Members

In recent days, Institute President Pat O'Neill kicked off a member outreach trip to North America, where almost 1,000 members of Chartered Accountants Ireland live and work. Overall, 10% of Chartered Accountants Ireland's total membership is based overseas, so supporting and representing these members is a key priority.  Pat and Council colleague Pamela McCreedy hosted a member event in Toronto on Friday evening followed by another in New York on Monday evening. In between, the team also had the opportunity to partner with Ireland Inc for this year’s Ireland Day held in the New York Stock Exchange, taking part in a roundtable discussion to mark St. Patrick’s Day.  The contribution of Chartered Accountants from Ireland in practice and industry all around America was a central theme over the few days. Pat O’Neill spoke about the Institute’s pride in its members' successes there and it is further evidence of the way the Chartered qualification can be used as a global passport.  In addition to sharing updates with members, gathering feedback, and finding new ways to deepen engagement, the trip gives the Institute a chance to engage with partners and colleagues including Chartered Accountants Worldwide Network USA, IFAC, the Northern Ireland Bureau, The Ireland Funds, and the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy, with whom the Institute recently extended its Mutual Recognition Agreement which enabling members to access the US CPA qualification (with a similar arrangement for their members coming to Ireland). To view pictures from the New York member event click here. 

Cliff Wilson is the incoming Chair of the Australian Society, and here he tells us more about his career journey. Where did you grow up and where do you live now? I had a nomadic childhood, born in Kilkenny, moved to Wexford at age five, then on to Baltinglass, Co. Wicklow at 10 and then went to boarding school at Kilkenny College. I now live in Sydney, with two girls and one on the way!  What made you choose to become a Chartered Accountant? It was subliminal and meant to be. I always had a love of business and commerce. As a young boy I was very interested in how business worked. I suppose I got exposed a lot to people in business through my Dad, who worked with Bank of Ireland. For as long as I can remember, I was always asking questions of people in business. As a boy hanging out with his friends, I would often stay at their kitchen table if there was something I could learn about business from their mum or dad. I spent a lot of my youth watching my dad: how he managed people, and listening to the various challenges he was working through. The opportunity to understand a business through an audit at the time was my way of figuring out what I wanted to do and with what type of business.  Can you tell us a little about how you got to where you are today – both the geographical relocation and career path? In my Leaving Cert year, I did not know what I wanted to do, so a B Comm in Business Studies felt safe. There is a part of me that enjoys being technical; economics and accounting found that part of me in uni and I really enjoyed it. Soon, I was offered career opportunities with the Big 4 and from a few of the banks. At that age, you want to make the best decision for your future, and it was the first time I remember feeling a little overwhelmed. The training program at KPMG was impressive and stood out to me. I made a strong connection with the people I met, their values and it just felt right for me. Qualifying as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG opened the door to opportunities to work in many great cities, Dublin, London, Singapore, Hong Kong, Delhi, Chennai, New York, Houston, Auckland, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.  I believe the real message here for me is always hold goals lightly, let them be a compass but not the destination. An opportunity to work on an engagement with KPMG London was presented to me. The London market then produced some incredible options which resulted in an opportunity to go to New York in Product Control. Further travels (leisure and professional!) to Australia followed, and next thing, I am working in banking in Sydney.  My technical knowledge and experience provided a great path to securing a working visa. Some experience of travelling through Asia alongside my work in London and Sydney really changed my mindset, specifically my "soft skills" around understanding others. I always felt safe being technical; recently, as part of a leadership programme I developed a regular routine to spend time reflecting.  This was all a catalyst to a career change in 2006. I did a full pendulum swing from a technical accountant to recruitment. At that time my identity was heavily integrated with what I did for work. This made a change in career challenging. During the first two years the goal of returning to Ireland and building an accounting practice kept me going. In 2008 while the economy was in such flux, I decided to stay in Sydney. Wilson Select was founded in 2010 and has grown into a business offering recruitment, advisory and coaching services in a way that aims to meet the needs of a business looking to create a strategic advantage through people.  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?    The profession is a part of my foundation of who I am and how I conduct myself. The people I meet, the opportunity to make real connections with other members helps how I think about some of the challenges business and life throws at me. As an overseas member, that connection with other Irish Chartered Accountants facilitates a space to grow and be vulnerable in a city over 17,000 kilometres from a place called home. Having a safe place is a basic need in any society.  In relation to an economy, accountants can bring a different lens to a subject. Membership of the profession helps you acquire multiple perspectives, supporting diversity and fostering better decision making. As a member living in Sydney, can you talk to us about how your membership has been of value to you globally and what do you value about it now that you’re living overseas (and what would you like to see more of)?  Membership has provided the opportunity for me to travel and work in places I wanted to give a go and experience living there rather than a flying visit. For me, the real value is the connections.To walk into an event and have some common ground with most of the people there. It also brings out the Irish in me, which is everything from keeping up to date with what’s happening in Ireland to spending time with people who know how to have the craic without talking about the craic! And finally, if you weren't an accountant, what do you think you would be/would have been? Probably a retail or corporate banker. If I had understood computer science before selecting a course at uni, possibly a career in software as a service. Cliff Wilson is Director of Wilson Select.      

