Welcome to the June edition of Accountancy Ireland. At the time of writing, our Institute is preparing for two major events in our calendar – the Annual Conference and the Annual General Meeting (AGM).

The Conference, taking place at Lyrath Estate, Kilkenny on 10 and 11 May, is on the theme ‘Evolve’, which is fitting as the event itself has evolved remarkably in recent years to meet the changing needs of members.

The Conference brings together an inspiring mix of Irish and international speakers to examine the future of the accounting profession. I look forward to hearing members’ feedback from the event.

Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting takes place on 18 May in Belfast and so, by the time this edition reaches you, a new Chair and Council will have been elected.

The Annual Report presented at the AGM outlines how busy the Institute has been over the last year in representing our members and informing the debate on business and professional issues.

Shauna Greely has had an exceptional year as President of the Institute and I would like to thank her for her significant contribution. We wish every success to the incoming President, Feargal McCormack, and the 2018/19 Council as elected in Belfast.

New members

We were proud to welcome 276 new members to the profession in recent weeks, with conferring ceremonies in Belfast and Dublin in April.

Our new members are to be congratulated on their achievement and I look forward to their professional success in years to come. I hope that our newest members will continue to take pride in their qualification. They have received a business training which is second to none.
As the leaders of the future, they have our commitment that our Institute will provide every support we can to help them to continue throughout their career with the highest standards of ethical, professional and technical expertise.

New publications

Finally, the Institute recently produced two publications which deserve particular attention.

The first addresses the current hot topic of GDPR compliance. Chartered Accountants Ireland has created an easy-to-follow booklet, which summarises the key aspects and requirements of the new General Data Protection Regulation. This booklet is available in print or as a PDF, which you can brand and send to your clients. You can find it on our website.

The second publication is an ethics guide for members entitled Five Fundamental Principles, Five Practical Steps. It is a quick reference guide, which provides practical steps and tools to help members prepare for the day they may have to address an ethical dilemma. We see the guide as a unique and valuable tool that members can keep close to hand.

The guide is available to download as a multi-page A4 document or alternatively, as a one-page folding hard copy by contacting us. The guide is also featured on page 70 of this issue.

Barry Dempsey
Chief Executive