Inside ICAS: April update from the Office Bearer team
An update from the ICAS Office Bearer Team on what’s been happening at ICAS over the past month.
President Catherine Burnet CA, Deputy President Bruce Pritchard CA and Vice President Indy Hothi CA bring you a monthly round-up of ICAS news.
Catherine Burnet CA, ICAS President
“As part of its ongoing commitment to ED&I and challenging discrimination in the profession, I’m proud that this month ICAS signed the Charter for Black Talent in Finance and the Professions. The charter aims to increase representation of Black people in the most senior and leadership positions in Finance and the Professions.”
Bruce Pritchard CA, ICAS Deputy President
“ICAS published its ‘Building a better tax system’ paper in April, developed jointly with CIOT. The paper identifies three areas of policy that need to be addressed in the 2021- 2026 Scottish Parliament to help deliver a devolved tax system which can continue to evolve, and be sustainable, resilient, and better understood by taxpayers.”
Indy Hothi CA, ICAS Vice President
“It was fantastic to see the CA Summit 2020 shortlisted in the Marketing Society Awards 2021 this month. ICAS’ first ever immersive digital conference, held back in October, has been shortlisted in the Brand Experience category. The Summit saw Members from across the world tune in to listen to high-calibre inspirational speakers from the fields of finance, technology, culture and commerce. Award winners will be announced in June.”
Other news and updates
This month, after 11 weeks of runs, walks, cycles and swims, CAs completed the ICAS Well-Together Challenge. Their combined total of 180 days worth of exercise covered a distance of 40,075km, or all the way around the world. 166 Members who participated in the challenge helped raise funds for the ICAS Foundation and SCABA. Although the challenge is complete, six ICAS Strava Clubs will stay up and running.
After five years, a wrap up meeting for the ICAS/ICPAU Capacity Building Project took place in April. ICPAU (Institute of Certified Public Accountants Uganda) have benefitted from a transfer of knowledge from the ICAS Learning team on best practice for assessment and material creation. We were delighted to hear the impact this work has had on ICPAU's examiners, writers and students.
This month also saw the start of processing of 2021 bursary applications for the ICAS Foundation. Bursaries awarded will help academically talented young people facing economic and social barriers to go to university to study accountancy or a finance related degree. The Foundation has been broadening access to accountancy by taking part in events during April organised by the University of Strathclyde and University of Glasgow in April.
Our latest feature as part of the Championing Unique Perspectives campaign was published this month, focusing on balancing a career as a CA and sole parenting to three young children. This sixth Member feature as part of the campaign, profiling Aisha Ghani CA, Finance Business Partner at Sue Ryder, challenges perceptions on work commitment and balancing work and home demands.
Craig Brice CA, Chief Information Officer at PwC Canada, was featured in April’s edition of the CA Agenda Podcast. He joined us from Toronto to discuss how the Big Four firm adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic, the lasting effects the pandemic will have on technology and his predictions for key trends in emerging tech.
Finally, ICAS issued an analysis of the new Pensions Act 2021 this month. The Act, which received Royal Assent in February, means significant changes for the industry through a strengthened regulatory regime, with aspects likely to increase public awareness of how schemes invest in the wider economy.
That’s all for this month’s round-up. Look out for next month’s update towards the end of May.