Welcome to the December/January issue of CA magazine. This time of year tends to be a mixture of reflection but also looking forward.

For ICAS, our focus is very much on the latter. You can read about Gail Boag’s appointment as the new CEO here. As President Karen Scholes CA writes, “In her current role as Director of Learning and Market Developments, Gail has been instrumental in launching our new, game-changing syllabus.”

Gail will succeed Bruce Cartwright CA, who reflects on his time as CEO. Under Bruce’s watchful eye, we introduced Shaping the Profession in 2023, a unique research project to discover what society wants from accountants and accountancy. In this issue you can read read about women's experiences of the 3M in the profession.

We also have an interview with Laura Mason CA, who got to attend this year’s One Young World Summit in Munich after being chosen as this year’s CA Rising Star. She says the summit “changed my way of thinking”. As you’ll discover, Laura is an extraordinary CA who applies data analysis on anything from wind farms to a mental-health chatbot.

Laura qualified in 2024, but says she’s already envious of the people training under the new syllabus, with its greater emphasis on data analysis. CA Rising Stars 2026 formally launches in February, but you can enter now by following the link at the end of this feature.

This issue also includes Ahmed Naqvi CA, who made the Top 35 of this year’s CA Rising Stars and has set out to make an impact wherever he has worked.

Another new announcement at ICAS has been the appointment of Katie Close CA as our new Director of Tax. Taxation is always a major issue – perhaps even more so in 2026 with the introduction of Making Tax Digital – so it is well worth reading Katie’s views on a wide range of topics, including the benefits of circus artistry.

Finally, I would like to wish all our members and students a merry Christmas and a prosperous new year. We live in a world of rapid change, but our commitment to our members, from newly qualified to the Gold Club, remains constant.

Sarah Speirs, ICAS Executive Director of Engagement and Advocacy
linkedin.com/in/sarah-speirs-1b9ba529

Learn more about CA Rising Stars 2026 – including how to submit a nomination

Welcome to the December/January issue of CA magazine. This time of year tends to be a mixture of reflection but also looking forward.

For ICAS, our focus is very much on the latter. You can read about Gail Boag’s appointment as the new CEO here. As President Karen Scholes CA writes, “In her current role as Director of Learning and Market Developments, Gail has been instrumental in launching our new, game-changing syllabus.”

Gail will succeed Bruce Cartwright CA, who reflects on his time as CEO. Under Bruce’s watchful eye, we introduced Shaping the Profession in 2023, a unique research project to discover what society wants from accountants and accountancy. In this issue you can read the findings from our report on the impact of women on the profession.

Elsewhere in this issue, we have an interview with Laura Mason CA, who got to attend this year’s One Young World Summit in Munich after being chosen as this year’s CA Rising Star. She says the summit “changed my way of thinking”. As you’ll discover, Laura is an extraordinary CA who applies data analysis on anything from wind farms to a mental-health chatbot.

Laura qualified in 2024, but says she’s already envious of the people training under the new syllabus, with its greater emphasis on data analysis. CA Rising Stars 2026 formally launches in February, but you can enter now by following the link at the end of this feature.

This issue also includes Ahmed Naqvi CA, who made the Top 35 of this year’s CA Rising Stars and has set out to make an impact wherever he has worked.

Another new announcement at ICAS has been the appointment of Katie Close CA as our new Director of Tax. Taxation is always a major issue – perhaps even more so in 2026 with the introduction of Making Tax Digital – so it is well worth reading Katie’s views on a wide range of topics, including the benefits of circus artistry.

Finally, I would like to wish all our members and students a merry Christmas and a prosperous new year. We live in a world of rapid change, but our commitment to our members, from newly qualified to the Gold Club, remains constant.