Financial Reporting Council’s Kate O’Neill on the case for speeding up the creation of the FRC’s replacement, and how to avoid over-complicating ESG requirements

Today’s guest urges UK lawmakers to create a replacement body to the audit, actuarial and accounting watchdog the Financial Reporting Council “as fast as possible”, almost four years after such a move was first recommended.

She lays out the case for the UK government to prioritise better, simpler rule-making over more regulation when looking to reform the UK’s financial services rulebook post-Brexit.

She outlines how boards and investors should best approach increasingly-complicated environmental, social and governance regulation, and offers tips on how to avoid common mistakes when addressing ESG reporting requirements.

Kate O’Neill is a former lawyer whose 30-year career includes stints as director of European funds and hedge funds at asset manager Janus Henderson Investors and managing director for investor relations at Lloyds Banking Group. Since 2020, she has overseen the creation of the FRC’s Stakeholder Engagement and Corporate Affairs function.