Challenges and opportunities up for discussion as CPA Australia hosts first Centres of Excellence ‘all-in’
The future of the accounting profession, the impact of regulation and the opportunities and challenges of artificial intelligence (AI) were among the big topics of discussion as CPA Australia hosted its first Centres of Excellence ‘all-in’ event over two days in Melbourne this week.
CPA Australia’s Centres of Excellence contribute to our policy and advocacy work, education products and resources, as well as informing our thought leadership and research activities.
The six Centres of Excellence cover Digital Transformation, Environmental, Social and Governance, Ethics and Professional Standards, Reporting and Assurance, Retirement Savings and Taxation.
Each has 10-12 expert members chosen for their experience and knowledge in their professional accounting discipline.
The purpose of the ‘all-in’ event was to bring together the wealth of knowledge and experience from across all Centres of Excellence to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing the profession today and into the future, with a diverse range of perspectives being shared.
“Our Centres of Excellence play a vital role in helping shape our organisation's strategic responses to issues affecting members, the profession and the wider community,” said CPA Australia CEO Chris Freeland.
“This event was all about harnessing the collective expertise of members to not just discuss the issues impacting the profession, but debate the solutions, including how we can do more to celebrate accountants, transform careers through AI, create value with ESG, promote the societal benefits of ethics standards, and attract more young people to the profession.
“Our Centres of Excellence members also highlighted the challenges in managing the increased regulatory burden across the profession and the ever-present pressure on firms and businesses due to the accountant shortage.
“The ‘all-in’ confirmed that reports of the death of accounting are greatly exaggerated,” Mr Freeland added. “The way accountants do their work might be changing, but their greatest value is their professional knowledge and judgment that creates the connection between human knowledge and technological efficiency. This enables accountants to create, check, interpret and tell financial stories using ever-increasing volumes of information and data.
“We greatly value the guidance provided by our Centres of Excellence which position CPA Australia as a trusted advocate and informed educator for the profession and community.”
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