The ICAS Practice Conference takes place in Edinburgh on 5 June, and our keynote speaker is Rachel Harris – author, speaker, entrepreneur, award-winning content creator and, yes, accountant. Inside this issue, we hear her story, which is remarkable for a host of reasons, not least being that she is profoundly deaf. As you’ll discover from reading the interview, one of her key messages is about making the profession more accessible.

Even though ICAS recently welcomed a record number of newly qualified CAs at our admission ceremony, the wider profession faces challenges when it comes to attracting new and diverse talent. Indeed, elsewhere in this issue Chris Money CA from MMMCA talks about a sharp fall in the number of new applicants.

So, Rachel’s call to arms is not only strong but timely. To continue thriving, the profession must reach out to a wider pool of talent. At ICAS, we provide a range of online tools to support our members in practice in this respect.

This includes the Evolve programme, which became free to members in January. Evolve is designed to help CA firms develop and grow by providing access to expert advice and assistance whenever it is needed.

Last year we also launched the EDI Toolkit, which is another free resource designed to help SMEs. The toolkit includes an inclusive language guide, as well as links to free ICAS webinars, podcasts and articles to help firms and individuals better understand equality, diversity and inclusion. It can help when it comes to recruiting accountants from a variety of backgrounds, cultures and life experiences.

Elsewhere in this issue, CEO Bruce Cartwright CA welcomes our new office bearers following the recent AGM. As Bruce highlights, they represent a broad range of professional experiences in business and industry, from small practice to multinational.

At the aforementioned admission ceremony, our new CAs all take an ethical oath. In our interview with Dr Roger Barker, Director of Corporate Governance and Policy at the Institute of Directors, he addressed the recent high-profile corporate failings in the UK. He sets out a three-point plan to help improve governance for British business – among which is a new code of ethics and making directors more accountable.

And finally, we always like to profile ICAS members who have had successful and varied careers, although we have never before encountered one quite like Gary Campbell CA’s. We hope you enjoy reading his story as much as we’ve enjoyed sharing it.

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

Learn more about Evolve