By Carey Swan

Startups begin with an idea, but chartered accountants who have launched their own successful enterprises think they have a superpower – the ability to analyse numbers. In the August-September issue of Acuity, six startup founders share their journeys, including Greg Sheehan FCA, Joyce Ong CA and our Australian cover star, Lyndon Galvin CA.

“When you take on an entrepreneurial journey, it requires such a diverse skill set.”

Our New Zealand cover star Karen Draper CA is a director at Wallace Diack Chartered Accountants in Malborough, New Zealand and also owns a vineyard where she produces sauvignon blanc and pinot gris. Read about how managing her own business has helped with client interactions in Meet the CA.

Overseas, Irish ecommerce enterprise Wayflyer was founded in 2019 by Jack Pierse and Aidan Corbett, quickly growing to unicorn status. Acuity talks to 31-year-old Pierse about the inspiration behind his company that facilitates funding and provides marketing analytics.

And, a sustainable future for our planet is something that should be on everyone’s agenda. In this issue, Acuity chats to Charlie Chen CA, the recently appointed senior manager – climate and sustainability reporting at New Zealand’s ABS Bank. He reveals how he’s “always been interested in sustainability, but I never thought I would work in it.”

Our August-September Tech Guide focuses on automating audit and delves into affordable artificial intelligence that reduces repetitive tasks previously the responsibility of people. As companies deal with staff shortages this current software is timely, delivering faster, higher quality audits. “There’s enormous potential in the new technology to provide greater integrity in the economy and to cover risks more holistically in corporations,” says CA ANZ’s assurance and reporting leader, Amir Ghandar FCA.