On Thursday 5 March 2026, CA ANZ held its annual International Women’s Day (IWD) event, which this year focused on the IWD26 theme Balance the Scales – including its call to turn celebration into action and advance concrete, systemic change.

The discussion explored a critical question: will AI break down barriers for women and girls, or deepen them? Here are some of the key insights.

Building fairer systems and expanding access

AI has the power to disrupt systems and unlock inequity, but technology isn’t neutral.

“It reflects the values, assumptions and blind spots of those who design it,” says CA ANZ president Naomi Walsh FCA. “If we’re not intentional, the systems we build can be hard coded with bias and widen the very gaps we are working to close.”

So, what can women do to ensure a fair and equitable future?

For Jolene Kawak FCA, a proud Yamatji woman and founder of Karlaya Accounting and Business Advisory, the starting point is equal access to education and technology, including for First Nations women.

“If you’re not digitally literate, you're already behind,” she says. “Software often has a minimum of five or 10 seats and if, like me, you’re running a micro accounting firm, you might not be able to afford that.”

Ainslie van Onselen, CA ANZ CEO and chair of Chartered Accountants Worldwide, believes professional bodies should take a three-pronged approach to ensuring women members are participating in and leading AI.

“First, it's about capability – encouraging women to become fluent in AI,” she says. “Second, it's about visibility and CA ANZ has a huge platform for championing amazing women in the AI arena. Third, it’s about leading with values – is AI being ethically used? If you're signing off on it, you need to understand it. If you're using third-party software providers, you must gain an attestation that they’re also using AI ethically.”

Pressure-testing trust

Event moderator Hayley Angell, CA ANZ’s senior manager of diversity, equity and inclusion, asked the panel whether AI is affecting trust in the profession.

“We have to be really careful that we’re still applying critical thinking and business judgement because the trust we have earned from government, the community and clients can evaporate pretty quickly,” says van Onselen.

Angela Shi chose her company name, Empathetic AI, to emphasise her commitment to connecting humanity and technology.

“AI is smart, but accountants still need to apply human judgement and oversight, particularly in areas such as advisory,” she says. “We need to consider things like data privacy, security and who will be accountable if AI makes a mistake. As an AI-native company, we have guardrails to make sure that AI's output is 100% accurate, that we eliminate so-called hallucinations and that human beings are still in control of whatever AI does for us.”

AI in use

In the nine years since Natalie Lennon FCA founded Two Sides Accounting, the firm has grown to a team of five. That growth has been supported by a strong focus on efficiency and technology.

“We're 100% remote, which makes some things a bit more difficult, so we really embrace working smarter, not harder,” Lennon says. “AI and automation are at the forefront of everything we do but, without the resources or funds of a larger firm. We may not be progressing as fast as they are but we’re always looking at different tools and playing with different ideas.”

That mindset also shapes how the team approaches its day-to-day work.

“I encourage the team to bring something to our weekly team meetings that we can automate now or in the future,” she says. “At the same time, we have to make sure all of the right policies, procedures and guardrails are in place in what’s still quite an unknown area.”

Others are applying AI in similarly practical ways. Kawak has been leveraging AI to help with basic administration tasks, so she can spend more time on advisory work.

“I pay monthly for tools, even though an annual subscription might be cheaper,” she says. “Everything is just changing so quickly – who knows what will happen next week?”

For Shi, AI’s impact extends beyond administration and into product development. Natural language programming, for example, has significantly enhanced her business.

“We can now describe an idea in normal human language and AI generates a prototype or proof-of-concept application,” she says. “This helps teams to visualise the solution early, test assumptions and assess technical feasibility, before investing in full development.”

However, AI doesn’t always need to be used in highly technical ways. For example, van Onselen uses AI to make her emails friendlier and to ensure her speeches don’t run for too long.

For accountants unsure where to begin, Lennon believes the key is simply to start exploring – and to remember that, apart from those who live and breathe the technology, no-one is an expert.

“Talk to other accountants online or at events, listen to podcasts, watch webinars, do a CA ANZ course, then have a bit of a play,” she says. “Start with one of the more basic systems such as Copilot if you’re in the Microsoft ecosystem and, importantly, be curious.”

Watch the full discussion

You can access the full recording of CA ANZ’s International Women’s Day panel discussion on the CA ANZ Gender Equity Hub.

Explore AI-focused CPD options

Excited by AI’s potential? Discover CA ANZ’s micro courses, certificates, and free self-assessment tool and AI playbook here: AI Learning | CA ANZ.