A Member of the European Parliament for over 20 years, Richard Howitt is an architect of the EU’s non-financial information directive, one of the biggest transformations in corporate disclosure anywhere in the world. He has been rapporteur on corporate reporting-related issues, including social responsibility, for many years.
As lead-MEP on corporate responsibility, Mr. Howitt has represented the EU on many missions worldwide, travelling extensively in Asia, Africa and the Americas. He has represented European interests in numerous international initiatives, including the UN Business and Human Rights Forum and the OECD Forum on Responsible Business Conduct.
For five years, Mr. Howitt has acted as a voluntary IIRC Ambassador, promoting integrated reporting within the policy and business communities. The International Integrated Reporting Framework has been adopted by over 1,000 businesses globally and the IIRC has been successful in driving change in corporate reporting in more than 25 countries. Richard Howitt became CEO to implement the IIRC Board’s recently approved new strategic plan to embed integrated reporting principles within corporate governance practices worldwide.