Leading the Change - Women Shaping a Sustainable Future

Each March, Women’s History Month invites reflection on the women whose leadership, persistence, and vision have shaped progress across generations. The 2026 theme, “Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future,” broadens that lens to recognize sustainability not only as an environmental concept, but as a long‑term commitment to resilient systems, responsible leadership, and people‑centred impact.

Across the Association, sustainability shows up in different and meaningful ways from how we measure and manage our environmental footprint to how we support staff, develop leaders, and shape the future of the profession. We are wrapping up our celebration of Women’s History Month 2026 by speaking to two women whose work reflect these dimensions, Anjali Patel, Associate Director of ESG Reporting, and Ami Beers, Senior Director of Assurance & Advisory Innovation. Through their roles, both help to build sustainable paths forward professionally, organizationally, and personally.

Financial Sustainability: Building the Foundation for Long‑Term Impact

Anjali Patel’s role as Associate Director – ESG Reporting sits at the centre of the Association’s corporate sustainability efforts, where financial discipline, data, and long‑term planning intersect. After spending more than a decade in Learning, Anjali transitioned into ESG Reporting in 2022. Her responsibilities include integrating sustainability into the Association’s strategic priorities, assessing climate‑related risks and opportunities, collecting and managing sustainability data, and developing narratives and visualizations that reflect progress over time. Together, these responsibilities place Anjali at the intersection of strategy, data, and long‑term impact.

“My work spans strategy and planning to executing and reporting,” she explains. “While I do not have direct reports, I collaborate closely with colleagues across the Association who generously support this work, and I truly couldn’t do my job without them.”

What excites Anjali most is the opportunity to help shape how the Association responds to growing expectations around corporate sustainability. “We have never formally assessed our environmental impact before,” she explains. “So, it’s been interesting to learn about our current practices and identify opportunities to become a more responsible business.” That learning is happening alongside broader shifts in how sustainability is understood and adopted across the profession.

Adoption and progress in the ESG space, particularly in the US, has been a slow and steady journey with its share of challenges. Yet, Anjali sees sustainability as closely connected to the accounting and finance profession. “Corporate sustainability relies heavily on skills core to the profession,” she says, pointing to data collection and analysis, risk management, planning, reporting, and assurance. “Highlighting these intersections helps position sustainability as a natural and impactful extension of the profession’s expertise. I’m excited to see accountants continue to explore sustainability as an emerging and impactful field.”

At the organizational level, that momentum also brings new challenges as much of the work is being built from the ground up. “There is no existing playbook or set of process documents to follow and while that can be challenging, Anjali also sees it as energizing. “I get to work with colleagues across many teams, which has been both rewarding and fun. No two days look the same, and that variety is something I really enjoy.”

That perspective has also shaped how Anjali thinks about her own career journey and the advice she shares with others. Anjali encourages regular reflection and openness to change. “Moving from public accounting to content development and into corporate sustainability isn’t exactly a straight line,” she notes. “To be honest, I wasn’t entirely sure how transferable the skills would be, but I’ve really enjoyed the experience and have come to see how well my background and strengths align with this work. It’s easy to become complacent in any area of life so I think it’s important to periodically pause and reflect on your happiness and sense of fulfillment,” she says.

As we mark Women’s History Month Anjali “encourages women to explore new interests and opportunities in bite‑sized ways and to experiment without putting too much pressure on the outcome.

Staff Sustainability: Shaping Sustainable Paths Through Leadership

For Ami Beers, Senior Director – Assurance & Advisory Innovation, sustainability is as much about people as it is about systems. As a senior leader focused on innovation and the future of the accounting profession, Ami leads “a team that’s really focused on what’s coming next for the accounting profession. Our job is to stay ahead of emerging assurance and advisory needs whether that’s sustainability reporting, SOC, digital assets, or AI and figure out what CPAs will need to serve clients with confidence. Ultimately, we develop guidance and criteria that help CPAs deliver trusted, high‑quality assurance in new and evolving areas,” she explains, “supporting both the profession’s future and the public’s need for reliable information.”

Ami’s perspective on sustainability has evolved alongside her career. Early on, she recalls, “sustainability was about helping organizations tell a more complete story that went beyond the financial statements. I was focused on how a company’s true value lived outside the balance sheet.” While those themes remain important, what’s changed is the mindset. “Companies aren’t just describing these areas anymore, Ami explains, “they’re actively working to improve them. Sustainability is taken much more seriously, and we’re seeing a significant shift as its management and reporting responsibilities move into the finance function and are subject to external assurance.”

Her future‑focused work has also created some of the most meaningful moments in Ami’s career. One she is most proud of didn’t happen in a boardroom or a project milestone, but in a chance conversation. “I had the opportunity to speak with a group of students who were exploring what it really means to be a CPA today,” she recalls. “As I walked them through the emerging areas my team focuses on, you could almost see their understanding of the profession expand in real time. They’d never realized how many different paths open up when you choose accounting or that CPAs are often the ones shaping trust in brand‑new areas of the economy.” That moment reinforced how meaningful the work that Ami and her team does not only in advancing the profession, but in helping the next generation see what’s possible.

“Today, sustainability isn’t a ‘nice to have,’” Ami says. “It’s become a core part of how businesses operate, communicate value, and build trust”.

That shift has also influenced how Ami approaches leadership. As a woman in a leadership role, especially leading an all‑women team, Ami says she feels both responsibility and opportunity. “For me, sustainability isn’t only about environmental or organizational impact,” she says. “It’s also about building careers, confidence, and support systems that last.” To that end Ami tries to model what she hopes her team will carry forward. “That means being a mentor, setting an example of always striving for excellence, and creating an environment where they feel empowered to push boundaries and explore new areas,” she explains. “It also means being understanding and empathetic, listening, helping them work through challenges, and making sure they know they’re supported, not just managed.”

Those values feel especially meaningful to Ami during Women’s History Month. “It’s a moment to recognize the women who paved the way those who broke barriers, expanded opportunities, and challenged expectations long before many of us had the chance to step into leadership roles,” she says. “But it’s also a time to reflect on the responsibility we carry to continue that progress including supporting women, amplifying their strengths, and creating an environment where they can thrive and lead with confidence.”