Update from the CPA Australia Board 1 October 2025

President's message – CPA Australia’s new mobile app launching next week

I'm excited to share that the new CPA Australia mobile app is now in its final testing phase and will be ready for download next week. Designed exclusively for CPA Australia members, the app offers a truly personalised experience, giving you access to content and resources tailored to your interests, location, and professional goals. Members will soon receive details on how to access and start using the app. I genuinely look forward to seeing how this new tool will support and enhance your CPA Australia journey. In the meantime, you can preview the features here.

Board of Directors – election of office bearers

I am truly honoured and humbled to have been re-elected as President and Chair of CPA Australia. It is a genuine privilege to continue serving our members in this capacity for another twelve months. I would also like to warmly congratulate Warren McRae FCPA and Louise Cox FCPA on their re-election as Deputy Presidents for the coming year. I look forward to working closely with them and our fellow directors as we strive together to deliver even greater value to all members of CPA Australia.

Board of Directors appointments

CPA Australia is pleased to announce the re-appointment of two current directors and the election of one new director to the board. The Appointments Council, comprising members of CPA Australia's Divisional Councils, made the selections in accordance with CPA Australia's Constitution. We warmly congratulate Louise Cox and Bernard Che-Wai Poon on their re-appointment for three-year terms commencing 1 October 2025. We also look forward to welcoming Carmen Wee, who will join the board as a new director once the required regulatory steps are completed.

• Louise Cox FCPA has been a director at CPA Australia since 2019, including Deputy President since 2023. She is a respected accountant and lawyer with more than 30 years’ experience as a Chief Executive Officer, Chief Finance Officer, and Non-Executive Director across the legal, accounting, architecture, education and mental health sectors.
• Bernard Che-Wai Poon FCPA (Aust.) has been a director at CPA Australia since 2021. He is a Partner at Ernst & Young (EY) specialising in valuations and financial modelling with experience in the area of merger and acquisition, financial due diligence, auditing, training and development.
• Carmen Wee, is the Founder and CEO of her HR Advisory Services firm, Carmen Wee & Associates. She is as an experienced Board Member spanning commercial, government, academia and public institutions in Singapore, US and the UK and has 25 years of international business experience, driving large-scale business transformation & change management. 

Bryan Chung FCPA (Aust.) retired from the Board, effective 30 September 2025, after completing a three-year term. Bryan made valuable contributions to the Board and its subcommittees during his tenure, including sharing international and digital perspectives that helped us advance our thinking on member engagement and business transformation. I’d like to express my deepest thanks to Bryan for his significant contributions as a director and for his dedication to the members of CPA Australia.

Member Engagement Survey 

CPA Australia highly values the feedback of its members and invites you each year to take part in the Member Engagement Survey, which helps us better understand your priorities. Within the next 10 days, you will receive an email with a link to the online survey, which should take no more than 10 minutes to complete and will remain open until 30 October 2025. The Board strongly encourages you to participate, as your input is essential to helping us improve our services and deliver greater value. Key results from the survey will be shared in the 2025 Integrated Report.

Divisional Council elections

Divisional Councils play a vital role in bringing members together and fostering engagement. Elections are now open in eight of CPA Australia’s Divisions: Australian Capital Territory, Europe, New South Wales, New Zealand, Northern Territory, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia. Elections are not being held in the remaining Divisions as the number of nominations did not exceed the number of vacancies. 

Eligible voting members will have received voting instructions from third-party provider BigPulse. Polls are open until 5pm local time on Monday 13 October. Divisional Council elections are an opportunity to have your say and help shape the future of CPA Australia, and the Board encourages all eligible members to get involved. Further details are available on the Divisional Council election webpage.

Updates to CPA Australia By-Laws 

Changes to CPA Australia’s By-Laws come into effect on 1 October 2025. The updates aim to refine and simplify processes for members and cover the following areas:

• Procedures for non-compliance with CPD obligations (Part 4)
• Procedures and costs associated with Professional Conduct complaints (Part 5)
• Procedures and eligibility requirements for election of the office bearers of the Appointments Council and the Council of Presidents (Part 6)
• Eligibility requirements for Members appointed to Divisional Councils to fill a vacancy (Part 8)
• Procedures for Members conducting Professional Accounting Services to provide evidence of Professional Indemnity Insurance (Part 9) 

Congress 2025 – Prepare for impact

Excitement is building ahead of CPA Congress. Our in-person event on the Gold Coast, from 14-16 October, will host over 700 accounting and finance professionals from all Australian Divisions, with international members travelling to take part in this exceptional event. Likewise, Kuala Lumpur, on Thursday 6 November, will welcome 200 local, Australian and overseas delegates for an incredible day. 8000+ delegates will participate in the live global virtual experience on Friday 17 October. This is followed by seven weeks of OnDemand access. CPA Congress offers unparallelled opportunities to connect with colleagues and peers outside your usual sphere of influence, enhancing the bond of the accounting profession around the world. View the programs and register today via the website.

