ICAS ICAS logo

Quicklinks

  1. About Us

    Find out about who we are and what we do here at ICAS.

  2. Find a CA

    Search our directory of individual CAs and Member organisations by name, location and professional criteria.

  3. CA Magazine

    View the latest issues of the dedicated magazine for ICAS Chartered Accountants.

  4. Contact Us

    Get in touch with ICAS by phone, email or post, with dedicated contacts for Members, Students and firms.

Login
  • Annual renewal
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Find a CA
  1. About us
    1. Governance
  2. Members
    1. Become a member
    2. Newly qualified
    3. Manage my membership
    4. Benefits of membership
    5. Careers support
    6. Mentoring
    7. CA Wellbeing
    8. More for Members
    9. Area networks
    10. International communities
    11. Get involved
    12. Top Young CAs
    13. Career breaks
    14. ICAS podcast
    15. Newly admitted members 2022
    16. Newly admitted members 2023
  3. CA Students
    1. Student information
    2. Student resources
    3. Learning requirements
    4. Learning updates
    5. Learning blog
    6. Totum Pro | Student discount card
    7. CA Student wellbeing
  4. Become a CA
    1. How to become a CA
    2. Routes to becoming a CA
    3. CA Stories
    4. Find a training agreement
    5. Why become a CA
    6. Qualification information
    7. University exemptions
  5. Employers
    1. Become an Authorised Training Office
    2. Resources for Authorised Training Offices
    3. Professional entry
    4. Apprenticeships
  6. Find a CA
  7. ICAS events
    1. CA Summit
  8. CA magazine
  9. Insight
    1. Finance + Trust
    2. Finance + Technology
    3. Finance + EDI
    4. Finance + Mental Fitness
    5. Finance + Leadership
    6. Finance + Sustainability
  10. Professional resources
    1. Anti-money laundering
    2. Audit and assurance
    3. Brexit
    4. Business and governance
    5. Charities
    6. Coronavirus
    7. Corporate and financial reporting
    8. Cyber security
    9. Ethics
    10. Insolvency
    11. ICAS Research
    12. Pensions
    13. Practice
    14. Public sector
    15. Sustainability
    16. Tax
  11. CPD - professional development
    1. CPD courses and qualifications
    2. CPD news and updates
    3. CPD support and advice
  12. Regulation
    1. Complaints and sanctions
    2. Regulatory authorisations
    3. Guidance and help sheets
    4. Regulatory monitoring
  13. CA jobs
    1. CA jobs partner: Rutherford Cross
    2. Resources for your job search
    3. Advertise with CA jobs
    4. Hays | A Trusted ICAS CA Jobs Partner
    5. Azets | What's your ambition?
  14. Work at ICAS
    1. Business centres
    2. Meet our team
    3. Benefits
    4. Vacancies
    5. Imagine your career at ICAS
  15. Contact us
    1. Technical and regulation queries
    2. ICAS logo request

ICAS launches the CA Agenda

CA Agenda Talent hero image
  • LinkedIn (opens new window)
  • Twitter (opens new window)
By Rob Outram, Editor, The CA

18 March 2019

Technology, Trust and Talent: at a time of great change for the profession, for business and for society as a whole, ICAS is looking to stimulate thought and action in these critical areas through The CA Agenda, a new thought leadership initiative.

Whether it’s the far-reaching consequences of technological advances in the forms of automation, AI, blockchain and robotics, or the roles that each of us can play in rebuilding trust in business and eroding practices not fit for the future, all our members can realise the extent of their own talents in making this vision a reality.

This ambitious programme saw its launch in London on 5 March 2019 at St Paul’s Cathedral.

Introducing the event, ICAS Chief Executive Bruce Cartwright CA said: "This is our agenda – one way or another, these are the issues that most people in the room will be facing.

"We are on our own journey at ICAS to ensure that the CA qualification and the professional development we provide remains highly relevant to the environment our members operate in."

Baron Anyangwe CA, an ICAS Council Member and Management Consultant with North Highland, introduced three leading CAs, each outlining key issues in Technology, Trust and Talent.

Technology

Hugh Shields CA, who spoke on technology and how it will affect all of our lives, is Global Director (Accounting) with Huawei Technologies and ICAS Special Consultant, Technology and AI.

He challenged the audience of CAs: “Imagine a world in which robots can do virtually all jobs that exist today.

“Just over 30 years from now – 2050 – is the date posited by some as the point at which computers’ ability to think and create will exceed that of humans’: the so-called ‘technological singularity’.”

If we can harness the upside and manage the downside of technology, ICAS can set the agenda for the accounting profession.

In this environment, he said, when auditing and accounting can take place in real time, and analysts can be presented with fair value information as it happens, even concepts such as 'profit' will take on a different meaning and with integrated reporting having an ever more significant role, traditional financial accounting will no longer be the sole benchmark.

Hugh said: “There are huge opportunities, but the risks need to be managed. If we can harness the upside and manage the downside of technology, ICAS can set the agenda for the accounting profession and we can contribute to society more broadly... it is the most exciting time to be a CA!”

