ABOUT
Robert G. Eccles is a leading authority on how companies and investors can create sustainable strategies through the integration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors in resource allocation decisions. The focus of his work is on how the capital markets can contribute to ensuring a sustainable society for generations to come.
Currently Eccles is a Visiting Professor of Management Practice at the Said Business School, University of Oxford where he is engaged in research projects focused on corporate purpose, corporate reporting, engagement and stewardship, and private equity. Eccles has been a Visiting Lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management and was a Berkeley Social Impact Fellow at the Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley. He was a Professor at Harvard Business School and received tenure in 1989.
Eccles is an Eminent Academic Advisor to BCG on Global ESG Integration and Reporting. He is also the first Chair of KKR’s “Sustainability Expert Advisory Council.” He was the founding Chairman of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board and was one of the founders of the International Integrated Reporting Council. In 2011, Dr. Eccles was selected as one of the Top 100 Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business Behavior – 2012 for his extensive, positive contribution to building trust in business. In 2013, he was named the first non-accountant Honorary Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), one of only nine since 1999. In 2018 he was named by Barron’s as one of the top 20 influencers in ESG investing and cited for being an “ESG research trailblazer.” Also, in 2018 he received “The CSR Lifetime Achievement Award” at “The 8th International Conference on Sustainability & Responsibility” in Cologne, Germany.
Dr. Eccles received an S.B. in Mathematics and an S.B. in Humanities and Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an A.M. and Ph.D. in Sociology from Harvard University.
Expertise
- Sustainability
- Sustainable investing
- Sustainability accounting
- Integrated reporting
- Shareholder engagement
- Corporate purpose
- Stakeholder capitalism
- Fiduciary duty
Selected Publications
- “Private Equity Should Take the Lead in Sustainability” with Vinay Shandal, David Young, and Benedicte Montgomery
- “Does Negative ESG Screening Work” with Shivaram Rajgopal and Jing Xie
- “The Long and Winding Road to Financial Reporting Standards” with Kazbi Soonawalla
- “The Complex, Contentious, and Changing Nature of Financial Reporting Standards” with Kazbi Soonawalla
- “Putting Financial Reporting Standards into Practical Perspective” with Kazbi Soonawalla
- “The Topology Of Hate For ESG”
- “Grift Capitalism: The GOP’s Brilliant Strategy For Ripping Off Ordinary Americans”
- “A Tutorial On ESG Investing In The Oil And Gas Industry For Mr. Pence And His Friends”
- “Some Reflections On An RSC Memo, ExxonMobil, And Tesla”
- “Looking At Climate Change Through The Eyes Of ExxonMobil”
- “Three Hypotheses About Republican Senior Executives And The Worrisome Problem Of Wokeness”
Recent Media Experience
- Redefining ESG Best Practice and Disclosure—Robert Eccles Interview
- Prof Robert Eccles and Desiree Fixler: Redefining ESG Best Practice and Disclosure
- Private equity is getting a free ride on ESG: how can we level the corporate playing field?
- What conversations need to take place to drive sustainability progress?
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