Future Awards 2016 : Winners Announced

Last night saw the Future Awards celebrating financial leadership by companies, the public sector and investors. Five winners were announced, including the winner of the Innovative New Idea Award which was judged on the night following live pitches from the finalists.

The Finance for the Future Awards, founded by ICAEW and HRH The Prince of Wales’s Accounting for Sustainability Project (A4S) and in partnership with Deloitte, are in their fifth year. The awards highlight good business practices internationally by recognising the roles which the finance function, and the wider finance community, play in helping to build resilient organisations through embedding environmental and social issues into decision making.

The winners, with the judges’ citations, are:

Large business award
Winner: Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company
Judges’ citation: “The Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company team brought to life the vital role that the finance team can play to embed sustainability into everyday decision making. It was able to develop an approach that systematically integrated environmental and social factors into capital expenditure across the diverse geographies, changing decisions as a result.”

Highly commended: Skanska UK

Communicating integrated thinking award
Winner: United Utilities
Judges’ citation: “By producing clear, concise, integrated communications, United Utilities has demonstrated how integrated thinking translates to shareholder value in financial terms.”

Highly commended: Novo Nordisk

Public sector and third sector award
Winner: Climate Disclosure Standards Board
Judges’ citation: “CDSB has delivered something of vital importance that others have spoken about but not acted upon for years. The organisation has worked effectively as part of a collaborative network and acted as a catalyst for the development of a broad reporting framework. This framework demonstrates how traditional financial measures and new – primarily environmental – data can coexist for organisations and the institutions that invest in them.”

Highly commended: HM Treasury

Investing and financing award
Winner: Bridges Ventures
Judges’ citation: “Bridges Ventures has created a truly innovative, scalable market offering. The tailored impact measurement framework clearly links financial and non-financial benefits.”

Innovative new idea award
Winner: The Public Services Lab
A collaborative joint venture created by Interserve, Clubfinance, Catch22 and Big Society Capital to help voluntary, community and social enterprises across Merseyside to develop the skills and business practices to deliver innovative, effective and sustainable public services by innovative procurement and delivery models.

Finance for the Future is not just an awards ceremony. Since its inception, it has also led to the development of a community of engaged finance professionals. These individuals are committed to creating more sustainable outcomes for their organisations, and share their stories with others.

The finalists really inspired the judges by showing practical ways to integrate sustainability into decision making.

 

Michael Izza, Chief Executive, ICAEW said:

“The organisations we are celebrating have demonstrated the highest standards and we are delighted to congratulate tonight’s winners. These awards were founded to showcase the companies that are leading the way in embedding sustainability at every level through the finance function. ICAEW believes that the accountancy and finance profession has a key role to play in helping to deliver a more sustainable world as well as more resilient businesses.”
Jessica Fries, Executive Chairman, A4S, said:

“The finalists really inspired the judges by showing practical ways to integrate sustainability into decision making, creating value for the organisation, the economy and society. They really highlighted the transformation underway among finance teams and the wider finance community across the globe to develop resilient business models and a sustainable economy.”

Veronica Poole, global IFRS leader and UK head of accounting at Deloitte, said:

“What really stood out amongst the winners was authenticity and the way their integrated thinking shone through. Communicating in a way that truly explains what makes companies tick and the values they live by is extremely important in creating trust in business.”
For more information, visit: http://www.financeforthefuture.co.uk/