Read Hugh's thoughts on Technology

Trust

Drawing on his work in commercial PLCs and in international NGOs working on development, anti-corruption and biodiversity, and now as Chief Executive of The Elders, a peace and human rights group, David Nussbaum CA addressed the issue of trust and the role of the CA.

"We have a crisis of trust," he said and cited research findings from the 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer, a worldwide survey of public opinion. One of the survey’s most telling findings is that only 20% of the public believe the 'system' is working for them.

We may not be able easily to change the system individually; but we can make choices about how we operate within it.

"This is an issue for us, as accountants," David stressed. The solution often put forward is increased transparency, he added, but said that this is not an answer in itself, especially where there is perceived unfairness.

Trust, he argued, is a matter of competence and integrity, or to put it another way, capability and behaviour. For the accountancy profession it requires ethical leadership: "Making choices: to put public trust above personal ambition… to address issues internally, where they occur, with courage and integrity; and also externally and sometimes publicly."

He concluded: "We may not be able easily to change the system individually; but we can make choices about how we operate within it; and in doing so, contribute to changing it."

Read David's thoughts on Trust

Talent

Alison Cornwell CA, Group Chief Financial Officer for Vue International, asked: "How can we be relevant and succeed in a world where technology is taking over and the integrity of our profession is being questioned?"

CAs, she said, need to tackle the challenges of technology and trust through a three-step process:

  • First, acceptance and recognition that technological change is happening and that the profession needs to address the trust issue;
  • Second, through education, by developing skills in areas that are relevant and will be valued;
  • Third, by embracing and harnessing technology to look for ways in which technology can help professionals to do a better job and make work more stimulating... and by always behaving with integrity.

Alison said: “By definition, everyone in this room is talented. We need to ensure that our talent is relevant and that it will be valued.”

She stressed the importance of “curiosity” and retaining a willingness to learn, at any stage in one’s career, talking with enthusiasm about the impact of certain technology projects her business had implemented.

Her conclusion was upbeat, quoting from one of her favourite films, Dead Poets Society: "Carpe diem – ‘seize the day’ – and make your lives extraordinary."

Read Alison's thoughts on Talent

How ICAS is evolving

Mark Allison CA, ICAS Executive Director, Education, joined the panel and outlined the major changes in the ICAS curriculum taking place this year.

'Business Ethics and Public Trust' will appear as a separate exam paper from this May, and the new syllabus will include: a greater emphasis on scepticism and professional behaviours; and more content related to quantitative skills such as forecasting, measurement and data analytics.

The new syllabus also comprises business acumen and commercial awareness, as well as cybercrime, artificial intelligence and the impact of disruptive technologies. It will have ramifications for continuing professional development (CPD), with an increased focus on capability rather than simply acquiring knowledge.

Bruce Cartwright CA, concluded the discussion with a promise that this will only be the beginning for The CA Agenda.

He said: "Please do get involved. The talent and intelligence that will help drive this programme is here in the room, within our wider membership in the UK and beyond and indeed the wider profession.

"We want to support those networks and that knowledge sharing across our community."

Get involved with The CA Agenda

Bruce on the Agenda

ICAS CEO on the CA Agenda

By Bruce Cartwright CA, CEO, ICAS

18 March 2019

2023-03-MarksElectrical 2023-03-MarksElectrical
ICAS logo

Footer links

  • Contact us
  • Terms and conditions
  • Modern slavery statement
  • Privacy notice
  • CA magazine

Connect with ICAS

  • Facebook (opens new window) Facebook Icon
  • Twitter (opens new window) Twitter Icon
  • LinkedIn (opens new window) LinkedIn Icon
  • Instagram (opens new window) Instagram Icon

ICAS is a member of the following bodies

  • Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies (opens new window) Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies logo
  • Chartered Accountants Worldwide (opens new window) Chartered Accountants Worldwide logo
  • Global Accounting Alliance (opens new window) Global Accounting Alliance
  • International Federation of Accountants (opens new window) IFAC
  • Access Accountancy (opens new window) Access Acountancy

Charities

  • ICAS Foundation (opens new window) ICAS Foundation
  • SCABA (opens new window) scaba

Accreditations

  • ISO 9001 - RGB (opens new window)
© ICAS 2022

The mark and designation “CA” is a registered trade mark of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS), and is available for use in the UK and EU only to members of ICAS. If you are not a member of ICAS, you should not use the “CA” mark and designation in the UK or EU in relation to accountancy, tax or insolvency services. The mark and designation “Chartered Accountant” is a registered trade mark of ICAS, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales and Chartered Accountants Ireland. If you are not a member of one of these organisations, you should not use the “Chartered Accountant” mark and designation in the UK or EU in relation to these services. Further restrictions on the use of these marks also apply where you are a member.

ICAS logo

Our cookie policy

ICAS.com uses cookies which are essential for our website to work. We would also like to use analytical cookies to help us improve our website and your user experience. Any data collected is anonymised. Please have a look at the further information in our cookie policy and confirm if you are happy for us to use analytical cookies: