James Kennedy sits down with Michael O’Shea, co-founder & CEO of Pulse Market, to unpack how CFOs can get ahead of non-financial sustainability reporting. From CSRD, ESRS, SECR and double materiality to auditor readiness and supplier due-diligence, Michael explains the emerging reporting stack – and why robust data lineage matters as much as the numbers. They also touch on his earlier startups (from Silicon Valley CRM to an Irish spread-betting platform), lessons from a private-equity roll-up, and the culture/values work that shaped Pulse.
About Michael O’Shea
A technologist turned founder, Michael has built products and teams in the US and Europe – ranging from fintech trading platforms to data platforms for global asset managers. At Pulse Market, he helps finance and sustainability teams securely gather, govern, and audit non-financial data across the value chain for ESG/CSRD reporting.
What You’ll Learn
- CSRD & ESRS, de-jargoned: How European sustainability rules flow from double materiality to 1,100+ disclosure datapoints – and what that means for CFOs.
- Audit-ready ESG data: Why spreadsheets and SharePoint fall short for evidence, lineage, and assurance – and how to prepare for limited/then reasonable assurance.
- Value-chain reality: Practical ways to request, validate, and reuse supplier ESG data (scope, policies, diversity, geography, and carbon).
- Global ripple effects: Why non-EU firms (UK, Middle East, Japan, US) still feel CSRD via customers and revenue risk.
- Culture scales strategy: Insights from a four-company roll-up on why cultural fit determines post-deal success – and how those lessons guide Pulse today.
Episode Highlights
- “**What gets measured gets managed – **and now it also has to be audited.”
- “Double materiality asks two questions: your impact on the world – and the world’s impact on your P&L.”
- “If your biggest customer is in scope for CSRD, you’re in scope by proxy.”
- “ESG isn’t just carbon. It’s E, S, and G – from emissions and supply-chain labor to governance and transparency.”
- “Tech’s job is simple: secure, structured, reusable data your auditors can trace.”
More About Michael’s Role
At Pulse Market, Michael’s team provides a sustainability data platform that lets finance, procurement, and ESG leaders:
- Orchestrate CSRD/ESRS disclosures with evidence, ownership, and workflow.
- Collect supplier & partner data once, reuse across frameworks (CSRD, SECR, CSDDD, EcoVadis).
- Maintain audit trails (who/what/when) for assurance.
- Integrate with existing finance stacks so non-financial data is governed like financials.
