals who make outstanding contributions to the global accountancy profession. The award honors the contributions of Robert Sempier, IFAC’s first executive director who greatly contributed to the development of the profession worldwide.

The Global Leadership Award was presented during IFAC’s Council meeting, held virtually on November 10-11, 2021.