Michael Shovelin is a lecturer, Council member and immediate past chair of the North West Society. He is also an avid reader, so who better to ask for book recommendations!   With Christmas fast approaching you might be looking for a gift for a colleague, client or friend. Here is a list of some of the better books on business matters from the past year. Or you might want to treat yourself. This is the ideal time of year to kick back with a good book! Here aresix recommendations from this year. Enjoy! Chums: How a Tiny Caste of Oxford Tories Took Over Britain – Simon Kuper Born in medieval houses, educated in medieval schools and universities, it comes as no surprise that Gove, Rees-Mogg, Johnson, Truss et al should forge careers in a medieval parliament. All products of the now notorious Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) degree at Oxford, they struggled to conjure up a cause that would create legacies akin to Churchill and Thatcher. With no great causes left (inequality, poverty and crumbling infrastructure not being glamourous enough) they summoned the ghost of Thatcher. They hit on Brexit. Simon Kuper delivers an incisive account on what makes these guys, and it is almost all guys, tick. A must-read for the Brexit-watcher in your house. Read more about it and buy it here. Two Hundred Years of Muddling Through: The Surprising Story of the British Economy – Duncan Weldon With the new season of Brexit well underway, we have some new characters: dishy Rishi; the prim vicar Jeremy Hunt; and a cameo from the Bree Larson of British politics, Liz Truss. In some 250 pages, you get the equivalent of the Oxford degree in PPE delivered in a clear, concise and engaging manner. This is much more than a political economy primer. The book traces the evolution of Britain’s politics and economy since the Industrial Revolution. It charts the booms and busts and the relentless decline of Great Britain after the war. The post-war years and the transformation of the economy (and politics) during the Thatcher years are particularly well discussed. Read more about it and buy it here. The Man Who Broke Capitalism – David Gelles ‘Neutron’ Jack Welch hated the nickname. Neutron bombs killed thousands of people while leaving physical infrastructure intact. This engrossing book traces Welch’s journey to the top job at GE and the two decades of meteoric growth in earnings and market capitalisation. From $15bn to $660bn market capitalisation. This was an extraordinary story for a company that had been in existence for almost a century, before he took the reins. The methods are all detailed here. A relentless focus on cost-cutting, offshoring, outsourcing, mega deals, mass firings, earnings manipulation and creative accounting. Hundreds of thousands of jobs destroyed, communities gutted, a toxic culture of ‘rank and yank’ and the hollowing out of once-great American icons. What is most compelling is the creation of a clone army of mini-Jacks who learnt at the knees of the great guru and wreaked havoc across the world. Read more about it and buy it here. When McKinsey Comes to Town – Walt Bogdanich & Michael Forsythe This is an epic tale of hubris, arrogance, deceit and destruction. Once again, we meet the so-called ‘smartest guys in the room’ with all the answers for everything from regulating healthcare, implementing Trump’s immigration policies, defence contracting to advising foreign governments. They trumpet their mission, values, purpose and ethics. The reality is much different. This is a shocking indictment of yet another so-called ‘professional services firm’. While the concept of conflicts of interest should be easily understood, particularly to those with degrees from the finest Ivy League universities, it is clear that McKinsey operates on both sides of a deal. The Chinese walls are thinner than a Celtic tiger era apartment. Their role in advising big pharma as to how better to market opioids is just one of a litany of standout scandals. And the fees charged are eye watering. Read more about it and buy it here. Butler to the World: How Britain Became the Servant of Tycoons, Tax Dodgers, Kleptocrats and Criminals – Oliver Bullough Following on from his best-selling Moneyland, Bullough delves deep into the murky and shady world of those who enable, collaborate, lobby and ease the entry of some of the world’s least savoury characters into polite society. Whatever remained of Britain’s shabby and threadbare post-colonial reputation is completely shredded here. Everything’s for sale in the scramble to legitimise the images of