Education is a very personal passion; so is being a chartered accountant.

My day job is being an educator. I am an associate professor in accountancy at the Massey Business School in New Zealand. So being President of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand when we introduce a new CA Program in June is, for me, a wonderful confluence of two huge driving forces in my life.

At my university, and when I travel, I see a reservoir of great talent. What particularly motivates me as an educator is helping young people and my students to realise their full potential.

For those who choose to go on to become chartered accountants, the CA Program is about to become very different. It has been futureproofed, widened and had unnecessary bends and hills removed.

“The CA Program is about to become very different. It has been futureproofed, widened and had unnecessary bends and hills removed.”

CA ANZ spent a lot of time getting feedback from members. We asked: How do we provide for more flexibility, support, choice and relevance, while at the same time retaining the program’s essential integrity and rigour?

I am confident we have got that right.

The changes ensure the digitally delivered program is relevant to the complex environment that candidates and graduates now work in, creating work-ready, future-focused CAs.

In addition, as a professional body, CA ANZ supports talent through a number of our scholarships and prizes, including for Indigenous, Māori and Pacific students, and regional scholarships such as the Country Education Foundation Scholarship which supports students living in rural and regional Australia.

2021 can be transformative

As I mentioned in my previous President’s letter, in 2021 we face “some unfinished business”. The pandemic has presented our profession, and our politicians, with an opportunity to build a more sustainable, productive and resilient world.

The knowledge and commitment of CA ANZ members has made an enormous difference during the past year. Your on-the-ground expertise provided us with invaluable credibility in our discussions with governments and regulators.

All this gives us an enviable platform for making a difference during the next stage we confront, to attend to our “unfinished business”.

Challenges will remain for your professional organisation and for the profession in general.

We need to provide you with resources so you can continue to move ahead with your careers, to feel confident that your leadership, technical and soft skills are futureproof.

I have already mentioned the new CA Program. The Capability+ tool also helps you identify and build the capabilities you need to stay relevant and succeed. Take advantage of that tool.

Rest assured, we have the tools and resources to help you invest in the technologies, training and systems you need to be Difference Makers and emerge more agile and adept.

Let’s work on that together.

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