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News in brief: CPA Canada seeks candidates for public board director

Application period is open to candidates until April 30, 2022; ISSB makes progress with its Frankfurt centre; and other news from the accounting world

Group of business colleagues meeting in the boardroomA public board director brings an outside perspective on issues that impact the public interest (Getty Images/Yuri_Arcurs)

CPA CANADA SEEKS PUBLIC BOARD DIRECTOR

Do you know someone with an appreciation for matters affecting the global business and professional accounting communities?

If so, consider encouraging them to apply to be a public board of director with CPA Canada. The position would start on October 1, 2022 and requires 150 to 200 hours per annum dedicated to CPA Canada in the form of meetings and service on board committees.

Qualifications include expertise in information technology/digital business, executive leadership experience with strategy execution and transformation, as well as familiarity with complex industry and government dynamics.

Public directors, though they are not CPAs or legacy designation holders, must be well-respected, bring an objective independent perspective and show a diverse mix of experience and skills reflecting the strategic needs of CPA Canada and the profession.

Qualified candidates should submit their director CVs to Vivek Radhakrishnan at [email protected] by April 30, 2022.

Visit the CPA Canada website to learn about the organization’s board of directors.

UPDATE ON NEW ISSB CENTRES AND STANDARDS

The new International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) is one step closer to opening its centre in Frankfurt, Germany, following the signing of Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) by the IFRS Foundation on March 2.

Here in Canada, the ISSB’s Montreal centre is expected to open its doors in late June, as the IFRS Foundation continues to work with partners towards finalizing MOU agreements.

On standards, the ISSB targets the release of its first two proposed drafts on the general disclosure and on climate prototypes for consultation during the second quarter of 2022. Canadian stakeholders are encouraged to take part in this public consultation.

Visit the IFRS website for more updates.

CPA CANADA JOINS GLOBAL ACCOUNTING ALLIANCE TO FIGHT FOR NATURE

CEOs from 10 leading global accounting bodies, including CPA Canada, united under the Global Accounting Alliance (GAA) to support a call to action in response to the nature crisis. This statement comes in advance of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) COP 15 meeting being held from April 25 to May 8, 2022, in Kunming, China.

The joint statement titled, “Nature is Everyone’s Business”, promotes the protection and restoration of nature through businesses’ finance activities and investment decisions, encouraging investors and the business community at large to prioritize ESG initiatives. Included are six key actions professional accountants can take to understand how their organizations and clients impact and rely on nature, while offering guidance to promote the sustainability of resources.

“This is an opportunity for professional accountants, governments and others to band together and find ways to become better stewards in the protection of nature,” said Charles-Antoine St-Jean, president and CEO, CPA Canada. “We all benefit from a stronger commitment to conservation and restoration.”

UNDERSTANDING THE CPA’S ROLE IN COMBATTING MIS- AND DISINFORMATION

A new paper explores the role CPAs play as ethical leaders and trusted advisers to their organizations in an age of digital disruption and mis/disinformation.

The third instalment in a four-part series, Identifying and mitigating bias and mis- and disinformation is a newly released trust and ethics paper that was produced collaboratively by CPA Canada, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS), the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) and the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA).

The paper offers practical guidance to make sound and objective decisions based on facts and professional obligations in an age of “fake” news.

“We need to be diligent in applying professional skepticism and an inquiring mind to ensure we help combat these issues, in line with our public interest responsibilities,” said authors Brian and Laura Friedrich.

WEBINARS HELP CPAS HONE LEADERSHIP, TRUST AND DATA SKILLS

CPA Canada recently held webinars for its international members on a range of topics that impact the profession and the business world:

  • Lessons from Peers – A CPA Canada Member Panel Discussion, featured four internationally based members, Vartika Ambwani, Maxine Attong, Clint McNair and Adam Steiner. More than 300 CPAs from over 35 countries tuned in to hear the panel’s leadership tips and best practices for career progress.
  • The Art of Trust, hosted by CPA Andy Fry shared insights on the importance of earning trust. Fry, a U.S.-based CPA Canada member, author and consultant, emphasized that expertise alone won’t gain trust for CPAs, but behaving in an open and honest way will put you on the right path.
  • An Introduction to Data Analytics with Microsoft Power BI, co-hosted by CPA Canada and the Cayman Islands Institute of Professional Accountants (CIIPA), was led by Guido Geerts, a professor and EY faculty scholar at the Lerner College of Business, University of Delaware. The session helped to familiarize more than 65 attendees with data analytics and Power BI.

STAY IN THE LOOP

Learn more about the Competency Map 2.0 and how the profession is evolving. Plus, see how CPAs can help with digital transformation and read about the steps of the transformation process.