Time to step up
As AI tackles more and more routine accountancy tasks, CAs have an opening to develop their influence and responsibility. Andy Wilkes, Head of Business and Finance Programmes at BPP, explains how an ICAS course can help you boost your value as a strategic thinker
Words: Fraser Allen
Time to step up
As AI tackles more and more routine accountancy tasks, CAs have an opening to develop their influence and responsibility. Andy Wilkes, Head of Business and Finance Programmes at BPP, explains how an ICAS course can help you boost your value as a strategic thinker
Words: Fraser Allen
Ask Andy Wilkes if AI is a threat to accountants, and you’re likely to receive a mischievous grin. The experienced trainer and management accountant believes the very opposite.
“This is a great time for accountants to step up and become recognised for all the skills we have,” he says. “With AI increasingly taking care of the more routine and repetitive tasks, accountants can focus on high-value work such as data-driven modelling, scenario planning and helping to shape the future of the business or organisation they work in. Far from being a threat, AI presents an extraordinary opportunity to play a more influential role and develop your career.”
On 5 June, Wilkes, Head of Business and Finance Programmes at BPP, presents the Strategically Focused Accountant online course to help CAs and other finance professionals emerge from the back office and fulfil their potential in strategy development. “The skillsets that CAs bring are invaluable when it comes to strategic planning,” says Wilkes. “Whether it’s investment appraisals or ensuring that a company’s financial model supports its long-term goals, the accountant is perfectly equipped to bridge the gap between vision and reality.”
The one-day course takes a deep dive into what strategic thinking is and why it’s so important. As Wilkes points out, many organisations have a vision of where they want to be but haven’t done the thinking that’s required to get them there. Meanwhile, others have set off on what they think is a strategic plan but have no idea where they want to end up. It’s like jumping in a taxi without knowing where you want to go.
And in a world engulfed in technological, economic and geopolitical disruption, Wilkes believes that the ability of CAs to model and recalibrate financial outcomes will prove increasingly critical to business sustainability and growth.
Age of volatility
“We live in a Vuca world,” he says, referring to the US acronym for “volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous”. “That means that organisations need to be able to model various scenarios and adapt quickly. Accountants are perfectly positioned to lead this kind of planning by making sense of complex data and helping companies prepare for the unknown.
“There is this stereotype of our profession being backwards-looking – reconciling numbers and managing historical data. But in today’s world, we need to look forward. We should be part of the strategic conversation, with a key role in working towards the vision, using our analytical skills to support decision-making.”
Wilkes, himself a chartered management accountant, fills the course with practical, real-life scenarios, and his lively and relatable presentation style makes the day highly engaging. Sustainability will be one of its key themes. “Sometimes making the world a better place is difficult to calculate in financial terms,” says Wilkes. “But that’s where we come in. By adjusting models such as the weighted average cost of capital, we can make sustainable projects stack up financially.”
The course will also look at organisational behaviour and the impact that artificial intelligence will itself have on strategy. Wilkes also promises tools to help with strategic thinking and planning, plenty of case studies and “a methodology to ensure that your strategy stays vital”.
“Sometimes making the world a better place is difficult to calculate in financial terms. But that’s where we come in”
And as he points out, becoming part of wider business conversations about growth and sustainability will open doors to CAs who are keen to develop their career path by taking on more responsibility in key areas.
“The course is designed to re-energise everyone who takes part,” says Wilkes. “It helps to break the stereotypes and shape the strategic discussions that are essential wherever you work. I think that’s an exciting proposition. And for any finance professional with ambition, this is a great opportunity to advance your career.”
The Strategically Focused Accountant is held online on 5 June and 6 November 2025. Find more information and register here
Ask Andy Wilkes if AI is a threat to accountants, and you’re likely to receive a mischievous grin. The experienced trainer and management accountant believes the very opposite.
“This is a great time for accountants to step up and become recognised for all the skills we have,” he says. “With AI increasingly taking care of the more routine and repetitive tasks, accountants can focus on high-value work such as data-driven modelling, scenario planning and helping to shape the future of the business or organisation they work in. Far from being a threat, AI presents an extraordinary opportunity to play a more influential role and develop your career.”
On 5 June, Wilkes, Head of Business and Finance Programmes at BPP, presents the Strategically Focused Accountant online course to help CAs and other finance professionals emerge from the back office and fulfil their potential in strategy development. “The skillsets that CAs bring are invaluable when it comes to strategic planning,” says Wilkes. “Whether it’s investment appraisals or ensuring that a company’s financial model supports its long-term goals, the accountant is perfectly equipped to bridge the gap between vision and reality.”
The one-day course takes a deep dive into what strategic thinking is and why it’s so important. As Wilkes points out, many organisations have a vision of where they want to be but haven’t done the thinking that’s required to get them there. Meanwhile, others have set off on what they think is a strategic plan but have no idea where they want to end up. It’s like jumping in a taxi without knowing where you want to go.
And in a world engulfed in technological, economic and geopolitical disruption, Wilkes believes that the ability of CAs to model and recalibrate financial outcomes will prove increasingly critical to business sustainability and growth.
Age of volatility
“We live in a Vuca world,” he says, referring to the US acronym for “volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous”. “That means that organisations need to be able to model various scenarios and adapt quickly. Accountants are perfectly positioned to lead this kind of planning by making sense of complex data and helping companies prepare for the unknown.
“There is this stereotype of our profession being backwards-looking – reconciling numbers and managing historical data. But in today’s world, we need to look forward. We should be part of the strategic conversation, with a key role in working towards the vision, using our analytical skills to support decision-making.”
