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

April update from the Office Bearer team

  • LinkedIn (opens new window)
  • Twitter (opens new window)
By CA magazine

31 March 2021

The highlights of an unexpected year for the 2020/21 ICAS office bearers.

Read April's CA magazine now

Catherine Burnet CA, ICAS President

I want to share my thanks with ICAS members, including fellow office bearers Indy and Bruce, and the ICAS staff for a fantastic year as President. Unexpectedly, the pandemic meant I became the first “virtual” President. Before it escalated and lockdowns began, we did a lot of planning around how the year might look. That had to be revisited very quickly and adapted to make it as effective as possible from home.

I had two main priorities for my year as President. Internally, I wanted to drive our strategy around education and the way we support the skills of current and future CAs. That took on a life of its own during Covid as everything moved online. We achieved a lot here, from being one of few professional bodies to maintain our exam timetable to taking members’ CPD fully online. Our support for the next generation of CAs is more vital than ever. Students and younger members are understandably nervous at having potentially missed out on a year of coaching and office-based learning. We must take steps to help them navigate the early stages of their career.

Externally, I was keen to focus on member engagement, including with members who have been less active in the past. Of course, that now had to be done remotely. This included my regular video updates, explaining our priorities and activities – vital when I couldn’t be out on the road. For me, one of the main successes is that, whether through Zoom or Teams, I spoke to as wide a variety of members as possible, spanning the entire globe. The success of the inaugural CA Summit is a great example of ICAS’ international reach.

As restrictions are lifted, let’s look to combine the best elements of the “old normal” with the lessons learned during the new. We have improved the way we discuss areas such as equality and sustainability. ICAS has made great strides in diversity and inclusion, consulting with members of all backgrounds and making their voices heard in the public arena. As CAs, it is crucial we reflect the society we work in, building trust in our profession for generations to come.

Bruce Pritchard CA, ICAS Deputy President

This year was completely dominated by the pandemic, but ICAS members rose to the challenge and demonstrated the best of their skills. Even in these difficult months, CAs have proved their well-earned reputation as determined and conscientious businesspeople.

One of the real privileges of serving as Deputy President has been meeting ICAS members from all over the world. The digital age meant the pandemic could only separate us physically and, in some ways, it created new opportunities for us to connect. ICAS ran a busy webinar schedule during 2020 and feedback has been incredibly positive. The level of creativity from the ICAS team and guest speakers has been quite phenomenal.

The past year has been difficult for members and students alike. The pandemic placed pressure on wellbeing by blurring personal and professional boundaries and posing new challenges to both. As CAs, we take our responsibility to advise clients seriously, and I know it has been tough for many of our members to see well-run businesses come under strain. But it has been encouraging, as always, to see the skills and talents of CAs in real time, mitigating the pandemic’s worst effects and successfully assisting many clients in receiving government support.

Work will look quite different when offices reopen. A hybrid, combining home and office, looks likely. I’ve spoken to members anxious about the office’s pressures and fast pace. This is a priority area for ICAS and we’ll provide support wherever we can. One of the great lessons of the past year is that flexibility is key – we each have a different way of working that brings out our best performance.

The future of ICAS depends on members. I encourage all CAs to get involved. I can vouch for the benefits of doing so. The breadth of experience and knowledge at any one of our boards and committees is significant, and you’ll meet the most fascinating people.

Indy Hothi CA, ICAS Vice President

One of my top priorities as Vice President has been helping ICAS’ journey in the digital spaces. During lockdown, we launched a podcast series and the discussions around mental health, in particular, helped us approach business from a more holistic angle. I was also delighted to interview young members on the podcast, as their experiences during the pandemic will shape the way we do business and progress as a society.

At a macro level, ICAS has a big role to play in driving the business agenda on sustainability. It will be the key issue of our time, just as digital disruption was in recent decades. The CA Summit in October 2020 highlighted that ICAS can be a leader in this area, and we have a big role to play, particularly in changes around financial reporting.

It has been encouraging to witness the progress we’ve made in equality, diversity and inclusion (ED&I) – and the hiring of dedicated ED&I Manager, Ian Bettison, earlier this year was a milestone. The relaunch of the ED&I Committee in late 2020, in particular, provides a way for members to discuss these issues, even when they may not feel comfortable doing so with their employer. To me, the two key values that drive the work of ICAS are boldness and authenticity. That includes demonstrating leadership but also being honest about the journey we are on as an organisation – and it has been a privilege to be part of that journey.

CA magazine: April 2021

By Sarah Speirs, ICAS Executive Director of Member Engagement and Communications

31 March 2021

2022-11-mitigo 2022-11-mitigo
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: