Changing room
Bruce Cartwright CA has announced his departure as CEO in good time for his successor to be found. They will find ICAS in good shape, with exciting challenges on the near horizon, he says
Changing room
Bruce Cartwright CA has announced his departure as CEO in good time for his successor to be found. They will find ICAS in good shape, with exciting challenges on the near horizon, he says
In May, I informed ICAS Council that I would be standing down as CEO in April 2026. I’m going to use this column to explain a bit more about the reasons behind the decision and why I think the timing is right, both for ICAS and myself.
Being CEO of the body I joined as a member in 1989 has been truly rewarding, a privilege and the highlight of my career, but there’s a right time to move on.
I am genuinely proud of the team around me that has stood up and delivered as we said we would. There is always more to do – that’s the exciting thing – but this highly capable team is up for the challenge under a new CEO. By announcing my departure in good time we can ensure an orderly transition.
I am also really pleased that we have strengthened the team significantly with two senior appointments recently. In March, Sean Robertson arrived as our new Director of AI and Data, and in mid-June, Kate Bremner joined to head up our marketing team. Both have a wealth of experience in their respective fields and will take ICAS to a new level with their expertise.
Many people say that the job of a CEO is to hire people brighter and better than themself. I would have to agree. I have always seen my role as facilitator – what can I do to make you more successful? Bringing the team together with a common purpose and enthusiasm has been key. That’s not to say learning lessons along the way, with honest assessment of how we have delivered, is not imperative too. A good team will continually improve, and I believe we have installed that culture across ICAS.
Making a mark
Being the world’s oldest accounting body is quite special, but no institute can rely solely on heritage or reputation. When I came into the role in 2018, I felt there was an opportunity to revisit our purpose and create a new vision, bonding members, the ICAS team and governing bodies and giving clarity to our external stakeholders.
I knew that a “digital first” strategy was essential if a body of relatively small size was to compete on the larger field, and I could see online learning was more than a phase. I also knew that I wasn’t the one with the knowledge who could deliver this, but I knew who in the team could.
Fortunately we began to get to grips with the technological challenges before the tragedy of Covid-19 scarred all our lives. Our early transformation work allowed us to pivot at speed and never look back.
That cuts both ways, of course: Scotland is no longer “our turf” – just as we can deliver the CA qualification to trainees across the globe when required, other bodies can easily do the same on our home soil.
“Being CEO of the body I joined as a member in 1989 has been truly rewarding, a privilege and the highlight of my career, but there’s a right time to move on”
Last year was hugely significant in ICAS’ 170-year-plus history as we fully rolled out the new syllabus and delivery platform.
In contrast, the AI story is just beginning for us – and this is a big new chapter. As we grow our internal AI expertise we will change our internal processes, how we manage our communications and deliver our learning. The syllabus will continue to evolve with more AI content embedded.
We need to work to support our member firms as they grasp the reality of the new world incorporating AI. We want our firms who may not have the scale to go it alone to look to ICAS to support them in their AI decision making.
Probably what I will miss most is the engagement with the ICAS team, the daily interactions with members, seeing the students coming into the building and wondering where they will be in five or ten years’ time. That’s the really rewarding bit.
But I also relish the policy interactions. At ICAS we have the opportunity to influence the public sphere through our 24,000 members worldwide, our regular interactions with government, both UK and Scottish, our involvement on the international stage – and our ability to demonstrate ethical leadership and engage with the overdue sustainability reporting agenda.
And because of our size and digital capabilities we are agile, we can move decisively, supported by a great team and cohorts of willing member volunteers. Long may that continue.
For more resources, visit our AI and technology hub
In May, I informed ICAS Council that I would be standing down as CEO in April 2026. I’m going to use this column to explain a bit more about the reasons behind the decision and why I think the timing is right, both for ICAS and myself.
Being CEO of the body I joined as a member in 1989 has been truly rewarding, a privilege and the highlight of my career, but there’s a right time to move on.
I am genuinely proud of the team around me that has stood up and delivered as we said we would. There is always more to do – that’s the exciting thing – but this highly capable team is up for the challenge under a new CEO. By announcing my departure in good time we can ensure an orderly transition.
I am also really pleased that we have strengthened the team significantly with two senior appointments recently. In March, Sean Robertson arrived as our new Director of AI and Data, and in mid-June, Kate Bremner joined to head up our marketing team. Both have a wealth of experience in their respective fields and will take ICAS to a new level with their expertise.
Many people say that the job of a CEO is to hire people brighter and better than themself. I would have to agree. I have always seen my role as facilitator – what can I do to make you more successful? Bringing the team together with a common purpose and enthusiasm has been key. That’s not to say learning lessons along the way, with honest assessment of how we have delivered, is not imperative too. A good team will continually improve, and I believe we have installed that culture across ICAS.
Making a mark
Being the world’s oldest accounting body is quite special, but no institute can rely solely on heritage or reputation. When I came into the role in 2018, I felt there was an opportunity to revisit our purpose and create a new vision, bonding members, the ICAS team and governing bodies and giving clarity to our external stakeholders.
I knew that a “digital first” strategy was essential if a body of relatively small size was to compete on the larger field, and I could see online learning was more than a phase. I also knew that I wasn’t the one with the knowledge who could deliver this, but I knew who in the team could.
Fortunately we began to get to grips with the technological challenges before the tragedy of Covid-19 scarred all our lives. Our early transformation work allowed us to pivot at speed and never look back.
That cuts both ways, of course: Scotland is no longer “our turf” – just as we can deliver the CA qualification to trainees across the globe when required, other bodies can easily do the same on our home soil.
“Being CEO of the body I joined as a member in 1989 has been truly rewarding, a privilege and the highlight of my career, but there’s a right time to move on”
Last year was hugely significant in ICAS’ 170-year-plus history as we fully rolled out the new syllabus and delivery platform.
In contrast, the AI story is just beginning for us – and this is a big new chapter. As we grow our internal AI expertise we will change our internal processes, how we manage our communications and deliver our learning. The syllabus will continue to evolve with more AI content embedded.
We need to work to support our member firms as they grasp the reality of the new world incorporating AI. We want our firms who may not have the scale to go it alone to look to ICAS to support them in their AI decision making.
Probably what I will miss most is the engagement with the ICAS team, the daily interactions with members, seeing the students coming into the building and wondering where they will be in five or ten years’ time. That’s the really rewarding bit.
But I also relish the policy interactions. At ICAS we have the opportunity to influence the public sphere through our 24,000 members worldwide, our regular interactions with government, both UK and Scottish, our involvement on the international stage – and our ability to demonstrate ethical leadership and engage with the overdue sustainability reporting agenda.
And because of our size and digital capabilities we are agile, we can move decisively, supported by a great team and cohorts of willing member volunteers. Long may that continue.
For more resources, visit our AI and technology hub
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