General questions

1. What does Speeki do? Speeki provides independent ESG assurance, ISO certifications and sustainability solutions globally. We validate your non-financial performance – from sustainability reports to anti-corruption programmes – so stakeholders can trust what you say. We're experts in ESG, sustainability, compliance, supply chain transparency and governance.

2. Why would I choose Speeki over my accounting firm for ESG assurance? If you want your financial accounts audited, use your accounting firm. For carbon emissions, human rights compliance, governance systems, anti-bribery, DEI initiatives or sustainability reports, you need specialists like Speeki – not accountants. We bring deep content expertise in ESG domains that traditional accounting and audit firms simply don't have.

3. Where does Speeki operate? We operate globally across 100+ countries with headquarters in Singapore and subsidiaries in France and the UK. Our auditors cover all regions, languages and industries.

4. Is Speeki accredited? Yes. Speeki Europe is accredited by French COFRAC (Comité Français d'Accréditation, N°4-0609) and American ANAB for ISO certifications for certain management systems. We meet international standards for impartiality and independence in certification bodies.

5. What makes Speeki different from large certification bodies? We offer a boutique, focused approach rather than trying to certify everything. We concentrate on ESG and sustainability topics where we have genuine expertise. Our auditors are ESG specialists who have often built these programmes in-house themselves – not just checklist auditors.

ISO certification questions

6. What ISO standards can Speeki certify? We certify management systems across 20+ ESG and sustainability topics, including ISO 37001 (anti-bribery), ISO 37301 (compliance management), ISO 42001 (AI governance), ISO 37002 (whistleblowing), plus health and safety, environmental and other governance standards.

7. How long does ISO certification take? From initial dialogue to certification typically takes 1-3 months depending on your readiness. The certification itself is valid for three years, with annual surveillance audits to maintain it.

8. Can you help us prepare for ISO certification? While Speeki Europe (our certification entity) must remain independent, Speeki can provide training, gap analysis, pre-audits and readiness assessments but we don’t provide any form of consulting services. Any services are pre-certification and training services assopciated with assurance.

9. Why start with anti-bribery certification (ISO 37001)? Most companies already have solid anti-bribery programmes that can be easily adapted to ISO standards. It's also a high-risk area where certification reduces criminal liability for executives, improves ESG ratings and strengthens trust. It's often the quickest win for your first certification.

10. What's the commitment for ISO certification? ISO management system certifications follow a three-year cycle. This isn't a one-off audit – it's a long-term commitment to maintaining and continuously improving your management system with annual surveillance audits.

ESG assurance and reporting questions

11. What is Speeki Guardian®? Speeki Guardian® is our comprehensive ESG report assurance service. We provide independent validation of your sustainability reports against standards like ESRS (CSRD), IFRS S1 and S2, GRI and others. We commit to three-year engagements to truly partner with you on your reporting journey.

12. Will ESG assurance become mandatory? Yes, most likely. The EU's CSRD already requires assurance for sustainability statements. Other jurisdictions are following. Similar to financial audits, ESG assurance is becoming standard practice – better to start on your timeline than wait for regulatory deadlines.

13. How does ESG assurance benefit my company? Assurance validates your claims, builds stakeholder trust, improves data quality, identifies gaps for improvement, reduces greenwashing risk and demonstrates credibility. Certified management systems also reduce your assurance costs by 30-40%.

14. Can you assure non-certifiable standards? Yes. While some ISO standards offer certification, others are guidelines (like ISO 37002 for whistleblowing). We can still provide assurance and confirmation that you're following these guidelines, even without formal certification.

15. Do we have to use your Engage® platform for assurance? No, it's not mandatory. We can work with your existing systems and documentation.

Speeki platform and Nicole AI questions

16. What is the Engage®platform? Engage® is our AI-powered assurance platform where you build and document your ESG programmes according to standards. Multiple assurance firms can access it with appropriate segregation. It streamlines audits and keeps everything digital, secure and accessible.

17. Who is Nicole®? Nicole® is our AI-powered ESG expert built into the Engage® Platform. She's evolving into an agentic AI agent that helps automate reporting, suggests improvements, extracts and validates data, generates compliant content and assists with whistleblowing intake.

18. What is agentic AI and how does it help with ESG? Agentic AI goes beyond answering questions – it anticipates needs and proactively manages workflows. Nicole® will autonomously handle routine ESG tasks like data validation, report drafting and compliance checking, while keeping humans in control for strategic decisions.

19. Can we use the Engage® Platform without choosing Speeki for assurance? Absolutely. The platform is a separate SaaS offering. You're free to use any assurance provider. We maintain independence and don't offer pricing advantages to platform clients.

Industry-specific questions

20. Does Speeki work with our industry? Yes. We serve sophisticated corporate buyers across all industries globally, including large multinationals. Our expertise applies across sectors – from manufacturing and financial services to technology and resource extraction.

Process and timing questions

21. How long does an ESG sustainability report assurance engagement take? Initial sustainability report assurance typically takes 1-2 months depending on report complexity and data readiness. We recommend three-year partnerships to build efficiency and value over time.

22. What's the process for getting started? Contact us for an initial dialogue about your needs. We'll assess your situation, discuss appropriate standards or frameworks, provide a proposal and outline the roadmap. For certifications, we follow a structured process: training, gap analysis, documentation and audit.

23. When should we start planning for assurance? Start early – ideally 12-18 months before you need assured statements. Building trust with an assurance partner takes time and early engagement helps you identify and fix issues on your timeline, not a regulator's.

Commercial questions

24. How is Speeki priced? Pricing depends on scope, company size, complexity and chosen services. ISO certifications follow three-year cycles with annual fees. Platform subscriptions are billed annually on three-year terms. Contact us for a customised proposal.

25. Does having ISO certifications reduce assurance costs? Yes, significantly. When we quote on sustainability report assurance, clients with certified management systems see 30-40% cost reductions because the underlying systems are already validated and controlled.

Technical and compliance questions

26. How does Speeki ensure impartiality? Speeki Europe (our certification body) never provides assurance to programmes we helped build. We comply with ISO/IEC 17021 standards on impartiality and maintain documented conflict-of-interest management.

27. What reporting standards and frameworks does Speeki support? We support all major frameworks: GRI, ESRS (CSRD), IFRS S1 and S2 (ISSB), TCFD, SASB, CDP, regional standards (Australian ASRS, Canadian CSDS, Malaysian MFRS, Singapore standards) and various ISO management system standards. Our platform maps data across multiple frameworks – write once, report many times.