ABOUT US
DELIVERING WORLD CLASS SERVICES TO WORLD CLASS CLIENTS
ABOUT US
DELIVERING WORLD CLASS SERVICES TO WORLD CLASS CLIENTS
Integrated Reporting & Assurance Services, or ‘IRAS’ is a Close Corporation registered on the 12th of April 2011 (Registration Number: 2011/006116/07). IRAS has one Managing Partner, one Lead Certified Sustainability Assurance Practitioner (CSAP), two full time associates and one intern, and a group of extremely important and highly skilled "Networked Associates". Due to a total annual revenue of less than R10 million, IRAS is deemed an Exempted Micro Enterprise (EME) according to the revised Department of Trade and Industry (dti) Codes of Good Practice for Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE), and thus a Level 4 Supplier.
IRAS is registered with AccountAbility (www.accoutability.org) as an AA1000 Licensed Assurance Provider.
As a demonstration of our commitment to sustainability, IRAS supports socioeconomic development (SED) by directing 10% of all revenue (not the SA standard of 1.0% - 1.5% of Net Profit After Tax) to projects that IRAS is actively involved in, not including the time our team spends to conduct research that benefits several other organisations.
During FY2026 IRAS, and annually since FY2024, IRAS directed more than 10% of our total income to SED, up from 7.5% in FY2023 and 5% in 2021. Historically, the bulk of all SED spend was directed to providing Food Security and Microeconomic Development support to families in a deep rural location, while donating thousands of pairs of school shoes to disadvantaged learners at various schools throughout South Africa.
In 2024, IRAS invested more R700 000 to renovate a house for woman in Johannesburg who was living in abject squalor, ultimately creating a safe new home for her, as well as a house she now rents to generate a monthly income more than five times what she’d been surviving off previously.
Our belief is…
You shouldn’t try to change the world, but rather one person’s world, because if everyone who could, did, our world would be a much more wonderful place to live in.
MANAGING PARTNER AND LEAD ASSURANCE PRACTITIONER
MICHAEL
With undergrad degrees in Biology and Psychology, plus an MBA, Michael has been providing ESG/sustainability reporting and assurance services to over 50 clients in 25 countries for over 25 years.
Since 2009 (2009 to 2013 and again since 2024), Michael has been a Certified Sustainability Assurance Practitioner (CSAP) training provider for AccountAbility, the source of the world’s most comprehensive sustainability assurance standard: the AA1000 AS Assurance Standard.
Over the past two years (2024 to 2026) Michael trained 180 new Certified Sustainability Assurance Providers (CSAPs) in 36 countries, mostly online, but also in-person in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Indonesia and India.
CLICK HERE to connect with Michael on LinkedIn.
MANAGING PARTNER AND LEAD ASSURANCE PRACTITIONER
MICHAEL
With undergrad degrees in Biology and Psychology, plus an MBA, Michael has been providing ESG/sustainability reporting and assurance services to over 50 clients in 25 countries for over 25 years.
Since 2009 (2009 to 2013 and again since 2024), Michael has been a Certified Sustainability Assurance Practitioner (CSAP) training provider for AccountAbility, the source of the world’s most comprehensive sustainability assurance standard: the AA1000 AS Assurance Standard.
Over the past two years (2024 to 2026) Michael trained 180 new Certified Sustainability Assurance Providers (CSAPs) in 36 countries, mostly online, but also in-person in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Indonesia and India.
Originally from Canada, Michael moved to South Africa in 1999 and considers himself a ‘wannabe S’African’.
He created IRAS as a shared value entity that generates income to have an over-sized socioeconomic impact on our employees, our business partners, and the beneficiaries of disadvantaged persons, mostly women and youth, in several communities within South Africa.
A passionate e-cyclist, Michael has ridden his bike across two continents. He rode across Canada (Victoria to Halifax) in 2018, and from Cairo to South Africa in 2019.
Having undergone open heart surgery to replace a valve in January 2026, Michael is committed to returning to his e-bike to prove his resilience by completing another cross-continent ride by no later than the end of 2029.
CLICK HERE to connect with Michael on LinkedIn.
In June 2026, Michael finally achieved a goal he set for himself on the 27th of July 1994: visiting Wales to get his “W” in pursuit of being able to spell STRAWBERRY FIELDS with the first letter of the countries he has visited.
SENIOR MANAGER
THILOSHINI
Thiloshini (“Thilo”) is a passionate young sustainability professional with over 11 years of experience on both sides of the consultant/auditor-corporate client equation. Her skills and experience range across ESG/Sustainability (assurance, data analysis and reporting), Risk and Compliance, Environmental Management, B-BBEE, Supply Chain Management, Socio Economic Development (SED), and Health & Safety. Thiloshini has joined the IRAS team as a Senior Manager, taking on a critical role of further developing interns and junior associates, while reaching out to support an increasing number of local and international clients.
Thilo is a Certified Legal Compliance Lead Auditor with a BSc in Environmental Science, a Post Graduate Diploma in Integrated Reporting (PGDIR) and holds various certificates in ESG related courses.
Thilo has keen interests in sustainable development, sustainable food, and sustainable travel as well as environment-related issues. She enjoys cooking, baking, dancing, travel, music, travel, movies, and binge-watching television series.
JUNIOR ASSOCIATE
PORTIA
A graduate of the University of Johannesburg, where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities, majoring in Development Studies and Politics, Portia has a strong interest in sustainability, governance, and social development. She has a passion for using research and data to support informed decision-making.
Portia has known Michael for more than 20 years, first meeting in 2004 as a child participating in the programme that later became the Soweto Marimba Youth League (SMYLe). Being recruited to join IRAS in 2024, Portia’s employment was identified as a mutually beneficial “next step”, despite the work differing significantly from her academic background.
Starting as a 3-month intern, Portia quickly established herself as a key member of the team. After only six months, Portia became the person who trains new recruits how to complete Sustainability Data Transparency Index (SDTI) data gathering and analysis reports. Based on the knowledge and experience she developed through the SDTI process, Portia now contributes significantly to assurance engagements for clients, as well as many other research projects.
In June 2026, Portia celebrated being part of ‘Team IRAS’ for two years.
RESEARCH INTERN
NELI
Neli is a 29-year-old mom and recent graduate with a master’s degree in Environmental Science (Sustainability and Climate Change Studies) who successfully navigated the challenges of being a full-time mom and full-time student in the middle of the global COVID pandemic. In her bid to contribute to the fight against climate change, Neli conducted research on the Challenges and Opportunities of Corporate Climate Action in South Africa.
Neli is a passionate advocate for corporate sustainability, with a profound commitment to the balance between business excellence and environmental stewardship.
Moving forward, Neli’s goal is to drive transformative change by marrying creativity and sustainability with business acumen. Additionally, she seeks to help catalyse a future where corporations be powerful agents of positive environmental change while remaining profitable entities.
Neli’s hobbies include reading personal development, financial and business books as well as watching YouTube videos and listening to podcasts on similar topics. She also enjoys watching interior design shows and reading interior design blogs.
Originally from Canada, Michael moved to South Africa in 1999 and considers himself a ‘wannabe S’African’.
He created IRAS as a shared value entity that generates income to have an over-sized socioeconomic impact on our employees, our business partners, and the beneficiaries of disadvantaged persons, mostly women and youth, in several communities within South Africa.
A passionate e-cyclist, Michael has ridden his bike across two continents. He rode across Canada (Victoria to Halifax) in 2018, and from Cairo to South Africa in 2019.
Having undergone open heart surgery to replace a valve in January 2026, Michael is committed to returning to his e-bike to prove his resilience by completing another cross-continent ride by no later than the end of 2029.
