Karen McBride CA
Director, Accounts and Business Advisory, CT; sits on ICAS Members Board

Karen McBride CA joined accountancy firm, CT, in its Glasgow office, in 2024. Much of her working week is spent with clients, helping them develop their financial strategy. She sums up her role as working with businesses to identify what they want to achieve and providing the financial insights they need to help them reach their goals.

Milestones

2011: Qualified while training with RSM Tenon, and seconded to RSM McGladrey in New York for six months

2012-13: Audit Senior at Grant Thornton in Christchurch, New Zealand 

“The biggest contribution to my career that working in the US and New Zealand made was the experience of doing something new. It shows your ability to work with different people, with different perspectives. It also demonstrates willingness to step out of your comfort zone.”

2017: Rejoined Johnston Carmichael in Glasgow

“I’d previously worked at Johnston Carmichael in audit, in 2013, but rejoining stands out as a pivotal moment in my working life. I took on a more strategic and operational role and started working with a mentor, one of the partners at the firm. I gained skills and a different perspective, which pointed me in the direction of where I am now in my career.”

Coming on board

2022: Joined the ICAS Members Board

“I had been on the board of a local charity previously and was looking to contribute to another. At that point, I saw a compelling advert on LinkedIn – in the form of a video by the Chair, Michael Kay CA – for joining the ICAS Members Board. I hadn’t been an engaged member up till then, I paid my subscription fees and that was that. But I saw this as a great opportunity to get involved with ICAS, and to be able to provide input to help shape its future.

“The work of the board focuses on how we can best support members and improve their membership experience. It’s also about helping guide ICAS to deliver best outcomes and best value for members.

“One of the main benefits of joining the board is that you gain an understanding of ICAS and the chance to influence its direction. It can also be a positive addition to your CV: joining the board demonstrates commercial awareness and an interest in gaining governance experience, as well as showing a wider interest in the profession beyond your own job.

“Another benefit is being in a position to contribute to discussions and decisions, and to hear the wider view around the table. There are some very experienced people involved, and it is valuable to hear the perspectives of other members. This shows you a different way of thinking about things.”

David Wilson CA
Deputy Director, Department for Education; sits on ICAS Council, Members Board, plus Sustainability, London Area Network and Presidential Nominations Committees

After around 25 years in the private sector, David Wilson CA moved into the public sector, working in London for the civil service. In his first role, in the Department for Transport, he was responsible for leading a team of finance business partners.

Wilson gained a degree in accountancy from the University of Abertay, as well as an MBA from Cambridge Judge Business School, where he currently serves on the board of its alumni council. He is involved in a number of ICAS groups and boards.  

Milestones

2001: Qualified with Grant Thornton

“By the time I qualified, I had moved into the firm’s corporate finance practice, where I specialised in public-private partnerships, which often involved infrastructure projects. This gave me experience of working with public and private-sector clients and I was equally comfortable working with both.”

2010: Served as Chief of Staff to Grant Thornton’s Global Chief Executive in the head office

“This role provided me with exposure to decision-making at the most senior levels, as well as an insight into the workings of an organisation operating in 140 countries across the globe.”

2021: Joined the civil service

“In the civil service, there is a much greater opportunity to have a real impact on society. In my initial role here, some of the work that I was involved in was regularly in the news. You can have a great impact in the private sector, which does fantastic work, but the impact isn’t on the same scale as when you have the volume of resources that are available to the government.”

Coming on board

2025: Elected to Council. Also serves on various ICAS committees and panels

“I got involved with ICAS because I wanted to give back. My CA qualification has really helped my career. I am also passionate about education – it’s a cause I give to in my personal life, so I particularly appreciate the opportunity to contribute to the institute’s role as an educator.

“I initially joined the London Area Network Committee, which is designed to strengthen the relationships among CAs in the London area, and to build stronger relationships between members and ICAS. It’s quite common for people to get involved in this as an entry-level committee before serving on others.

“I joined the Sustainability Committee because I felt my experience of implementing the UK government’s net zero strategy could be useful. As experts in different aspects, we can help the Director of Sustainability and ensure ICAS fulfils its goal of becoming a strong voice in this field.

“Council is essentially ICAS’ board. It looks at the strategy and execution, and works closely with the executive team. We are there to support them, acting as a sounding board, and providing advice and constructive challenge.

“Sometimes people are put off volunteering because they think they won’t have room for it all on top of a busy professional career, but the time commitment is very manageable. ICAS is extremely professional and disciplined in how it uses group and board members’ time. This helps with diary planning.”  

Chris Wongsosaputro CA
Strategy and Performance Analyst,
Go-Ahead Group; sits on ICAS Members Board, London Area Network Committee

Chris Wongsosaputro CA began his accountancy career as a summer intern at Deloitte UK, working in corporate tax while studying at University College London. He graduated with a degree in economics and statistics in 2014, then joined EY, working in the firm’s Edinburgh and London offices.  

Based in London, Wongsosaputro is currently a Strategy and Performance Analyst for international, public-transport company, the Go-Ahead Group, which runs a fleet of more than 6,000 buses across England, as well as a quarter of Transport for London’s fleet. In addition to his involvement in ICAS groups, he is also active in politics.  

Milestones

2017: Gained CA qualification while working for EY

“I became an accountant for a few different reasons. My mum was one, and I thought the profession would provide a good overview of business and its processes. I was looking for a deep dive into how businesses operate, which I believed would be very useful for any career.” 

2021: Moved into strategy consulting role at EY

“I worked at EY for eight years, in three different teams during that time – firstly in audit, then in financial due diligence and next in strategy consulting. A pivotal moment occurred when I was chatting in the office one day to a partner in the consulting team and I expressed an interest in joining. We had a further chat after that, where we discussed problem-solving. A few months later, he contacted me to let me know about an opportunity in his team. I interviewed for it and got the transfer.” 

2024: Career break for seven months

“I took a career break to stand for election as the Labour candidate for Torbay last year. I didn’t win the seat but am still very active in politics. I believe that there is a lot of scope for more CAs to be involved in politics, because they have a good understanding of numbers – and in politics there’s a lot of talk about the economy.

“CAs also know how businesses operate, which is valuable knowledge. Furthermore, politics requires the ability to run organisations and teams, and CAs have experience of managing projects, and in some cases companies.” 

Coming on board

2021 and 2024: Joined the London Area Network and the Members Board

“Joining the network and the board has meant meeting fellow CAs from different companies and learning about what they do, which in turn provides good networking opportunities. Most importantly, though, it’s about giving back to ICAS. Being a CA is a point of pride, a privilege, an achievement and something we should treasure.

“ICAS is an organisation with a long history and one of the most renowned accounting organisations in the world. I’m reminded of the sign I saw during the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow – it said: ‘People make Glasgow’ and I believe it’s also true to say that people make ICAS.”