ICAS CEO: Meet the future of the profession
As ICAS announces its Top 100 Young CAs of 2019, CEO Bruce Cartwright CA congratulates the winners and considers what the future might hold for them.
It is my pleasure to congratulate each and every one of the exceptional individuals who have made it on to this year’s Top 100 Young CAs list.
It is a great achievement to make it onto the list and it presents a wonderful chance for these talented young CAs to be recognised by their peers.
The 100 CAs who make up this year’s list have been nominated because they have exceeded expectations and led by example in the categories of technology, trust and talent.
You have already heard me speak about ‘the three T’s’ in relation to the CA Agenda, our new thought leadership series. We chose these three key themes as they are indicative of the new challenges and innovative opportunities facing the profession.
The future generation of CA leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators are more likely to feel the effects of radical changes and advancements in these three areas than their predecessors.
The lightspeed advancement of technology over the past five years alone has given rise to questions about the future of the accountancy profession and most other industries.
Being a part of the same network of professionals as the young people on this list gives me an immense sense of pride.
It is my strong belief that CAs will always hold a respected place in the world of business and finance. But we must be willing to adapt and embrace new technology, harness its capabilities and strengthen our own professional offering as a result.
These advancements provide CAs with an opportunity to advise and guide those who are adopting them.
Each of the names under the technology section of the Top 100 represents a CA who is a pioneer in this field by disrupting, innovating and reinventing what it means to be a chartered accountant.
It is imperative that CAs learn from them and recognise that they must be an active voice in the conversation surrounding technology and how the profession plans to adopt it.
It is for this reason the theme of talent is so crucial.
All 100 CAs on this list are there because they have displayed a high level of talent.
Those who have been nominated under the theme are there because they exemplify the talent and leadership qualities businesses need in a fast-evolving operating environment.
They have endeavoured to embrace change rather than dismiss it, to jump at the chance to learn new skills and broaden their understanding of what the future of the profession might look like.
By doing so, they are helping carve out a space in that future for the next generation of CAs.
It is because of these trailblazers that ICAS is now looking at how it evolves alongside the changes in the profession to ensure it is providing the most relevant training and support to its members.
Trust is the foundation that all else is built on for ICAS and its members, and those nominated under this theme are champions of this fundamental ideal.
It would be remiss of me not to recognise that the profession is going through a period of intense scrutiny.
Now more than ever we need to recognise the moral and ethical principles that ICAS and its members practice every day.
Those shortlisted under the theme of trust have taken personal responsibility to choose a path of ethical leadership. This is at the heart of being a CA and it will remain there.
Being a part of the same network of professionals as the young people on this list gives me an immense sense of pride.
I wish them all congratulations and the best of luck for the One Young CA competition.