In June 2026, Michael finally achieved a goal he set for himself on the 27th of July 1994: visiting Wales to get his “W” in pursuit of being able to spell STRAWBERRY FIELDS with the first letter of the countries he has visited.
JUNIOR ASSOCIATE
DANIËLLE
After finishing a three-year diploma in Sustainable Development from The School of Public Leadership in Stellenbosch, Daniëlle decided to move to Johannesburg in pursuit of seeing what sustainability in action looks like, joining IRAS in February 2023.
In her studies, Daniëlle explored a range of skills, including inter-cultural communication, green economics, systems thinking, sustainable design principles and eco-literacy. She took a special interest in imagery and the role it could play in making information more accessible. She believes that this can be utilised to inspire sustainable action.
Daniëlle holds the belief that sustainability is an intuitive and community-based activity which can be re-ignited through a re-connection with each other, our heritage and the ecosystems that we exist in. This interest lends itself to IRAS’s Sustainability Data Transparency Index (SDTI) Research that IRAS produces on an annual basis.
SENIOR MANAGER
THILOSHINI
Thiloshini (“Thilo”) is a passionate young sustainability professional with over 11 years of experience on both sides of the consultant/auditor-corporate client equation. Her skills and experience range across ESG/Sustainability (assurance, data analysis and reporting), Risk and Compliance, Environmental Management, B-BBEE, Supply Chain Management, Socio Economic Development (SED), and Health & Safety. Thiloshini has joined the IRAS team as a Senior Manager, taking on a critical role of further developing interns and junior associates, while reaching out to support an increasing number of local and international clients.
Thilo is a Certified Legal Compliance Lead Auditor with a BSc in Environmental Science, a Post Graduate Diploma in Integrated Reporting (PGDIR) and holds various certificates in ESG related courses.
Thilo has keen interests in sustainable development, sustainable food, and sustainable travel as well as environment-related issues. She enjoys cooking, baking, dancing, travel, music, travel, movies, and binge-watching television series.
JUNIOR ASSOCIATE
Portia
A graduate of the University of Johannesburg, where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities, majoring in Development Studies and Politics, Portia has a strong interest in sustainability, governance, and social development. She has a passion for using research and data to support informed decision-making.
Portia has known Michael for more than 20 years, first meeting in 2004 as a child participating in the programme that later became the Soweto Marimba Youth League (SMYLe). Being recruited to join IRAS in 2024, Portia’s employment was identified as a mutually beneficial “next step”, despite the work differing significantly from her academic background.
Starting as a 3-month intern, Portia quickly established herself as a key member of the team. After only six months, Portia became the person who trains new recruits how to complete Sustainability Data Transparency Index (SDTI) data gathering and analysis reports. Based on the knowledge and experience she developed through the SDTI process, Portia now contributes significantly to assurance engagements for clients, as well as many other research projects.
In June 2026, Portia celebrated being part of ‘Team IRAS’ for two years.
RESEARCH INTERN
NELI
Neli is a 29-year-old mom and recent graduate with a master’s degree in Environmental Science (Sustainability and Climate Change Studies) who successfully navigated the challenges of being a full-time mom and full-time student in the middle of the global COVID pandemic. In her bid to contribute to the fight against climate change, Neli conducted research on the Challenges and Opportunities of Corporate Climate Action in South Africa.
Neli is a passionate advocate for corporate sustainability, with a profound commitment to the balance between business excellence and environmental stewardship.
Moving forward, Neli’s goal is to drive transformative change by marrying creativity and sustainability with business acumen. Additionally, she seeks to help catalyse a future where corporations be powerful agents of positive environmental change while remaining profitable entities.
Neli’s hobbies include reading personal development, financial and business books as well as watching YouTube videos and listening to podcasts on similar topics. She also enjoys watching interior design shows and reading interior design blogs.
IRAS IS RECRUITING
2024
Due to an overwhelming number of applications for our Internship Application Process, the process has been declared “Closed” as of 21 August 2024.
