A question of trust
A question of trust
Edelman DXI’s biennial trust survey shows chartered accountancy is top of the table – and CAs in Scotland are leading the way, says CEO Bruce Cartwright CA
A few years ago, when ICAS was putting together its 2030 strategy, we took time to think through our purpose and vision. “Seek the truth” has always been our motto and provides the foundation on which ICAS was built.
We also wanted to modernise our thinking, to make a clear statement about who we are and what we demonstrably live by, because you’re there to be pulled down if you don’t. The end result was a new strapline: “Ethical Leadership since 1854”.
That’s the line I often hear repeated back to me by members and non-members, so clearly it has stuck. One way of being able to measure this is how the business world sees us.
In 2000, the US PR company Edelman DXI established its trust index. Ever since then it has been producing multiple reports around the world to measure the public’s faith in institutions and professions.
And every two years Edelman produces a report for Chartered Accountants Worldwide: a survey of 1,000 business leaders and key decision-makers across the UK, Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, to measure their trust in accountants, our profession and how that compares with business as a whole.
“We are delighted to have new members on board – but being part of this community comes with obligations”
The most recent report was published in September, and every one of our 24,000 members should take pride in the results. Across all territories, 75% of respondents said they trust the accountancy sector to do the right thing, ahead of law (69%) and financial services (59%).
But in Scotland, that figure increases to 87%, a rise of 12 percentage points from 2023. It demonstrates that we practise what we preach from the day we become a CA.
There are two things I always say at every admission ceremony. First, many congratulations on qualifying – and welcome. You have gained a passport that will take you wherever you want to go in the business world – and where that is rests with you.
My second message is that while we are delighted to have you on board, being part of this community comes with obligations. The members are the face of ICAS and our true ambassadors by their deeds and actions.
That brings us full circle back to ethical leadership. CAs are naturally very good at interpreting and communicating the numbers, understanding business levers and directing strategy, but that counts for nothing without the DNA of ethical leadership. We can all point to examples in the accounting profession where we’ve seen things that, frankly, shouldn’t have happened and that have let down the professional community, as well as clients, businesses and the general public.
At ICAS, ethical leadership underpins what we do in all our meetings, be it policy discussions or consultation responses with various government departments and other stakeholders.
And for us, ethical leadership also means putting the public interest first. This is not a conflict. Serving the public interest aligns with serving member interest.
Bucking the trend
Again, I come back to you, our 24,000 members, because you are the reason why, in an age when faith in so many institutions and sectors has been eroded, trust in the accounting profession remains high.
A story we often hear – and one frequently told in the pages of this magazine – is that somebody became a CA because they were inspired by a relative or family friend to follow in their footsteps; and that person was successful, knowledgeable and well respected in the business world. When somebody looks at a CA and thinks, that’s the path they want to go down, it becomes a virtuous circle.
Small practices in towns or villages are often providing important business advice. They are fundamental to the fabric of every community across Scotland and the rest of the UK. Many of those small towns don’t have the historic institutions such as a local bank branch any more, so wider professional representation in such communities has shrunk. The accountants, however, are still there.
While Edelman DXI’s survey results are a pleasing snapshot of the here and now, I also hope they serve us well in attracting the next generation of CAs. A profession or business that is trusted to do the right thing is hugely important to Gen Z. They want to work somewhere with a clearly articulated sense of purpose, a business or organisation where they know what they’re trying to achieve and where they feel sure they can make a positive impact.
This report will, we hope, demonstrate that ICAS, in particular, and chartered accountancy more broadly, is the place for them.
Read the results of the trust survey by Edelman DXI
Edelman DXI’s biennial trust survey shows chartered accountancy is top of the table – and CAs in Scotland are leading the way, says CEO Bruce Cartwright CA
A few years ago, when ICAS was putting together its 2030 strategy, we took time to think through our purpose and vision. “Seek the truth” has always been our motto and provides the foundation on which ICAS was built.
We also wanted to modernise our thinking, to make a clear statement about who we are and what we demonstrably live by, because you’re there to be pulled down if you don’t. The end result was a new strapline: “Ethical Leadership since 1854”.
That’s the line I often hear repeated back to me by members and non-members, so clearly it has stuck. One way of being able to measure this is how the business world sees us.
In 2000, the US PR company Edelman DXI established its trust index. Ever since then it has been producing multiple reports around the world to measure the public’s faith in institutions and professions.
And every two years Edelman produces a report for Chartered Accountants Worldwide: a survey of 1,000 business leaders and key decision-makers across the UK, Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, to measure their trust in accountants, our profession and how that compares with business as a whole.
“We are delighted to have new members on board – but being part of this community comes with obligations”
The most recent report was published in September, and every one of our 24,000 members should take pride in the results. Across all territories, 75% of respondents said they trust the accountancy sector to do the right thing, ahead of law (69%) and financial services (59%).
But in Scotland, that figure increases to 87%, a rise of 12 percentage points from 2023. It demonstrates that we practise what we preach from the day we become a CA.
There are two things I always say at every admission ceremony. First, many congratulations on qualifying – and welcome. You have gained a passport that will take you wherever you want to go in the business world – and where that is rests with you.
My second message is that while we are delighted to have you on board, being part of this community comes with obligations. The members are the face of ICAS and our true ambassadors by their deeds and actions.
That brings us full circle back to ethical leadership. CAs are naturally very good at interpreting and communicating the numbers, understanding business levers and directing strategy, but that counts for nothing without the DNA of ethical leadership. We can all point to examples in the accounting profession where we’ve seen things that, frankly, shouldn’t have happened and that have let down the professional community, as well as clients, businesses and the general public.
At ICAS, ethical leadership underpins what we do in all our meetings, be it policy discussions or consultation responses with various government departments and other stakeholders.
And for us, ethical leadership also means putting the public interest first. This is not a conflict. Serving the public interest aligns with serving member interest.
Bucking the trend
Again, I come back to you, our 24,000 members, because you are the reason why, in an age when faith in so many institutions and sectors has been eroded, trust in the accounting profession remains high.
A story we often hear – and one frequently told in the pages of this magazine – is that somebody became a CA because they were inspired by a relative or family friend to follow in their footsteps; and that person was successful, knowledgeable and well respected in the business world. When somebody looks at a CA and thinks, that’s the path they want to go down, it becomes a virtuous circle.
Small practices in towns or villages are often providing important business advice. They are fundamental to the fabric of every community across Scotland and the rest of the UK. Many of those small towns don’t have the historic institutions such as a local bank branch any more, so wider professional representation in such communities has shrunk. The accountants, however, are still there.
While Edelman DXI’s survey results are a pleasing snapshot of the here and now, I also hope they serve us well in attracting the next generation of CAs. A profession or business that is trusted to do the right thing is hugely important to Gen Z. They want to work somewhere with a clearly articulated sense of purpose, a business or organisation where they know what they’re trying to achieve and where they feel sure they can make a positive impact.
This report will, we hope, demonstrate that ICAS, in particular, and chartered accountancy more broadly, is the place for them.
Read the results of the trust survey by Edelman DXI
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