Matthew Bell leads EY's climate and sustainability practice

Matthew Bell has been appointed as the new Global Leader of EY’s Climate Change and Sustainability Services practice. He leads a team of more than 2,500 practitioners worldwide.

Commenting on his new challenge, Bell remarked, “As I look ahead, I want to help ensure all EY clients have the support they need to achieve their sustainability goals. I am extremely proud to have the opportunity to lead the EY teams effort on sustainability and climate change at such an important time for our planet; and I hope to help many more organisations navigate the risks and opportunities on the horizon.”

He brings more than two decades of experience helping businesses build their climate change and sustainability credentials to the role.

Prior to his 14 years with EY, Bell spent more than five years with Defra, where he served as Head of Project Office in its Climate Change Group. He has a background in science, with a PhD in biotechnology.

Marie-Laure Delarue, EY Global Vice Chair in Assurance, said, “Climate change and sustainability are among the most vital issues of our time and, over more than two decades, the EY organisation has built an incredibly strong reputation, advising businesses across the globe, on a whole host of related risks and opportunities.”

“Matthew has been an integral part of this work from the outset and I know that, under his leadership, the Climate Change and Sustainability Services practice will help EY clients position themselves to manage the many challenges ahead.”

In his new role, Bell will lead EY teams of more than 2,500 global, multidisciplinary professionals across the globe, who help companies better understand the risks and opportunities arising from climate change and sustainability issues. According to Delarue, this has already seen him make an impact.

Writing on LinkedIn, Delarue added, “Matt has played a huge role in the work we have been doing to help clients manage the risks and opportunities related to climate change and I know that under his leadership there’s so much more to come.”

After general resistance to adapting to halt climate change, the world’s business community has changed its tune dramatically in recent years, and climate change and sustainability are now much more widely recognised in the corporate agenda.

Many of the world’s largest businesses look to the Big Four – the largest professional services firms; PwC, Deloitte, KPMG and EY – when rethinking their sustainability efforts, and so the firms have recently been working hard to boost their offering on this front.

In EY’s case, the firm looked to get its own house in order first, becoming carbon negative by the end of 2021, before offering a new, free Master’s degree in sustainability to its staff. Then, it looked to meet the needs of its clients, by launching and scaling EY Carbon – recruiting 1,300 people and investing £100 million in the process.