As you will have seen from the image above, ICAS is celebrating its 170th birthday this month. The design is by 14-year-old Stewart MacKay, a pupil at Broxburn Academy. His was the winning submission from a competition which generated hundreds of entries from schools and pupils across the UK. You can find out more about the competition and view some of the other entries here.

Elsewhere in this issue, we have brought together 10 Past Presidents to reflect on their time as ICAS office bearers. Together they provide a fascinating snapshot of how we and the profession have evolved.

As CEO Bruce Cartwright CA observes in his column, while an anniversary gives us a chance to reflect on our unique history, we must also never rest on our laurels. “If you’re stuck saying, ‘This is how we’ve always done things', then while you’re busy admiring your trophy cabinet, the rest of the world will just speed on by,” writes Bruce.

Indeed, our current President, Alison Cornwell CA, notes that every part of the profession, from the Big Four to small practices, is talking about AI and the impact it will have. So no prizes for guessing that this technology features among our business trends for 2025 – although there are plenty of surprises in there too.

Peter Wood is a forward-thinking CA who has risen from being an ICAS student to CEO of high-street fashion brand AllSaints. The remarkable story of how he has transformed the company’s fortunes, securing three consecutive years of record results, is a must-read.

As we reach the end of the year it would be remiss of me not to remind you about renewing your ICAS membership. You can find all the details you need at the link below.  

And last, but far from least, I wish all our members a happy holiday and a prosperous new year.

Sarah Speirs, ICAS Executive Director of Member Engagement and Communications
sspeirs@icas.com 

Renew your membership now