Wilkes, himself a chartered management accountant, fills the course with practical, real-life scenarios, and his lively and relatable presentation style makes the day highly engaging. Sustainability will be one of its key themes. “Sometimes making the world a better place is difficult to calculate in financial terms,” says Wilkes. “But that’s where we come in. By adjusting models such as the weighted average cost of capital, we can make sustainable projects stack up financially.”
The course will also look at organisational behaviour and the impact that artificial intelligence will itself have on strategy. Wilkes also promises tools to help with strategic thinking and planning, plenty of case studies and “a methodology to ensure that your strategy stays vital”.
“Sometimes making the world a better place is difficult to calculate in financial terms. But that’s where we come in”
And as he points out, becoming part of wider business conversations about growth and sustainability will open doors to CAs who are keen to develop their career path by taking on more responsibility in key areas.
“The course is designed to re-energise everyone who takes part,” says Wilkes. “It helps to break the stereotypes, and shape the strategic discussions that are essential wherever you work. I think that’s an exciting proposition. And for any finance professional with ambition, this is a great opportunity to advance your career.”
The Strategically Focused Accountant is held online on 5 June and 6 November 2025. Find more information and register here
Caroline Chuang CA
15 May 1935 – 13 March 2025
Caroline Lee Yoong Chuang née Chow (M08211) completed her accountancy training on a Malaysian government scholarship in Edinburgh and was admitted as a member of ICAS in 1963. She was subsequently admitted to the Malaysian Association of Certified Public Accountants in 1975. On her return to Malaysia, she worked in the public sector for five years before having a long and successful career in two major plantation companies as Director of Finance. She retired in the early 1990s and maintained her membership of ICAS until her death in March 2025.
This is a personal submission from her family
Calum Macdonald CA
Calum Macdonald (M16362) has died aged 60. He trained with Peat Marwick McLintock, qualifying in 1989. He was working for CIB Stornoway and living on the Isle of Lewis at his time of death.
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Charles Sleigh CA
Charles Sleigh (M05541) has died aged 94. He trained with R&E Scott CA, qualifying in 1953. He was working for Grant Thornton when he retired and was living in Broxburn at his time of death. He received Gold Club membership in 2003.
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David Barr CA
David Christopher Barr (M06409) has died aged 90. He trained with Kidston, Goff & Harvey CA, qualifying in 1957. He was working for Thomas Locker Holdings when he retired and was living in Northwich at his time of death. He received Gold Club membership in 2007.
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Eddie McGreevy CA
Thomas Edward “Eddie” McGreevy (M06596) has died aged 92. He trained with Kidston, Goff & Harvey, qualifying in 1957. He was self-employed as McGreevy when he retired and was living in Glasgow at his time of death. He received Gold Club membership in 2007.
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Gary Petrie CA
Gary Petrie (M12553) has died aged 70. He trained with Thomson McLintock, qualifying in 1978. He was retired and living in Reading at his time of death.
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George Duthie CA
George Duthie (M06326) has died aged 95. He trained with Thomson McLintock, qualifying in 1956. He was working for Mees & Hope Securities when he retired and was living in Bishop’s Stortford at his time of death. He received Gold Club membership in 2006.
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Gordon Stewart CA
Gordon John Peter Stewart (M06175) has died aged 94. He trained with Rattray Brothers, Alexander & France, qualifying in 1955. He was working for Armstrong Watson when he retired and was living in Lockerbie at his time of death. He received Gold Club membership in 2005.
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Grant Elliot CA
Grant Cargill Elliot (M10329) has died aged 80. He trained with Gram, Worsley, Robertson & Taylor, qualifying in 1971. He was working for Suffolk Health Authority when he retired and was living in Bury St Edmunds at his time of death. He received Gold Club membership in 2021.
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John Cahill CA
John Cahill (M17595) has died aged 56. He trained with Touche Ross & Co, qualifying in 1992. He was working in practice as Cahill Jack Associates and living in Glasgow at his time of death.
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John McLaren CA
John Patrick McLaren (M06477) has died aged 91. He trained with Graham Rintoul, Hay, Bell & Co, qualifying in 1957. He was working for Dundee city council when he retired and was living in Dundee at his time of death. He received Gold Club membership in 2007.
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Lauren Brophy CA
Lauren Brophy (M31978) has died aged 31. She qualified in 2018 and was working for Staff Finders at her time of death.
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Lewis Copestick CA
Lewis Copestick (M05065) has died aged 90. He trained with WA Findlay & Co, qualifying in 1951. He was working for PwC when he retired and was living in Oakville at his time of death. He received Gold Club membership in 2001.
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Mark Irvine CA
Mark William Irvine (M16883) has died aged 59. He trained with Reeves & Neylan, qualifying in 1990. He was working for Struan Motors and living in Dundee at his time of death.
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Nigel Lawrie CA
Nigel David Lawrie (M08992) has died aged 81. He trained with Peacock & Henry, qualifying in 1966. He was retired and living in Prestwick at his time of death. He received Gold Club membership in 2016.
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William Henderson CA
William Baxter Henderson (M06456) has died aged 90. He trained with Brodie, Burns & Anderson, qualifying in 1957. He was working for Marshspace when he retired and was living in Ashford at his time of death. He received Gold Club membership in 2007.
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William Henderson CA
William Innes Henderson (M08515) has died aged 86. He trained with Scott-Moncrieff, Thomson & Shiells, qualifying in 1964. He was working for WA Baxters & Sons when he retired and was living in Fochabers, Moray at his time of death. He received Gold Club membership in 2014.
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