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Chris Good CA’s candour about his recovery from a mental health crisis offers a signal lesson for the profession, says President Clive Bellingham CA
Red-letter days
President Karen Scholes CA looks back on a captivating Annual Conference and ahead to the London Marathon, which she will be running in aid of the ICAS Foundation
I am going to start this month’s column by extending my congratulations to Gail Boag on her appointment as the new CEO of ICAS.
In her current role as Director of Learning, Gail has been instrumental in launching our new, game-changing syllabus. Its flexible approach to learning is exactly what students, practice and industry need. But far from resting there, we continue to create new pathways, something I’ve highlighted in previous columns; together they are also helping us attract new members.
We take great pride in our heritage but we always have an eye on the future. The pace of change is now so rapid that standing still simply isn’t an option.
Gail will be building on the foundations laid by our current CEO, Bruce Cartwright CA. It must be stressed that Bruce instantly recognised the importance of online learning when he took on the role in 2018. This proved invaluable during the pandemic, demonstrating that we are a forward-thinking body – and one that will soon have women in the roles of both President and CEO for the first time in our 171-year history.
Time to talk
As I look back on 2025, one of my highlights was the recent ICAS Annual Conference. The day yielded more food for thought than I can reflect on in one short column, but I’m going to give it my best shot.
What I hope everyone who attended or watched online took away from the event was some sense of clarity, because there is so much confusion out there right now, specifically around the economy and the adoption of AI.
Economist Paul Johnson ensured we started the sessions with a bang. The job of a CA is often to go beyond the numbers, and I think the audience appreciated his candour about the challenges facing our economy, with successive governments failing to devise and implement a long-term strategy based on growth.
“Dame Wendy Hall was not only hugely entertaining, the total opposite of the stereotype of an academic and a ‘techie’, but also cut through so much of the noise that surrounds AI”
On the discussion about our place in the world, one observation that stuck in my mind came from the former Vanity Fair Editor, Tina Brown, who said that one of our biggest export industries, one that is worth billions to our economy, is culture. Whether that is in the form of music, film, TV, literature or, more recently, gaming, it’s a national success story that we need to shout about more often.
Dame Wendy Hall was not only hugely entertaining, the total opposite of the stereotype of an academic and a ‘techie’, but also cut through so much of the noise that surrounds AI. Meanwhile Nick Fry highlighted that AI could do much of the simple work; but, while some companies will settle for that, the extra 10% to 20% of genius will continue to come from humans.
On that theme I thoroughly enjoyed co-hosting a session with Temi Labor CA on how to integrate AI into the workplace. I also thought Vice President Jonny Jacobs CA did a brilliant job of bringing to life how AI tools are transforming the way accountants work.
The session on ethical leadership produced some lively, if good-natured, differences of opinion about Gen Z. In fact, I felt that one of the recurring themes of the conference was the interplay between the panellists. They didn’t hold back in expressing an opinion.
Also of note was that the crowd was as numerous at the finish as the start – which isn’t always the case for an all-day conference. But then we did end on a high with Tim Peake. I hope my fellow CAs took the opportunity to get a picture taken with a British astronaut. As you can see, I did. It’s a chance that’s unlikely to come around again for most of us.
Stargazing: Karen Scholes CA with Tim Peake CMG
Stargazing: Karen Scholes CA with Tim Peake CMG
Now, looking ahead to 2026, one date in the calendar stands out, and that is Sunday 26 April. That is when I will be taking part in my first (and last!) London Marathon.
I was determined to use my year as ICAS President to help improve the chances of young people from poorer socio-economic backgrounds to enter the profession that means so much to me. So I’m running 26 miles-and-change through the streets of the capital to raise £30,000 for the ICAS Foundation.
I have had some wonderful messages of support and donations from current members and past Presidents, including this one from Niall Lothian CA who wrote: “All the best Karen, as an ICAS past President, I’m right behind you in this worthy venture…and that’s exactly where I’m staying!”
