12. November 2020

Andreas Barckow to become next IASB Chair, Georg Lanfermann to follow as ASCG President

At their meeting in mid-October, the Trustees of the IFRS Foundation, under which the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) operates, unanimously appointed the current President of the Accounting Standards Committee of Germany (ASCG/DRSC), Prof Dr Andreas Barckow, to succeed Hans Hoogervorst as Chair of the IASB . The appointment will take effect on 1 July 2021.

The Chair the ASCG’s Administrative Board, Dr Nicolas Peter, made the following statement on the occasion of the appointment:

“I personally congratulate Mr Barckow warmly on his appointment as future IASB Chair. This is a great step for him, but also for the German business community. On the other hand, I of course regret that with the move to London he will not be available to us for another term as ASCG President. In the six years he has held office, he has continuously developed and advanced the ASCG in the interests of its members and the economy as a whole. On behalf of the Board and all members of the ASCG, I would like to thank him most sincerely for this. I wish him every success in his new role and am certain that our paths will continue to cross.”

Commenting on his appointment, Prof Barckow said:

“I am deeply honoured to have been appointed as the next IASB Chair, to lead the standard-setter into its third decade. I look forward to working with my colleagues at the Board and the staff to meet the exciting challenges ahead. At the same time, I am naturally leaving the ASCG, its members and my colleagues in Berlin with a tearful eye. The reputation that the standard-setter has earned over the years is not the work of individuals, but the result of a great team that is committed to its members and to the task at hand. I am sure that this will continue to be the case under my successor and look forward to continuing to work with the German standard-setter, then in a new function.”

At the same time, the IFRS Foundation also issued a press release, which you can access here.

With his appointment Prof Barckow withdrew his parallel candidacy for a third term as ASCG President. At its meeting on October 28, the ASCG unanimously elected Georg Lanfermann as successor to Prof Dr Andreas Barckow in the office of President. The transfer of office will take place on March 1, 2021.

“With Georg Lanfermann, we are gaining a proven expert in accounting and auditing who has dealt intensively with issues of ESG auditing and non-financial reporting in recent years. He has an excellent network within the European institutions and committees and is also involved in teaching and research for the further development of financial reporting. With this broad expertise, Georg Lanfermann is the ideal candidate to chair the ASCG. With his outstanding expertise, he will represent our accounting body in a worthy manner and lead it into the future,” Dr Nicolas Peter commented as Chairman of the Administrative Board.

Mr. Lanfermann is currently a partner in KPMG’s Department of Professional Practice in Berlin, the technical department for accounting and auditing issues. There, he is in charge of managing the effects of EU legislative projects in the areas of auditing, corporate reporting and company law/corporate governance aspects. He also assumes the same responsibility as coordinator in the European KPMG network. From 2001-2004 he was seconded as a national expert to the Directorate General Internal Market at the European Commission.

“I would like to thank the Nominating Committee and the Administrative Board for the trust they have placed in me and I look forward to the new challenge for which I feel well prepared. Together with Executive Director Sven Morich and the entire ASCG staff, I will build on the successful work of the incumbent President and open up new future perspectives for the ASCG,” Mr. Lanfermann explained.

Prof Barckow commented as follows: “With the appointment of Georg Lanfermann as President-Elect, the ASCG is taking a major step towards expanding its range of responsibilities. I wish him every success and a happy hand in the tasks ahead of him and the same support from the members of the ASCG and colleagues in the office that I have experienced over the past six years.”