Date issued: 7 April 2008
Public practitioner John Higgins FCPA has been appointed the Victorian president of CPA Australia, Australia's largest accounting body.
The appointment commenced on 1 April and will see Mr Higgins leading the 28,000 strong Victorian membership of CPA Australia.
Mr Higgins intends to represent Victorian members on issues of interest and concern to them; and ensure that the regional community continues to be well supported by CPA Australia members for their finance, accounting and business needs.
'CPA Australia has more than 117,000 members around the world today — 25 per cent of them here in Victoria so we're well placed to have a real influence, not only for our members, but for the benefit of the wider community as well.'
Mr Higgins has a history of involvement with CPA Australia. He was instrumental through its financial planning taskforce in implementing a financial planning certificate for CPA Australia and is a former member of the Small Business Centre of Excellence. He joined his first committee in 1982 and was subsequently involved in Divisional Council at two different periods. He was the recipient of the prestigious public practice Henry Fox award in 1998.
Mr Higgins has more than 25 years of service in CPA Australia, which has given him an intimate understanding of the cyclical nature of the accounting and finance sector, as well as how it has changed over the past three decades.
He sees the current skills shortage in the profession as a double edged sword. 'The difficulties are that accountants are so sought after in other areas of the finance and business world that there is a tremendous demand for them. While this has created a shortage of accountants in key finance areas, it also indicates that ours is a profession which has invaluable skills to offer in many areas of the economy,' Mr Higgins said.
Mr Higgins is involved in community organisations, having been a member of his local Rotary club for 17 years. A keen sportsman, he was treasurer of Gymnastics Victoria for 13 years, and has been their president for the past two years. His volunteer work with Gymnastics Victoria earned him the Australian Sports Medal in 2000 for services to gymnastics.
Mr Higgins has been involved in accounting public practice his entire working life, with a focus specifically on business strategy and development. He worked with large firms for 25 years and in 1996 established the Melbourne practice of Hayes Knight, where he is managing director.