Currys' closure of ESG committee sparks debate on UK corporate governance priorities

"Ciarán Bollard, CEO of The Corporate Governance Institute, warned that dissolving the committee could undermine confidence in Currys' approach "Statements of this kind are becoming more common. We hear companies say: 'we are stepping back from formal ESG structures, but our commitment remains.' In the United States, this has often been driven by political hostility towards ESG. The UK, however, is a very different environment.""

"He added that while governance models vary, the absence of a dedicated board-level committee risks diluting focus: "A board-level committee ensures focus, visibility and responsibility. Without that, ESG risks becoming fragmented and treated as a peripheral issue rather than embedded in strategy. That can create challenges for compliance, investor relations and reputation over time." The closure of Currys' ESG committee highlights a tension for UK boards: how best to integrate ESG into governance structures at a time of rising regulatory demands."

Currys, the UK's largest electricals retailer, has disbanded its board-level ESG committee, ending formal board oversight of environmental, social and governance issues. The company states that it remains committed to ESG objectives despite the committee's closure. The move comes as UK and EU sustainability regulations and investor expectations tighten under frameworks such as the UK's Sustainability Disclosure Requirements and the EU's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive. Governance experts warn that removing a dedicated committee risks diluting focus, fragmenting responsibility, complicating compliance, and harming investor relations and reputation. The decision raises pressures on boards to embed ESG within core governance.

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