Update from the CPA Australia Board 28 May 2025

President’s message – Annual General Meeting (AGM) 

On behalf of the Board, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to each of you who participated in CPA Australia’s AGM on Wednesday, 14 May. With nearly 100 members joining us in person at our Melbourne office and around 200 tuning in via our live webcast—alongside an additional 80 who engaged through our viewing events in Brisbane, Darwin, and Hong Kong—it truly felt like a community gathering.

Your enthusiastic participation and insightful questions regarding our financial reports, management, and performance made the meeting a vibrant exchange of ideas. It was a pleasure to share the platform with our CEO, Chris Freeland AM, Deputy Presidents Warren McRae and Louise Cox, and CFO George Kapitelli. The atmosphere was uplifting, and I greatly valued the opportunity to connect with many of you after the meeting. For those who missed it, you can watch a recording of the AGM on our website. 

Exciting Developments in CPA Australia’s Education Programs 

Education remains at the heart of our mission, and I am delighted to report that in April, we successfully delivered over 20,000 CPA Program exams for Semester 1. We wish all candidates the best of luck as results will be announced on Friday, 6 June.

Additionally, we launched our global mentoring program on 7 May, designed to enhance professional development for our members. This new unified program offers a consistent experience across all markets, allowing members to be paired with mentors locally or internationally. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, with 755 mentor-mentee pairs actively participating.

In our commitment to nurturing the next generation of accountants, we took part in the Careers Expo in Melbourne, part of an ongoing series that inspires secondary school students to learn about the limitless opportunities in accounting. We are also piloting a student ambassador program across selected universities in New South Wales and Victoria, based on programs we operate in Asia, empowering students to serve as peer-to-peer links on campus, with plans to expand this initiative in 2026.

CPA Australia in the Media Spotlight 

Increasing our external presence is a key priority for CPA Australia. We achieved extensive media coverage around the Australian Federal election with CEO Chris Freeland AM and our policy experts scrutinising the election pledges of the major parties. Our policy team have also featured on television, radio and print on issues relating to superannuation, including the introduction of Payday Super, the proposed tax $3m super tax and the dangers of superannuation-related scams and offers of unsolicited financial advice. 

We are also featuring prominently in national media as we head towards tax time, with Chief of Policy, Standards and External Affairs, Elinor Kasapidis, appearing on ABC News Breakfast TV and radio to warn taxpayers to beware of social media ‘finfluencers’ offering tax advice on TikTok, and to seek professional advice from CPAs. 

Centres of Excellence Unite 

In a groundbreaking first for CPA Australia, we recently brought together members from all six Centres of Excellence for a two-day meeting in Melbourne. This event provided a unique platform to explore the future of our profession and share innovative ideas to enhance productivity in the sector. I had the honour of moderating a hybrid panel discussion with the Chairs and representatives from each Centre of Excellence, engaging over 60 in-person attendees and 1,800 online registrants.

New Cooperation Agreements for Our Members

Our commitment to collaboration with international professional accounting organisations continues to strengthen. Recently, we signed a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) with Chartered Accountants Ireland and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Australian Computer Society. 

The MRA with Chartered Accountants Ireland underscores our mutual dedication to sharing insights and opportunities that will benefit our members. It paves the way for eligible members of both organisations to pursue each other's designations, enhancing career prospects. 

As the accounting profession evolves with technology, the MoU with the Australian Computer Society will empower both organisations to deliver enriched professional development opportunities and thought leadership across the IT and accounting fields.

Nominations to Join the Board of Directors Now Open

I am pleased to announce that nominations for appointment to the Board of Directors have opened as of 26 May, and will close on 13 June. Interested candidates are encouraged to submit their applications through the executive search firm, Odgers Berndtson’s application portal. Full details available on our website.

Sincerely, 

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