As key enablers of successful organizations, the career paths open to professional accountants span business and the public sector in a variety of finance and commercial-facing roles. As digital and sustainability transformations progress internationally, professional accountants have an opportunity to elevate their strategic contributions as leaders and value partners.
IFAC’s new collection of resources, Professional Accountants as Business Leaders and Value Partners, explores how professional accountants can be future ready, data-savvy leaders who drive sustainability. These materials aim to help in understanding and navigating challenges and opportunities across various roles as finance and business leaders, risk managers and analysts, and in broader commercial roles including in procurement and supply chain management.
Components of the new resource center include:
Mainstreaming Sustainability in Business
Future-Ready CFO and Finance Function
Data and Digitalization
Case studies from a variety of entities around the world including Olam Agri, Reliance Industries, Standard Chartered Bank, Sime Darby Berhad, OMRON, Prudential Financial, Pakistan International Airlines, and more
New IFAC webpage collates useful IFAC resources on how professional accountants can be future-ready for a rewarding career in business or the public sector
Since IFAC issued the International Standards: 2019 Global Status Report, IFAC member organizations have continued to progress the adoption of international standards, which ultimately supports greater economic growth and financial market stability. This is especially important and noteworthy given that the last few years were exceptionally difficult as the world responded to and recovered from the COVID pandemic.
The IFAC SMP Advisory Group (SMPAG) welcomes the opportunity to provide input to the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) Strategy Survey 2022.
Overall, the SMPAG supports the IESBA's focus on developments in sustainability reporting and assurance in its next strategy period. The SMPAG supports the IESBA in exploring its potential role and actions - which might not necessarily involve additional standard setting, but rather non-authoritative guidance.
The Fast Future With IFAC is a conversational podcast series that features innovative SMP practitioners sharing how they’re adapting to the rapidly changing global economy.
Episode four features a conversation with Paul Redmond, an Irish professional accountant. His firm, RDA Accountants Limited, has four offices across Ireland. He has a wide range of experiences and expertise, including the digitalization of accounting practices.
IFAC principal Kristy Illuzzi spoke with Paul about a range of pressing topics for SMPs, including:
Going digital with his firm
Building trust and enabling sustainability
Steppng into advisory services
Building strong relationships with clients
Click below or visit IFAC's iTunes podcast channel to listen to this episode. Be sure to subscribe to catch our next conversation with an innovative practitioner, coming soon.
IFAC welcomes the opportunity to comment on the International Sustainability Standards Board’s (ISSB) Exposure Draft addressing climate-related disclosures (the “Exposure Draft”). As the global voice of the accountancy profession, IFAC represents over 180 Professional Accountancy Organizations in 135 jurisdictions, thereby representing over three million professional accountants. As such, our perspective to this consultation—like that of the ISSB—is global in scope, while also taking into consideration important jurisdictional activities (i.e., such as that in the United States
Professional Accountancy Organization (PAO) Development
Attractiveness of the Profession
Education
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Mashael Al-Shalan, Assistant Director of Entrepreneurship and Professional Support, SOCPA; Dana Jensen, Regional Manager, IFAC; and Laura Leka, Principal, IFAC