Skip To Main Content
Business team in video conference
Accounting
The Profession

News in brief: CPA Canada to co-host virtual net zero roundtables

Events will discuss opportunities and challenges involved in transitioning to net zero; top 50 list honours seven Canadian female accountants; and other news from the accounting world

Business team in video conference Participants’ contributions to the roundtable series will help shape a report on transitioning to net zero that will address each targeted sector’s challenges and opportunities (GettyImages/VioletaStoimenova)

PARTICIPANTS INVITED TO NET ZERO SERIES VIRTUAL ROUNDTABLES

CPA Canada and The Prince of Wales’s Accounting for Sustainability (A4S) Canadian Chapter are inviting key industry players to join a series of virtual roundtables to discuss the issues, challenges and opportunities associated with achieving net zero emissions by 2050. 

The discussions are being held with directors and business leaders from a cross-section of sectors—including transportation, materials and buildings and agriculture—to gain an understanding of the role these economic areas play in Canada’s transition to net zero. The goal is to support Canada’s contributions to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference (COP 26) in November 2021.

Participants’ input will help shape the final report, which will include practical actions to be considered in addressing the challenges and capitalizing on opportunities for each sector.   

Upcoming dates and registration details:

May 11: Materials and buildings sector roundtable
May 13: Agriculture, food and forestry products sector roundtable
May 18: Joint cross sectoral roundtable (open to participants across all sectors)

SEVEN CANADIANS NAMED TO TOP 50 WOMEN IN ACCOUNTING LIST 

Former CPA Canada senior vice-president Tashia Batstone and six other Canadian accountants recently earned a spot on Practice Ignition’s Top 50 Women in Accounting list for 2020. 

The Top 50 list, first launched on International Women’s Day in 2018, celebrates women who are driving advocacy and change while creating opportunities in accounting and bookkeeping. 

“Shining a light on these incredible women not only acknowledges their journey and contributions to our community, but it also creates an opportunity to provide people with something to look up to,” said judging panelist Rebecca Mihalic of Practice Ignition and businessDEPOT.

These are the seven Canadians recognized by Practice Ignition’s Top 50 Women in Accounting list for 2020 (in alphabetical order): 

  • Juliet Aurora, AIS Solutions
  • Martha Banner, Grant Thornton LLP
  • Tashia Batstone, CPA Canada (now president and CEO of FP Canada)
  • Isabella Bertani, Bertani Canada
  • Allison Hawkins, Hawkins & Co. Accounting
  • Bridget Noonan, Clearline CPA
  • Caroline Proulx, Elevate by Welch LLP

FORMER CPA CANADA MEMBER TO REPLACE WARREN BUFFETT

Gregory E. Abel, a former member of CPA Canada, has been chosen as Warren Buffett’s successor of Berkshire Hathaway

Currently the vice-chairman of non-insurance operations, Abel has worked at Berkshire Hathaway for over two decades. He will become CEO when Buffet eventually steps down, though there are no imminent plans for the transition. 

Buffett confirmed Abel will be the one to move into the top spot in an interview with CNBC. “The directors are in agreement that if something were to happen to me tonight, it would be Greg who’d take over tomorrow morning,” he said.

Abel was born in Edmonton, Alberta and graduated with a degree in commerce from the University of Alberta. He began his accounting career at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Edmonton, soon moving on to the firm’s San Francisco office.

PROFESSIONAL ETHICS HIGHLIGHTED AT CPA CANADA AND CIIPA EVENT

More than 90 members of CPA Canada and the Cayman Islands Institute of Professional Accountants (CIIPA) gathered on April 16 for the second annual “Professional Ethics for Accountants” event.

The session, which was held at the Camana Bay Cinema in the Cayman Islands, featured a presentation by CPA Fareed Hosein, a business ethics lecturer with more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry. Hosein, who also sits as an advisory council member of CPA Canada’s Cayman Islands Chapter, discussed issues related to building an ethical work culture and balancing an accountant’s duties to clients while protecting the public interest.

“CPA Canada is excited to have again collaborated with the Cayman Islands Institute of Professional Accountants on such an important topic,” said Janet Treasure, senior vice-president, external relations and business development, at CPA Canada. “It is important that the public continues to have confidence in our profession’s high standards for ethical conduct.”

The two-hour event was followed by a networking session for members in attendance.   

CPA CANADA EVENT SHOWCASES DATA ANALYTICS’ GROWING IMPORTANCE 

On April 26, CPA Canada hosted a free webinar for its international members on audit data analytics and its potential for enhancing the insights that auditors can gain when performing testing. 

The webinar, “Introduction to Audit Data Analytics”, was led by Canadian CPA Garth Sheriff and drew participation from more than 500 CPAs from over 30 countries.

“Traditionally, auditors have used analytic procedures such as means, modes, and variance analysis, which are collectively referred to as ‘summary statistics’,” said CPA Canada’s Janet Treasure. “At our webinar, participants soon discovered that audit data analytics are much more than summary statistics and open up entirely new ways to collect, use and present information.”

Nikita Bayne, chair of the CPA Canada Barbados Chapter Advisory Council, agreed. “The webinar demonstrated the power that comes with the effective use of data analytics,” she said. “It provided valued insights into the changing world of financial reporting.” 

IN THE NEWS

Learn more about what is happening in the profession and the Canadian accounting world.