The International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) is seeking a highly qualified Technical Director.

Based in New York, the Technical Director position requires deep knowledge of audit and assurance, strong understanding of standard setting, and strong program and people leadership ability. The Technical Director serves a key role in the management of the IAASB, and works closely with the IAASB Chair and Deputy Chair to develop strategy, plan and implement the work program of the Board, and develop positive stakeholder relationships.

The Technical Director’s primary concern is for the quality of the material presented to the IAASB for deliberation and the robustness of the underlying development process. In addition, the Technical Director orchestrates the IAASB’s internal and external activity.

The successful candidate will be self-motivated, dynamic and proactive, and hands-on. He or she will have a strong staff development focus and experience in leading a professional team in a collaborative, multi-cultural environment. The successful candidate will also be confident and competent in dealing with others on technical audit and assurance matters, and effective at identifying technical concerns and developing solutions.

The position requires strong project management skills, both in regard to overseeing program deliverables and in taking initiatives from concept through execution. Strong written and oral communication skills are essential. Additionally, the candidate should be an articulate, confident communicator with stakeholders and media.

The international executive search firm Korn Ferry has been retained for this search. Interested candidates should contact Korn Ferry Practice Leader Arlene Kobayashi or Managing Consultant Liz Lebo.

For reference, the profile for the Technical Director IAASB can be found here. Application deadline closes June 15, 2018

The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) seeks public comment by July 16, 2018, on its Proposed Strategy and Work Plan, 2019-2023.

Leveraging the completely rewritten and significantly strengthened International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including International Independence Standards), the proposed Strategy and Work Plan projects the IESBA’s vision for the Code in the global economy. The IESBA’s future priorities and actions will be guided by three strategic themes:

• Advancing the Code’s relevance by keeping it fit-for-purpose for a rapidly changing world, and further strengthening ethical conduct and independence standards;
• Deepening and expanding the Code’s impact and influence through increased global adoption and implementation; and
• Enriching the IESBA’s perspectives and capacities through proactive stakeholder dialogue and co-operation.

The consultation paper was developed following extensive, wide-ranging engagement with stakeholders, including regulators, national standard setters and professional accounting organizations.

Please submit your responses by July 16, 2018 to ensure your views are considered.

The global search is underway for an exceptional individual to lead the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) into its next era.

The Chair leads the IAASB’s strategic direction and development of high-quality international audit standards, as well as facilitates the consultative processes that underpin the board’s credibility and activities. The Chair develops and maintains effective relationships with international oversight authorities and regulatory bodies, national standard setters, investor and preparer communities, the audit practitioner community and other key stakeholders. The next IAASB Chair will also guide the board through any transitional period and change implementation arising from the IAASB reforms.

The successful candidate has significant, senior-level experience and is well recognized within professional and regulatory communities. He or she has effective leadership, diplomacy, communication, and strategic skills; demonstrated professional competency; and a strong commitment to the IAASB’s public interest mission. He or she also understands the significant travel commitment involved.

The IAASB Chair is appointed for a renewable three-year term, commencing January 1, 2019. A complete job description, along with application instructions, is available on the IAASB website. Applications are due May 20.

This global search is being conducted by the Interim Nominating Committee, which was formed in February 2018 to conduct the IAASB Chair nominations process and make a final recommendation to the IFAC Board and Public Interest Oversight Board. The Committee held its inaugural meeting on March 28 in New York to finalize the position description and outline the selection process. More information on the Committee is available online.

The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) will hold roundtables in Washington (June 11^th), Paris (June 15^th) and Tokyo (July 12^th) to obtain stakeholder feedback on significant public interest topics including non-assurance services (NAS) and the exercise of professional skepticism.

To help shape the future of IESBA’s standard setting, the roundtable consultations will focus on:

Non-Assurance Services (NAS)
To enhance auditor independence, how best to delineate both the boundaries and types of NAS auditors can provide to their audit clients? Auditor independence is critical to public trust in audited financial statements. We’ve launched a NAS initiative to explore broad permissibility under the IESBA’s International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including International Independence Standards) (the Code) in response to global regulatory developments and calls from stakeholders and the Public Interest Oversight Board.

Professional Skepticism
How best to meet public expectations for all professional accountants, including auditors, to exercise “professional skepticism”? We’ve launched an initiative to explore: the behavioral characteristics inherent in professional skepticism; whether those characteristics should be applied by all professional accountants; and whether the Code should be further developed.

