IAB for Good

Creating a sustainable future through education

As a non-profit membership organisation, the IAB improves its members’ prospects through education. It’s therefore a natural focus for our ESG work. Education is at the heart of what we do and an area where we can make a meaningful difference.

£10,000Raised for the British Normandy Memorial through a sponsored cycle

Southern IndiaFinancial education delivered to children with the Bhuvkarma Foundation

UN SDG 4Our ESG work is aligned to Goal 4, quality education for all

04UN SDG

Creating a more equitable and sustainable future

We align our ESG work with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, specifically Goal 4 (SDG 4), which aims to ensure inclusive, equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

The causes we support

Browse our partners

Ongoing support · Southern India

Bhuvkarma Foundation

Our ongoing support of the Bhuvkarma Foundation in southern India, sees the IAB provide financial education to children, equipping them with skills for personal and professional development.

Visit Bhuvkarma Foundation

British Normandy Memorial

Through a sponsored cycle, we raised £10,000 for the British Normandy Memorial, an educational experience designed to engage young people with legacy of the Normandy landing and those who served.

Visit British Normandy Memorial

Bhuvkarma Foundation · 1 of 2

How we make a difference

A ride that built more than a memorial

In September 2021, a team of IAB members, ambassadors, Board Directors and supporters set out from our headquarters in Kent on a four-day sponsored cycling challenge.

The purpose of the ride was to raise money for the education centre at the British Normandy Memorial, helping it to teach future generations about the importance of protecting peace.

The destination changed, but the mission didn’t

Originally, our plan was to cycle to the British Normandy Memorial at Ver-sur-Mer in France. However, Covid restrictions made that impossible.

Instead, Team Gold rode from the IAB's headquarters in Kent to the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.

This was a fitting destination, as when the Memorial opened in France, the same travel restrictions prevented Normandy veteran, George Batts from being there in person.

One of the memorial’s greatest champions, George watched the ceremony from the National Memorial Arboretum. We rode to the very place where he had stood.

George’s vision: remembrance through education

The inspiration behind the challenge was George Batts, a Normandy veteran and passionate advocate for ensuring future generations understood the true human cost of war.

On the morning of 6th June 1944, aged just 18, George landed on Gold Beach in Normandy, tasked with clearing mines and booby traps. It was this beach that inspired Team Gold’s name.

George believed education was one of the greatest forces for peace. His vision was not simply to remember those who served, but to teach young people why events like D-Day should never be repeated.

His campaigning helped secure £20 million to build the British Normandy Memorial itself, honouring the 22,442 men and women who fell under British command on D-Day and during the Battle of Normandy.

But when the Memorial was complete, no funding remained for the education centre George believed was essential. That was the gap Team Gold set out to help close.

Working with the British Normandy Memorial Trust, the IAB ensured that every pound raised by Team Gold would be used specifically for the future education centre.

Every donation became an investment in learning.

“If children understand the horrors of war, perhaps they can help prevent the next one.”

George Batts MBE, Légion d’honneur
Normandy Veteran and Memorial Patron, 1925 to 2022

From Gold Beach to the classroom

One thread connects a teenage sapper on a French beach to the schoolchildren learning at the British Normandy Memorial today. Team Gold is proud to be part of this story.

6 June 1944

George lands on Gold Beach

An 18 year old Royal Engineers sapper clears mines and booby traps on D-Day and carries the memory of the fallen for the rest of his life.

2012 to 2019

A veteran’s campaign

George campaigns for a lasting British memorial in Normandy, helping to secure £20 million. Construction begins at Ver-sur-Mer, overlooking Gold Beach.

June 2021

The memorial opens

Covid restrictions prevent veterans, and Team Gold, from travelling to France. George watches the opening ceremony from the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.

September 2021

Team Gold rides

IAB members, ambassadors, Board Directors and supporters cycle from Kent to the National Memorial Arboretum over four days, raising more than £10,000 for the future education centre.

6 June 2024

The education centre opens

On the 80th anniversary of D-Day, Their Majesties The King and The Queen officially open the Winston Churchill Centre for Education and Learning at the Memorial.

Future generations benefit

Schools from the UK, France and beyond visit the centre, where galleries, first-hand testimony and dedicated classrooms help teach the human cost of war and the value of peace.

Through immersive galleries, powerful storytelling and first-hand historical testimony, the centre has brought the story of D-Day to life for thousands of schoolchildren and visitors from across the UK, France and beyond.

As well as honouring the bravery of the troops who took part, it provides a vital insight into the devastating human consequences of war and the importance of protecting peace.

This is what drove the IAB’s involvement. It was never simply about completing a cycling challenge. It was about showing that a professional community, united behind a shared purpose, can create something that lasts for generations.

Every mile cycled and every donation made became part of a legacy. Every member who took part helped to build a place where the sacrifices of those who served are never forgotten and, more importantly, never repeated.

Visit the Winston Churchill Centre

Tackling our own sustainability

The IAB’s sustainability journey extends beyond the organisation itself to include our members and partners. Through our collective action, we are committed to creating positive change for future generations.

EFWA Accreditation

Carbon Conscious Website

Eco Friendly Web Alliance accreditation

Why this matters: More than a professional body

The IAB exists to elevate and connect finance professionals worldwide. Team IAB shows what that connection makes possible: a community that does not simply support the accounting profession, but brings people together to make a lasting difference.

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