Chartered Accountants Ireland has completed a wide‑ranging programme of member and stakeholder engagement across Australia, reinforcing the Institute’s commitment to supporting members living and working overseas while strengthening Ireland’s international economic and professional relationships.  The visit was led by Institute President Pamela McCreedy, joined by Global Member Manager Gillian Duffy, who represented the Institute across a series of high‑level engagements in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. The programme highlighted the significant contribution made by the more than 1,600 Chartered Accountants based in Australia, working across all sectors of the economy and playing a vital role in strengthening links between Ireland and Australia.  Key engagements included meetings with Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and The Ireland Funds Australia, as well as discussions with the Department of Foreign Affairs through the Consulate General of Ireland in Sydney. These conversations focused on trade and investment, talent mobility, and the skills and leadership needed to support Irish companies scaling internationally and multinational firms investing in Ireland.  A centrepiece of the visit was the President’s Dinner in Sydney, attended by over 200 members and guests from across the Irish–Australian business community, representatives from Ireland’s state agencies, professional bodies and partner organisations, as well as leaders from the Institute’s Australian member networks. Speaking on the night, President Pamela McCreedy reflected on the evolving role of Chartered Accountants and the importance of trust, transparency and professional judgement in establishing the profession’s position as a source of Trusted Business Leadership in Australia and globally. With a growing presence in Australia, Institute members continue to benefit from their community support offered by member chapters. She encouraged members to stay connected and to get involved.  During the member event in Melbourne, Pamela noted the strength of the Chartered community. From one of the newest of the Institute’s global member chapters in Brisbane through to its biggest in Sydney to her final engagement in Melbourne, she was reminded of the achievements and successes of peers and how experiences shape careers and whole communities.   Maintaining a visible and active presence across Australia enables Chartered Accountants Ireland to advocate effectively for members, contribute to international leadership and finance discussions, and deepen relationships with the organisations shaping Ireland’s global economic footprint. The visit also reinforced the Institute’s unique role as an all‑island professional body with members working across every sector of business worldwide. 

Clare Murphy trained in EY in Waterford and spent some time in the earlier stages of her career in Sydney before moving back to Kilkenny and more recently has been based in Cork. Having progressed in her career over the years, she is excited to continue her career journey back in Sydney where she has two siblings and plans to return this autumn. Clare returns to Australia at a more advanced career level and has already started leveraging the strong network of members there. We caught up with Clare during her preparations. 1. Where did you grow up and where do you live now? I grew up in Wexford before moving to Bunmahon, Co. Waterford midway through my childhood. More recently, I have been living and working in Cork, though I will be returning to Sydney at the end of October. I studied Commerce International with German at University College Cork, which included an Erasmus year in Konstanz, Germany. After graduating, I began my training with Chartered Accountants Ireland, working with EY Waterford for three and a half years. Following that, I moved to Sydney where I gained nine months of international experience before returning home to live and work in Kilkenny for 18 months. This past year I’ve been based in Cork, continuing to develop both professionally and personally, while preparing for the next stage of my career back in Australia. 2. What made you choose to become a Chartered Accountant? And if you weren't a Chartered Accountant, what do you think you would like to have been? I always loved working with numbers and enjoyed maths and accountancy in school, so that was telling enough. I was also interested in engineering, architecture or lecturing (I love the academic world). Or perhaps I would have thrown my hat at anything sports-related! 3. Can you tell us a little about how you got to where you are today – both the geographical relocations and career path. I’ve always been quite active — growing up I played camogie competitively in and for Waterford, and more recently I’ve turned to running, which has fitted in well with living all over Ireland and in Sydney, a city that thrives on an active lifestyle. My professional journey started in financial audit with EY Waterford, before moving into financial consulting with EY Dublin. That mix of audit and commercial exposure gave me a really solid grounding in accountancy, and it was the perfect base for moving into more analytical and commercially focused roles. From there, I took on an FP&A role in Sydney, which sparked a career path I’ve loved. Since then, I’ve worked across FP&A, finance business partnering and finance manager roles. These roles have combined not only analysis, forecasting and commercial awareness, but also leadership, project delivery, and working with a wide range of stakeholders to influence decisions and drive improvements. It’s been a varied path, but the common thread has always been using financial insight to add value to the business. 4. What do you value most about your membership of the profession and how do you think those benefits can be used to support the economy and society?  For me, the real value of the profession is the credibility and global recognition it brings. The CA qualification has enabled me to build a career that has taken me around Ireland and across the world — with Australia being a choice I was able to make because of the strength of the designation. It has given me the confidence to work across industries and countries while staying connected to a strong professional community. Beyond individual careers, the profession supports the economy by driving better business decisions, stronger governance, and growth. And on a societal level, it creates a community of people all over the world who share the same standards, values, and commitment to transparency. That sense of trust and connection is more important now than ever in supporting both businesses and society as a whole. 5. As a member that has lived away from Ireland, returned and is on the move again, can you talk to us about how your membership has been of value to you here and living overseas?  As I mentioned, I have a network and community I can link in with again. In addition, the Institute teams are always open to connecting members and assisting members across a variety of career paths. 6. What were the most significant/noticeable differences you encountered doing business and networking away from home and back in Ireland?  Away from home, I found that having connections was vital — in Sydney, even a small network made a big difference when starting from scratch. Networking there is fast-paced and often happens outside formal settings, so leaning on those relationships was key. Back in Ireland, it feels easier to build connections on your own. The community is smaller and very interconnected, which means relationships grow more naturally and often overlap between personal and professional circles. I’m really looking forward to going back to Sydney and building on my network — there’s a strong connection between Ireland and Australia, and I’ve already reaped the benefits of it, so it will be great to nurture that further.

Members in Australia represented the Chartered Accountants Ireland Australian Society at the Irish Australian Chamber of Commerce lunch in Melbourne and in Sydney at the Lansdowne Lunch. Check out the photos here.