Firm Culture and Governance - IESBA and CPA Australia Webinar - May 2024

CPA Australia hosts a panel discussion featuring Gabriella Figueiredo Dias, Chair of the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA), to explore the role of ethics, governance, and firm culture in maintaining trust in the accounting profession. The discussion focuses on IESBAs 20242027 strategy, which prioritises firm culture and governance as a response to recent ethical failures and increasing public and political scrutiny. Key themes include the need for a more holistic approach to ethics beyond individual misconduct, concerns around incentive structures and transparency, and challenges in applying ethical standards across both audit and consulting divisions.

IESBA emphasises the importance of active stakeholder engagement during this early discovery phase, as it seeks to identify gaps and determine whether standard-setting or non-authoritative guidance is needed. The panel highlights the professions shared responsibility to act in the public interest and reinforces the urgency of restoring credibility through better culture, governance, and ethical leadership.

Speakers

• Gabriella Figueiredo Dias Chair, International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA)
• Channa Wijesinghe IESBA Member and Chair of the Firm Culture and Governance Working Group; CEO, Accounting Professional & Ethical Standards Board (APESB)
• Dianne Azoor Hughes 35 years of business experience, specialising in governance, risk and audit. Previously Technical Standards Partner at Pitcher Partners
• Gary Pflugrath Senior Executive Advisor, Stakeholder Engagement & Policy, CPA Australia (moderator)