Date posted: 27/11/2023 5 min read

President’s letter

There is much more that unites us than divides us and our best days are ahead of us.

Quick take

  • From natural disasters to economic challenges, being president has given me a deep appreciation for CA ANZ and the wider profession’s ability to respond thoughtfully and appropriately to whatever is thrown at us.
  • One thing I am particularly proud of is the CA ANZ Professional Conduct Framework Review and the ensuing member vote.
  • Thank you to all members for your time and support. The most important part of this role is to listen to members and be their voice on the board.

This year has been a whirlwind: quite literally, as 2023 started with a cyclone wreaking havoc in New Zealand and flooding across Australia’s eastern seaboard. And figuratively, the whirlwind continued with economic headwinds, including rising inflation and interest rates. This pressure has shaped a lot of my conversations with members and the board, and the support that CA ANZ offers members.

From natural disasters to economic challenges, being president has given me a deep appreciation for CA ANZ and the wider profession’s ability to respond thoughtfully and appropriately to whatever is thrown at us.

Endorsing change

One thing I am particularly proud of is the CA ANZ Professional Conduct Framework Review and the ensuing member vote. It was certainly timely given some high-profile conduct matters and I’m very pleased that the recommendations of the conduct review were strongly endorsed by members.

CA ANZ’s regulatory bodies are independent of the board and management, but it is up to us as members to enable the best possible framework, so thank you for supporting the recommendations that will bolster the reputation of all members.

Throughout this work on the conduct review, our regulatory and conduct teams have continued to ably deliver their function, resolving some major matters in both Australia and New Zealand, and assisting the conduct review committee. So, on behalf of all members, I thank them for their commitment to upholding the regulatory bottom line for our designation.

Investing in the profession’s future

I’m also proud of the headway CA ANZ has made on the attractiveness of the profession. Changing the perception of accounting among the next generation won’t happen overnight, but the team is not just waiting and hoping.

Work across government engagement, marketing, and engagement with schools, universities and students is ramping up and we have just launched an e-learning academy with Year13, a leading careers engagement agency. But we can’t change the current perception alone. We need all our members to join us in creating a more attractive profession.

Pleasingly, CA Program enrolment figures for the final term have reached 100% of target at just under 10,000 enrolments which is great news for our employers, profession and economies.

We’re in this together

Thank you to all members for your time and support. The most important part of this role is to listen to members and be their voice on the board. It was great to have this opportunity with our UK members recently, and our Asia region members earlier this year, so thank you.

Finally, whichever way you leaned on the Voice, the New Zealand general election or even the recent member vote, I want to say that there is much more that unites us than divides us and that our best days are ahead of us.

I’m excited to see the amazing things our members and profession achieve in the coming years.