Robert G. Eccles

Robert G. Eccles is recognized for his expertise in integrated reporting and sustainable business strategies, with a focus on the integration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors in corporate and investment decision-making. Eccles's work centers on leveraging capital markets to support sustainable development while delivering market returns for investors. His research emphasizes materiality, corporate and investor transparency, and the fiduciary responsibilities of company board directors and investment fund trustees.

Eccles holds dual degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and completed graduate training at Harvard University. He served as a professor at Harvard Business School, where he received tenure, and is a Visiting Professor of Management Practice at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. Eccles has also been a Visiting Lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management and a Berkeley Social Impact Fellow at the Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley. His academic work addresses corporate purpose, corporate reporting, engagement and stewardship, and private equity.

Eccles is the founding chairman of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board and a founder of the International Integrated Reporting Council. He serves as an academic advisor to BCG on global ESG integration and reporting and is the first chair of KKR's Sustainability Expert Advisory Council. Eccles also serves on the board of the Mistra Centre for Sustainable Markets in Sweden and advises the JANA Impact Capital Fund.

As an author, Eccles has written a dozen books on integrated reporting, sustainability, and the role of business in society. His publications include "One Report: Integrated Reporting for a Sustainable Strategy" and "The Integrated Reporting Movement: Meaning, Momentum, Motives, and Materiality." He contributes to both academic and practitioner audiences and maintains a column on Forbes.com. Eccles has also led initiatives such as the Statement of Significant Audiences and Materiality Campaign in collaboration with the American Bar Association Task Force on Sustainable Development, the UN-backed Principles for Responsible Investment, and the UN Global Compact.

Eccles's work in ESG investing and business ethics has been recognized by Barron's, which named him among the top 20 influencers in ESG investing, and he has received the CSR Lifetime Achievement Award at the International Conference on Sustainability & Responsibility in Cologne, Germany. He has also been named one of the 100 Most Influential People in Business Ethics and is the first non-accountant Honorary Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, one of only nine to receive the honor since 1999. These honors reflect Eccles's contributions to advancing ESG standards and sustainable business practices.