NEW YORK, July 16, 2026 /3BL/ – Louis D. Coppola, CEO and Co-Founder of Governance & Accountability Institute, Inc. (G&A Institute), a leading US-based sustainability and ESG consulting firm, has been appointed Chair of the Stakeholder Council of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). He will serve alongside Adekemi (Kemi) Adisa, GM of Sustainability & Shared Value at MTN Nigeria Communications, who was appointed Vice Chair.
Coppola said, “Stepping into this role at such a consequential moment for sustainability reporting is a real honor. As ISSB, ESRS, and a growing set of other standards join the landscape, I expect GRI to matter more, not less. I’ve come to think of it as a kind of Rosetta Stone for reporting – the shared foundation companies build on to connect their reporting across multiple requirements.”
Coppola added, “In my view, AI is fast becoming one of the most important frontiers in sustainability disclosure — both as something companies need to report on and as a tool reshaping how reporting gets done. It’s an area where multistakeholder input matters enormously. I’m looking forward to working alongside Kemi and colleagues to help steward that work in the years ahead.”
The Stakeholder Council is a multistakeholder advisory body to ensure diverse perspectives inform GRI’s priorities. The Council advises the GRI Supervisory Board, Management Board, and Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB).
Coppola and Adisa were selected to lead the Council through GRI’s formal governance nomination process. They will serve two-year terms beginning on July 1, 2026.
Hank Boerner, G&A Co-Founder and Chairman, said, “Twenty years ago Lou and I built G&A around a conviction that transparency, done rigorously, makes companies better — and GRI gave that conviction a structure. We went on to serve as GRI’s Data Partner for Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and we’ve gone on to devote two decades to helping companies put the Standards to work. It’s a full-circle moment to see Lou go from helping companies use the Standards to playing a leading role in the multistakeholder process behind them.”
GRI’s research on 2025 reporting trends demonstrated that companies recognize its continued value even as reporting is being reshaped by ISSB, ESRS, and a growing set of standards. GRI is the most widely used sustainability reporting standard globally — used by 40% of large listed companies, representing 62% of global market capitalization. Notably, 80% of companies using ISSB Standards and 70% of those reporting under ESRS also reference GRI. Early findings from G&A’s forthcoming Russell 1000 research reinforce this pattern, suggesting that GRI is the connective foundation on which companies build their reporting practices.
About G&A Institute, Inc.
Founded in 2006, Governance & Accountability Institute (G&A) is a New York–based sustainability consulting and research firm with deep advisory experience supporting corporate leaders and investors in integrating sustainability into governance, risk, enterprise performance, and evolving regulatory and stakeholder expectations. Backed by rigorous disclosure research and one of the industry’s most comprehensive benchmarking databases, we deliver insight that strengthens transparency, enhances competitiveness, and drives measurable return on investment.
More information is available on our website at ga-institute.com.
FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES & INTERVIEWS, CONTACT
Louis D. Coppola, CEO & Co-Founder
Governance & Accountability Institute, Inc.
Tel 646.430.8230 ext 14
Email lcoppola@ga-institute.com