At IRAS, we recruit new interns on a quarterly basis (at least 3 times per year), so please keep an eye out for our next recruitment drive.
Integrated Reporting & Assurance Services (IRAS) is seeking two ESG/Sustainability Research Internship candidates, to assist us with our annual research…starting on 01 September 2024.
Having conducted Sustainability Data Transparency Index (SDTI) reviews for all 252 JSE listed companies within our 2023 research population sample, IRAS is currently pulling the data together for our 2024 research report, to be published soon.
To gain an understanding of what we intend to produce, our 2023 research report can be found on our website at https://iras-esg.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IRAS-2023-SDTI-Research-Report-Current-Draft-08-November.pdf
To complete our 2024 report, IRAS is seeking two interns for a for a period of three months, with the potential for further employment if one or both chosen candidates meets our exceptionally high standards.
Candidates must have completed no less than an Honours degree in any subject, with preference given to, but not limited to, Sciences (including Environmental Science) and Business (BCom or other), and must be able to analyse data, use Excel (preferably beyond a basic open/save/print skill level), write effectively and both walk and chew gum at the same time (i.e., “multitask”). It’s worth noting that one of our all-time BEST interns was a guy who had an undergrad degree in Outdoor Recreation (i.e., He was able to survive a canoe trip and write about it), so we’re not painfully exclusive on who can apply.
Local candidates will be paid a reasonable starting wage of R7 500 per month with an undergraduate degree (including Honours), or R10 000 per month with a Masters.
At this stage, no international candidates will be considered, unless travel and accommodation costs will be borne by the candidate.
Prior interns have come from Canada, the UK, France, Italy, the UAE, Guadeloupe, Iran and Ethiopia, with more than 30 internationals having cycled through our programme (one ultimately working with us for nearly three years).
Our interns are afforded opportunities to participate in client-facing work, volunteerism activities, and various Learning & Development activities.
About IRAS…
Beyond the information shared on our website, it’s important to note that IRAS is a very small company with what we believe to be a very large impact. Our research exceeds that of any of our local and/or international peers by a wide margin and is used by numerous stakeholders to effect change with respect to Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) transparency and accountability. We tend to work in an extremely informal environment – when not at client sites – and try to engage each other in a manner that seeks to develop employee-specific ESG interests.
Our hours are from 08h00 to 17h00 daily (sometimes a bit longer if/when we’re under pressure to complete assignments), and our goal is to avoid weekend work (with very few exceptions).
Our offices are based at the boss’s home, in a neighbourhood that lends itself well to team lunches (mostly at the boss’s expense), and work-from-home scenarios occur on a fairly regular basis (post-internship).
The job is based in Johannesburg, with zero potential for change within the first year of employment.
Site visits are always the ultimate prize, noting that anyone who’s ever watched Discovery Channel’s “How It’s Made” will have a sense of how our team benefits from doing the work we do for our clients.
Our team members are encouraged to self-educate whenever possible, noting that a demonstrated commitment to personal and professional Learning & Development (L&D) is rewarded through irregular bonuses and/or salary increases. More importantly, our team members are encouraged to identify projects that they want to develop, using our extensive experience and contacts to help facilitate the sort of career development larger firms cannot easily facilitate.
Interested candidates are asked to send a short CV (max 2 pages) to michael@iras.co.za with the following in the Subject line by no later than 16h00 on Friday the 23rd of August:
Internship Candidate
Please note that IRAS will only contact applicants whose submission of their CV meets our minimum requirements.
IRAS is Hiring – a Disabled Person!
Integrated Reporting & Assurance Services (IRAS) is seeking to hire a Disabled Person (of any disability) to participate in our ESG/Sustainability Research Internship programme, to assist us with our annual research.
Integrated Reporting & Assurance Services (IRAS) is seeking two ESG/Sustainability Research Internship candidates, to assist us with our annual research.