Save the dates! The roundtables will be held in:

• Washington, D.C., USA on June 11, 2018; 
• Paris, France on June 15, 2018; and 
• Tokyo, Japan on July 12, 2018. 

Would you like to attend?
As space is limited, attendance will be by invitation only. Register your interest (IESBA@ethicsboard.org) by April 30, 2018, indicating your name, job title, organization and preferred location. An invitation will follow shortly!

Who should attend?
Investors, audit committee members, preparers, regulators and audit oversight authorities, academics, national standards setters, firms and IFAC member bodies.

About the IESBA
The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) mission is to serve the public interest by setting ethics standards, including auditor independence requirements, that seek to raise the bar for ethical conduct and practice for all professional accountants (PAs) worldwide through a robust, globally operable International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (Including International Independence Standards) (the Code). Please visit www.ethicsboard.org for more information.

IFAC is excited to launch the 2018 Global SMP Survey! As in past years, your support and promotion to your members is vital to its success, and importantly, provides an opportunity for your members to contribute.

The survey helps your member organization and IFAC gain an understanding of the specific challenges and opportunities faced by SMPs and SMEs and as a result, better serve this critical constituency. Individual country results will be available to enable you to compare to regional and global findings.

The #SMPSurvey is open in 20+ languages until May 21, 2018! This year's survey includes new questions on next generation talent, technology developments, talent management initiatives and marketing and branding.

IFAC Member Organizations can use this toolkit with material to share, and translate - when appropriate - with your members. This includes key messaging, a draft e-mail, social media and a PowerPoint promotion slide.

International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) Emerging Forms of External Reporting (EER) Task Force announces the appointment of 23 individuals to the recently-established EER Assurance Project Advisory Panel.

The Advisory Panel appointees will make a significant contribution to further IAASB’s work on EER assurance. Their involvement will include: 

• advising the EER Task Force on the application of ISAE 3000 (Revised) to EER engagements, and other matters within the scope of the approved Project Proposal, and providing insights into current practice across different jurisdictions and contexts;
• providing input to the development of the non-authoritative guidance that the IAASB plans to issue; and
• providing occasional research input on matters relating to EER assurance engagements.

The Task Force is grateful for all the nominations received. Updates on the Task Force’s work will be made available on the IAASB’s project page as the project progresses.

Founded in March 1978, the IAASB is proud to celebrate its 40^th year serving the public interest! From its inaugural meeting where it discussed plans for the first international auditing guidelines to today where more than 111 jurisdictions use the suite of International Standards on Auditing and Assurance. The IAASB looks forward to continuing its work setting robust global audit and assurance standards and enhancing public confidence in the accountancy profession. Thank you to all our volunteer members and all those that have contributed to IAASB’s success over the decade. Follow our celebration here: @IAASB_News

Photo: Committee Meeting 1978

Photo: Audit Board Meeting 2018

The 2018 IFAC Global SMP Survey will launch on March 22 and be open until May 21. As in past years, your support and promotion to your members is vital to its success, and importantly, provides an opportunity for your members to contribute. The survey helps your member organization and IFAC gain an understanding of the specific challenges and opportunities faced by SMPs and SMEs and as a result, better serve this critical constituency. Individual country results will be available to enable you to compare to regional and global findings.

The survey, which is issued every two years is designed to be completed by senior professionals of small- and medium-sized practices (SMPs), whose clients are predominately small- and medium-sized entities (SMEs). It is intended to take a snapshot of key issues, and track important trends and developments, facing this sector. The 2016 Survey revealed interesting insights in these areas with responses from more than 5,000 respondents from 164 countries. This year, the survey includes new questions on talent management, technology developments, as well as marketing and branding.

We will be in contact shortly with ways to promote the survey, including:

• Support Materials: This month, you will receive an email announcement with tools to help you share the survey through your membership and network, including, a survey link, messaging (that can be translated), social media suggestions, and infographics.
• Events: We encourage you to use upcoming events and conferences to promote the survey by mentioning it during in speeches and, when appropriate event materials and presentations. IFAC will provide a promotional PowerPoint slide.
• Social Media: IFAC will provide suggested text for Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin. Follow the conversation at #SMPSurvey

The IESBA has submitted a comment letter to the Monitoring Group's Consultation Paper, Strengthening the Governance and Oversight of the International Audit-related Standard-setting.

IAASB Chairman Arnold Schilder has submitted a comment letter to the Monitoring Group's Consultation Paper, Strengthening the Governance and Oversight of the International Audit-related Standard-setting Boards in the Public Interest.