Participating in international conferences 

Advocacy and thought leadership remain at the heart of CPA Australia’s mission. This September, we took part in several landmark international forums, championing industry engagement and strengthening connections across our global member network.

Australian Chamber of Commerce in Industry (ACCI) luncheon – a special one-day event held at our Melbourne office with guest speaker, The Hon. Dr Daniel Mulino, Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services in the Australian Federal government.

ASEAN Academic Forum – the inaugural ASEAN Academic Forum in Jakarta brought together academics and professionals from the ASEAN region to promote accounting research and teaching.

The China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) – CPA Australia was honoured to serve as a platinum sponsor, alongside Austrade, at CIFTIS, the premier exhibition of its kind in Mainland China. This year, Australia was celebrated as the ‘guest country of honour’, and CPA Australia proudly joined the nation’s largest-ever CIFTIS delegation in Beijing, featuring nearly 60 Australian enterprises and institutions among exhibitors from over 80 countries. Our active participation not only showcased our commitment to international collaboration but also significantly elevated CPA Australia's brand recognition and reputation within the region. We amplified our presence through a series of high-impact media interactions across print, online, and television platforms, ensuring our voice was heard by a diverse and influential audience. To further strengthen our engagement, we hosted a concurrent CIFTIS event in Melbourne, reinforcing our dedication to fostering global connections and supporting Australian business interests both at home and abroad.

Member Recognition Ceremonies – In Mainland China, I was also delighted to attend Member Recognition Ceremonies in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen to celebrate the achievements of members as they advanced to CPA and FCPA status and marked significant membership milestones.

CPA Australia Executive Forum – The CPA Australia Executive Forum in Hong Kong brought together senior government officials, business leaders, and policy experts to explore how macroeconomic trends, evolving global dynamics and emerging technologies are shaping the business and financial landscape. Attendees were honoured to hear from The Honourable Paul Chan FCPA (Aust.), Financial Secretary of Hong Kong, and His Excellency Gareth Williams, Australian Consul General in Hong Kong. 

Hong Kong 70-year anniversary – As part of the celebrations to commemorate the 70th anniversary of CPA Australia’s presence in Hong Kong, I was thrilled to open the wonderful new immersive space in our Hong Kong office. This display showcases the organisation’s rich history in photographs and artefacts. The exhibition recognises the vision of those who laid the foundations for CPA Australia in Hong Kong and serves as a welcoming gateway to the new office for current members.  

CFA Institute - Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) – CPA Australia and the CFA Institute joined forces through a landmark MoU signed on 17 September, uniting our expertise to elevate the global accounting and finance profession with joint initiatives, professional development, and powerful new opportunities for our members.

ECTA Unleashed – I was truly honoured to represent CPA Australia, alongside CEO Chris Freeland AM, at a remarkable forum co-hosted with the Sydney Chapter of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), where we delved into innovative ways to bring the India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement to life. The event was made even more special by the presence of the President of the ICAI, CA Charanjot Singh Nanda, who travelled all the way from India to join us for this important occasion. Alongside our CEO, Chris Freeland AM, I had the privilege of sharing the stage with distinguished guest speakers, including The Hon. Anoulack Chanthivong MP, NSW Industry and Trade Minister, Sanjeev Gandhi, CEO of Orica, and Paul Bloxham, Chief Economist for HSBC. It was an inspiring gathering, filled with insightful discussions and a shared commitment to strengthening the economic ties between India and Australia.

Australia India Business Council – Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) – CPA Australia and the Australia India Business Council used the ECTA conference as an opportunity to sign a MoU, formally expressing our commitment to future collaboration and strengthening professional and business relationships between Australia and India.

Sincerely, 

Dale Pinto FCPA
John Curtin Distinguished Professor
President and Chair
On behalf of CPA Australia’s Board of Directors