Having conducted Sustainability Data Transparency Index (SDTI) reviews for all 252 JSE listed companies within our 2023 research population sample, IRAS is currently pulling the data together for our 2024 research report, to be published in August.
To gain an understanding of what we intend to produce, our 2023 research report can be found on our website at https://iras-esg.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IRAS-2023-SDTI-Research-Report-Current-Draft-08-November.pdf
To complete our 2024 report,, IRAS is seeking to hire THREE Research Interns for a start date of 01 August 2023, of which no less than ONE position is reserved a disabled candidate.
Candidates must have completed no less than an Honours degree in any subject, with preference given to Sciences (including Environmental Science) and Business (BCom or other), and must be able to analyse data, use Excel (preferably beyond a basic open/save/print skill level), write effectively and both walk and chew gum at the same time (i.e., “multi-task”). It’s worth noting that almost ALL MBA graduates proved themselves to be ineffective, whereas BCom graduates have been very successful, and that one of our all-time BEST interns was a guy who had an undergrad degree in Outdoor Recreation (i.e., He was able to survive a canoe trip and write about it)…so we’re not painfully exclusive on who can apply.
Candidates will be paid a reasonable starting wage (R7 500 per month), with the potential to obtain significant increases and more permanent employment upon completion of the internship period.
Pre-COVID, our interns came from Canada, the UK, France, Italy, the UAE, Guadeloupe, Iran and Ethiopia, with more than 30 internationals having cycled through our programme (one ultimately working with us for nearly three years).
Our interns are afforded opportunities to participate in client-facing work, volunteerism activities, and various Learning & Development activities.
About IRAS…
Beyond the information shared on our website, it’s important to note that IRAS is a very small company with what we believe to be a very large impact. Our research exceeds that of any of our local and/or international peers by a wide margin and is used by numerous stakeholders to effect change with respect to Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) transparency and accountability. We tend to work in an extremely informal environment – when not at client sites – and try to engage each other in a manner that seeks to develop employee-specific ESG interests.
Our hours are from 08h00 to 17h00 daily (sometimes a bit longer if/when we’re under pressure to complete assignments), and our goal is to avoid weekend work (with very few exceptions).
Our offices are based at the boss’s home, in a neighbourhood that lends itself well to team lunches (mostly at the boss’s expense), and work-from-home scenarios occur on a fairly regular basis (post-internship).
The job is based in Johannesburg, with zero potential for change within the first year of employment.
Site visits are always the ultimate prize, noting that anyone who’s ever watched Discovery Channel’s “How It’s Made” will have a sense of how our team benefits from doing the work we do for our clients.
Our team members are encouraged to self-educate whenever possible, noting that a demonstrated commitment to personal and professional Learning & Development (L&D) is rewarded through irregular bonuses and/or salary increases. More importantly, our team members are encouraged to identify projects that they want to develop, using our extensive experience and contacts to help facilitate the sort of career development larger firms cannot easily facilitate.
The Disabled Person Candidate
At least one position is specifically set aside for a Disabled Person, noting that IRAS is planning to expand our annual research and reporting on the recruitment, training and development of disabled persons within JSE listed companies, and we’re looking for someone with first-hand knowledge of what it’s like to navigate life with a disability. While we understand that our offices may not currently accommodate extreme physical challenges, we’re willing to make adjustments and investments to accommodate the right candidate.
IRAS previously employed a Graphic Designer with less than 30% vision, or “legally blind”, and has supported persons with physical challenges associates with Cerebral Palsy. Our offices can already accommodate wheelchair access, and we’re confident that our experience with deaf persons would result in a quick transition to full support.
IRAS is an Exempted Micro Enterprise (EME) under the dti Codes of Good Practice for Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE), so this posting has NOTHING to do with “earning points”. Rather, our continued involvement with the National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD) consistently reminds us that we need to do more to actively recruit a disabled person to assist IRAS with the change we are trying to be.
Interested candidates are asked to send a short CV (max 2 pages) to michael@iras.co.za.