Standard & Poor's (S&P), the world's biggest credit ratings agency, has hired Sue Harding as European chief accountant as part of an ongoing initiative to address accounting practices in credit ratings.

Harding was formerly head of global accounting strategy at Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB). She was responsible for developing new equity research methodology that analysed global accounting developments and for advising institutional investors and CSFB analysts in implications for the valuation process.