Read more about my decision to run the London Marathon and you can donate here
Red-letter days
President Karen Scholes CA looks back on a captivating Annual Conference and ahead to the London Marathon, which she will be running in aid of the ICAS Foundation
I am going to start this month’s column by extending my congratulations to Gail Boag on her appointment as the new CEO of ICAS.
In her current role as Director of Learning, Gail has been instrumental in launching our new, game-changing syllabus. Its flexible approach to learning is exactly what students, practice and industry need. But far from resting there, we continue to create new pathways, something I’ve highlighted in previous columns; together they are also helping us attract new members.
We take great pride in our heritage but we always have an eye on the future. The pace of change is now so rapid that standing still simply isn’t an option.
Gail will be building on the foundations laid by our current CEO, Bruce Cartwright CA. It must be stressed that Bruce instantly recognised the importance of online learning when he took on the role in 2018. This proved invaluable during the pandemic, demonstrating that we are a forward-thinking body – and one that will soon have women in the roles of both President and CEO for the first time in our 171-year history.
Time to talk
As I look back on 2025, one of my highlights was the recent ICAS Annual Conference. The day yielded more food for thought than I can reflect on in one short column, but I’m going to give it my best shot.
What I hope everyone who attended or watched online took away from the event was some sense of clarity, because there is so much confusion out there right now, specifically around the economy and the adoption of AI.
Economist Paul Johnson ensured we started the sessions with a bang. The job of a CA is often to go beyond the numbers, and I think the audience appreciated his candour about the challenges facing our economy, with successive governments failing to devise and implement a long-term strategy based on growth.
“Dame Wendy Hall was not only hugely entertaining, the total opposite of the stereotype of an academic and a ‘techie’, but also cut through so much of the noise that surrounds AI”
On the discussion about our place in the world, one observation that stuck in my mind came from the former Vanity Fair Editor, Tina Brown, who said that one of our biggest export industries, one that is worth billions to our economy, is culture. Whether that is in the form of music, film, TV, literature or, more recently, gaming, it’s a national success story that we need to shout about more often.
Dame Wendy Hall was not only hugely entertaining, the total opposite of the stereotype of an academic and a ‘techie’, but also cut through so much of the noise that surrounds AI. Meanwhile Nick Fry highlighted that AI could do much of the simple work; but, while some companies will settle for that, the extra 10% to 20% of genius will continue to come from humans.
On that theme I thoroughly enjoyed co-hosting a session with Temi Labor CA on how to integrate AI into the workplace. I also thought Vice President Jonny Jacobs CA did a brilliant job of bringing to life how AI tools are transforming the way accountants work.
The session on ethical leadership produced some lively, if good-natured, differences of opinion about Gen Z. In fact, I felt that one of the recurring themes of the conference was the interplay between the panellists. They didn’t hold back in expressing an opinion.
Also of note was that the crowd was as numerous at the finish as the start – which isn’t always the case for an all-day conference. But then we did end on a high with Tim Peake. I hope my fellow CAs took the opportunity to get a picture taken with a British astronaut. As you can see, I did. It’s a chance that’s unlikely to come around again for most of us.
Stargazing: Karen Scholes CA with Tim Peake CMG
Stargazing: Karen Scholes CA with Tim Peake CMG
Now, looking ahead to 2026, one date in the calendar stands out, and that is Sunday 26 April. That is when I will be taking part in my first (and last!) London Marathon.
I was determined to use my year as ICAS President to help improve the chances of young people from poorer socio-economic backgrounds to enter the profession that means so much to me. So I’m running 26 miles-and-change through the streets of the capital to raise £30,000 for the ICAS Foundation.
I have had some wonderful messages of support and donations from current members and past Presidents, including this one from Niall Lothian CA who wrote: “All the best Karen, as an ICAS past President, I’m right behind you in this worthy venture…and that’s exactly where I’m staying!”
Read more about my decision to run the London Marathon and you can donate here
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