Standards & Integrity Committee

The independent Standards & Integrity Committee plays a vital role in maintaining the credibility and integrity of the Accounting for Nature® Framework and its Certified Environmental Accounts. As an independent advisory body, the Committee provides expert recommendations to support the transparency, reliability, and scientific rigour of environmental reporting under the Framework. It also supports the continuous improvement of our standards and safeguards the independence of our certification processes.

Comprised of experienced executives and technical experts across diverse fields, the Committee advises the Accounting for Nature Board and Executive on matters relating to the development and application of the Accounting for Nature® Standard, Rules, and certified products. Its remit includes safeguarding ethical standards, supporting the integrity of nature-related claims and credits, and ensuring compatibility with third-party standards and schemes.

By offering independent oversight and guidance, the Committee helps Accounting for Nature maintain a high standard of integrity to ensure that Certified Environmental Accounts produced under the Accounting for Nature® Framework can be confidently used to underpin nature and biodiversity claims, support the issuance of credits, and inform transparent and trustworthy reporting on the state of nature.

Liza Maimone - Chair

Liza brings over 30 years of experience advising senior executives and Boards on strategic and operational risk, governance, sustainability, and climate change across diverse industry sectors.

Liza is the CEO of Fyfe Pty Ltd, an Australian integrated engineering, environment planning and surveying company. Prior to that, Liza held several leadership roles at PwC Australia, including Managing Partner, Chief Operating Officer, and Sustainability Executive. Liza also served as a Director of PwC’s ASEANZ Consulting business and was previously Managing Partner of PwC Australia’s Consulting practice.

Liza is currently a Director of Engineers Australia, where she also chairs the People & Governance Committee. She is a Member of the Australian Accounting Standards Board and a Director of the Melbourne International Jazz Festival. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical)(Hons), a Graduate Diploma in Energy and Resources Law and is a Chartered Professional Engineer. She is a Fellow of Engineers Australia, an Honorary Fellow of the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Engineering and IT, and a member of Chief Executive Women.

  • Emily Gerrard

    MEMBER

    Emily is a Principal Lawyer and Director at Comhar Group Pty Limited, an Australian-based legal and policy advisory firm. She is a climate change and environmental law specialist with extensive experience in climate mitigation and adaptation measures, environmental markets and governance frameworks, renewable energy development, First Nations/Indigenous land rights and agreement-making, and related policy and regulation.

    Emily works throughout the Asia-Pacific region with national and sub-national governments, business and industry, indigenous peoples and civil society bodies on a variety of carbon and environmental market matters. She has a detailed understanding of international climate change and biodiversity legal frameworks, including Paris Agreement market and non-market approaches and NDC requirements, and regularly attends UNFCCC negotiations. Emily’s work covers several sectors including primary industries, resources and energy, natural resource management/conservation, agriculture, and public-private partnerships, and includes strategic and transactional matters.

    Emily is admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of Victoria and High Court of Australia and is an Affiliated Expert with the UK Government’s UK PACT Programme (Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions). She is an expert member of the IUCN Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy (CEESP), and is currently the acting Chair of the Board of Earthwatch Australia.

  • Mike Grundy

    MEMBER

    Mike has a long-standing research interest in spatial soil and landscape science and its application to agricultural and forest production, environmental protection and systems approaches to complex problems – and has led major multi-disciplinary natural resource assessment activities for over 30 years.

    He has had roles in Universities, State Agencies and most recently CSIRO where he was the Research Director – Soil and Landscapes. He has recently retired from full time work but has continuing connections and activities with the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, the University of Sydney, the University of Queensland as well as the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists.

  • Mardi McBrien

    MEMBER

    Mardi McBrien is a distinguished leader in sustainability and sustainable finance.

    She serves as Senior Director for Corporate Performance and Accountability Initiatives at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). Previously, Mardi led global efforts in corporate reporting through positions such as Chief of Strategic Affairs and Capacity Building at the IFRS Foundation, where she directed capacity building activities for the ISSB.

    As Managing Director of the Climate Disclosure Standards Board (CDSB), she was instrumental in developing the inaugural global framework for investor-focused climate and sustainability reporting, contributing significantly to initiatives like the TCFD, TNFD, and the formation of the International Sustainability Standards Board.

    Her career includes experience in environmental advocacy, public policy, and cross-sector collaboration. Mardi is Vice Chair of XBRL International, Vice Chair of Governors at her children’s school and a member of the ICAEW’s sustainability committee.

Standards & Integrity Committee Terms of Reference

The Standards & Integrity Committee supports the quality, transparency, and integrity of the Accounting for Nature® Standard and Rules. Its primary role is to provide independent recommendations to the Accounting for Nature Board and Executive to ensure the Framework’s effective application in nature-related claims and the issuance of nature or biodiversity labelled units.

The Committee’s key responsibilities include:

  • Recommending improvements to the Accounting for Nature® documents and processes for clarity, risk management, and usability

  • Assessing third-party schemes against AfN Rules where requested

  • Advising on the development and governance of programs such as CarbonPlus™, NaturePlus®, biodiversity credits, and nature-positive labelling

  • Recommending actions to embed Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLC) considerations

  • Incorporating advice from Market Consultation Groups (MCGs) where relevant

  • Strengthening our governance model and risk framework

To support transparency and clarity around the role of the Committee, we have published the official Terms of Reference.

Last update: 7 August 2025