prof. dr. D.A. (Dick) de Waard

University of Groningen

Since 1992 Dick has been involved in education and research at the University of Groningen. He started as a part time lecturer beside his full time job as an accountant/partner at EY Accountants. In 2008 Dick finalized his thesis (PhD) "Toezicht op Maatschappelijk Verantwoord Ondernemen" about the role of the supervisory board of Dutch stocklisted companies regarding sustainability issues.

In his inaugural speech (2010) he adressed the role of the auditor in the field of sustainability reporting and the demand for assurance ("Als de vos de passie preekt...").

From 2013 - 2023 Dick had an 70%-appointment at University of Groningen as the chair of the department for accountancy education and as director of the Executive Master of Accountancy. Since June 2023 he retired, but still has an 30%-appointment to develop education in the field of sustainability: reporting and assurance.

Ernst & Young (EY) Accountants

From 1977 - 2013 Dick has been working for Ernst & Young Accountants. In 1995 he became a member of the firm. He has been responsible for several serviceslines:

- Regional (North) chair for the Health Care Sector

- International chair of EY Cleantech and Sustainability Services

- Chair of  EY Climate Change and Sustainability Services in the Netherlands and Belgium

- Office managing partner Groningen, Drenthe en Friesland

- Director of EY Certify Point B.V. (accredited for the verification of Carbon Emission Reports under EU ETS)

University of Curaçao dr. Moises da Costa Gomez

Since 2010 Dick is involved in teaching accountancy related courses for the master of accountancy at University of Curaçao dr. Moises da Costa Gomez on behalf of University of Groningen. In 2014 he became a professor at this university on Corporate Social Responsibility.

DAW 2.0 B.V.

Dick is director/owner of a small entity that is specialized in corporate goverance and corporate reporting mainly in the field of sustainability.