When it comes to decision-making in business, it’s important for leaders and clients to ensure there are a diverse range of perspectives around the table. It’s important not to be confined by tunnel vision or group think, but instead be surrounded by different opinions and ideas in an inclusive environment where these can be shared freely.

The lens that being a chartered accountant provides ensures you will make a valuable contribution at that table. Your perspective is not only grounded in financial and strategic expertise but also ethical values, which are crucial elements to any decision.

Whether it’s pursuing a career as a CFO or partner in a firm, putting up your hand for board opportunities or launching your own side hustle or start-up, it’s time to think of your CA designation as a ticket to a diverse range of career opportunities; a ticket that gets you a seat at any table.

Picture: CA ANZ’s 2022 President, Kate Boorer FCA.

An entrepreneurial path

Having worked in both public practice and the private sector during the first decade of my career, I made the decision to step away from what I term “a traditional finance career” and explore what an entrepreneurial pathway could bring.

While I loved the grounding and experience those early roles provided me, I was keen to understand how I could harness my designation and skills to make a difference in new, exciting ways.

Now, more than a decade and a few start-up and scale-up battle scars later, I approach the next phase of my career wiser for the experience and even more optimistic about my future and the future of the profession.

For me, being a chartered accountant has provided a holistic business perspective that has opened doors to opportunities and continues to provide a foundation for personal and professional growth.

I encourage you to think outside the box, to explore your strengths and passions, and to leverage the CA network to understand the opportunities available to you. To build relationships with colleagues and mentors from different fields or reinvent yourself with exposure to new clients, industry sectors or specialisations.

The experience and expertise of CA ANZ’s diverse membership is by your side at every stage of your career, making a difference where it counts. Two great examples we celebrated last year include Life Member David Gibbs FCA, with nearly 50 years of service, who was awarded an Order of Australia for service to the community and the chartered accounting profession. Another is 2021 President’s Prize winner Lisa Mead CA, whose purpose-driven Christchurch accounting practice, Social Currency, focuses on generating a different kind of profit – lasting social impact.

There are times to make that big jump into the unknown. Having the CA designation to back you as you make this jump means you’re not free falling. You’re jumping from solid ground, from a base of expertise and professional recognition, with a community that will support you the entire way.

“There are times to make that big jump into the unknown. Having the CA designation to back you as you make this jump means you’re not free falling,”

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