Conference call
President Karen Scholes CA on the significance of member feedback, the new practice-monitoring visits and why she’s looking forward to meeting a spaceman
ICAS recently sent out its annual member survey. Writing from personal experience, and from my time on Council and serving as an office bearer, I can vouch for the importance we place on the survey data.
Your views and recommendations can directly influence areas such as the day-to-day technical and practice support we provide, as well as the wider ICAS strategy. Just one example of how we act on your comments can be seen in this year’s survey – following some feedback that it was too long, we have streamlined the process. This year it took me around five minutes to complete.
On the subject of support, more importantly, we have recently reintroduced the practice monitoring visit. Director of Practice, David Menzies CA, explains what that involves, along with its benefits.
“Practice monitoring provides a great opportunity for practitioners to benefit from direct engagement with ICAS’ experienced team of reviewers, discuss ways to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their firms and to hear more about the support offered by ICAS. This can be particularly helpful to sole practitioners who do not have the benefit of their own support network.
“With practice monitoring sitting under our regulatory activities, visits to each firm are undertaken periodically. The practice support team also offer the ability for you to check in for a chat on a regular or ad-hoc basis covering practice management and regulatory guidance. All of this, and more, is included in Evolve – our offering for firms which provides tailor-made services and products designed to support you with your clients and grow your practice.”
Punching up
Also on the subject of practice, I wouldn’t normally use this column to write about Scholes Chartered Accountants, but I think this is relevant in light of recent events and discussions across the sector.
In September, we acquired RSM UK’s Lerwick team to become Scotland’s largest accounting firm in Shetland. I mention this because it runs counter to the prevailing narrative, in which small and medium-sized practices are being gobbled up in a wave of private-equity-funded purchases. ICAS published a report on this trend for mergers and buyouts in May, and it was also the subject of a piece in CA magazine last month.
“I hope this serves as an example not only of an independent firm that is growing, but also the broader point about the importance of practices where trust has been built up over many years, even generations”
I hope this serves as an example not only of an independent firm that is growing, but also the broader point around the importance of practices that are more than simply small parts of huge multinationals. This is especially true in areas where trust has been built up within a community over many years, even generations, and where CAs gladly share the knowledge and expertise that will help local businesses to thrive.
In this issue, we preview the ICAS Annual Conference. This in-person event in London will give me another chance to meet members face to face, and maybe raise some of the discussion points from the survey. I’m also looking forward to meeting the speakers and hearing what they have to say. After all, it’s not every day you get to shake hands with an astronaut – especially a British one – who has spent six months in space. So I’m especially looking forward to Tim Peake’s keynote.
The discussion around whether AI will replace accountants will also be particularly informative, as we have Professor Dame Wendy Hall, one of the UK’s foremost experts on the subject, taking part.
I hope to see you at the conference on 5 November.
Book your place for ICAS Annual Conference 2025
Conference call
President Karen Scholes CA on the significance of member feedback, the new practice-monitoring visits and why she’s looking forward to meeting a spaceman
OICAS recently sent out its annual member survey. Writing from personal experience, and from my time on Council and serving as an office bearer, I can vouch for the importance we place on the survey data.
Your views and recommendations can directly influence areas such as the day-to-day technical and practice support we provide, as well as the wider ICAS strategy. Just one example of how we act on your comments can be seen in this year’s survey – following some feedback that it was too long, we have streamlined the process. This year it took me around five minutes to complete.
On the subject of support, more importantly, we have recently reintroduced the practice monitoring visit. Director of Practice, David Menzies CA, explains what that involves, along with its benefits.
“Practice monitoring provides a great opportunity for practitioners to benefit from direct engagement with ICAS’ experienced team of reviewers, discuss ways to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their firms and to hear more about the support offered by ICAS. This can be particularly helpful to sole practitioners who do not have the benefit of their own support network.
“With practice monitoring sitting under our regulatory activities, visits to each firm are undertaken periodically. The practice support team also offer the ability for you to check in for a chat on a regular or ad-hoc basis covering practice management and regulatory guidance. All of this, and more, is included in Evolve – our offering for firms which provides tailor-made services and products designed to support you with your clients and grow your practice.”
Punching up
Also on the subject of practice, I wouldn’t normally use this column to write about Scholes Chartered Accountants, but I think this is relevant in light of recent events and discussions across the sector.
In September, we acquired RSM UK’s Lerwick team to become Scotland’s largest accounting firm in Shetland. I mention this because it runs counter to the prevailing narrative, in which small and medium-sized practices are being gobbled up in a wave of private-equity-funded purchases. ICAS published a report on this trend for mergers and buyouts in May, and it was also the subject of a piece in CA magazine last month.
“I hope this serves as an example not only of an independent firm that is growing, but also the broader point about the importance of practices where trust has been built up over many years, even generations”
I hope this serves as an example not only of an independent firm that is growing, but also the broader point around the importance of practices that are more than simply small parts of huge multinationals. This is especially true in areas where trust has been built up within a community over many years, even generations, and where CAs gladly share the knowledge and expertise that will help local businesses to thrive.
In this issue, we preview the ICAS Annual Conference. This in-person event in London gives me another chance to meet members face to face, and maybe raise some of the discussion points from the survey. I’m also looking forward to meeting the speakers and hearing what they have to say. After all, it’s not every day you get to shake hands with an astronaut – especially a British one – who has spent six months in space. So I’m especially looking forward to Tim Peake’s keynote.
The discussion around whether AI will replace accountants will also be particularly informative, as we have Professor Dame Wendy Hall, one of the UK’s foremost experts on the subject, taking part.
I hope to see you at the conference on 5 November.
Book your place for ICAS Annual Conference 2025
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