some of the most malevolent crooks in the world today. While the usual culprits from the world of law, accounting, estate agents and wealth advisers are here, Bullough identifies many others who are complicit. From art gallery owners to principal’s of select private schools, ‘all the devils are here’. Read more about it and buy it here. Power Failure: The Rise and Fall of General Electric – William D Cohan Cohan’s epic Money & Power: How Goldman Sachs Came to Rule the World is still the definitive template for how to write a company biography. This will surely replace it. This 816-page epic reads like a fast-paced thriller. For all of the 20th century, no other company was so emblematic of American corporate success as GE, (okay, possibly Ford or IBM). Founded by Thomas Edison, GE expanded its operations modestly from the late nineteenth century. However, the arrival of Jack Welch as CEO in 1980 turbocharged the company’s growth and expansion like one of its famed jet engines. It’s all here, the hubris, arrogance and toxic culture that grew out of Welch’s tenure. The cracks had started appearing well before Immelt’s reign. Its demise is a tragic tale. Read more about it and buy it here. Michael Shovelin is a Lecturer in Atlantic Technological University and Council member.

Originally from Dublin, Shane Rogers is the current President of CAW Network USA and lives in New York. Shane is now an independent Risk and Audit consultant. We had a chat with Shane to find out a little more about his journey. Can you introduce yourself and tell us a little about where you're from and where you live now? I'm Shane Rogers, and I grew up in Templeogue in Dublin. I attended Terenure College. These days I live in New York in a town called Syosset (which is about halfway out on Long Island) with my wife Helena and our four kids: Lauren, Lily, Sadie and Seamus.  You have recently been inaugurated as President of CAW Network USA. How did you get involved, and can you tell us what being President of this body means to you? I was a member of the CAW Network USA predecessor organisation (ACAUS) back in the early to mid-nineties when I worked at Price Waterhouse New York. Over time we drifted apart but during the pandemic I noticed the excellent online content from CAW Network USA. When a volunteer Board position opened up in late 2020, I put my name in the ring for the Vice President role. A year and a half later, following the great leadership of Chris Easton – our immediate Past President – and David Powell – our CEO – here I am!   Achieving this and holding this role means a great deal to me. It represents US-based members from many of the “home” institutes  - Chartered Accountants Ireland, ICAEW, ICAS, CAANZ, SAICA, etc. It gives me the opportunity to give back to the accountancy/audit profession which has supported me so well over my career thus far. We have a lot in common – we all qualified as Chartered Accountants in our home countries; we share a sense of professionalism and high esprit de corps; in practical terms, we are all foreign nationals and Chartered Accountants living in the US, and these shared values enables CAW Network USA to really develop globally relevant content for our members and the members of CAW. The US has broad and deep financial markets, and many best practices emerge here, which allows CAW Network USA to give back to Chartered Accountants globally. We recently entered into a MOU with Fordham University – Gabelli School of Business in New York, which will help CAW Network USA to progress ESG/finance-related educational initiatives, while also developing student awareness of the global Chartered Accountants brand. CAW Network USA has also built up an excellent digital library of Beyond Accounting events and educational webinars, which have global relevance and appeal. We have a great Executive Team at CAW Network USA (almost all of us volunteers), with great representation from the home institutes (including Alan Fagan, also a Chartered Accountants Ireland member, serving as our Treasurer. We like to box above our weight and that is our ongoing ambition – to add great value and services to our members, at a reasonable cost! Why did you choose to become a Chartered Accountant and how you got to where you are now?  I was always interested in business and economics, and had great teachers in Terenure (Mr Gallen and Mr Doherty) who really developed my interest in finance and the global economy. So for me, becoming a Chartered Accountant was a clear, youthful ambition. I attended the two year Commencement Course which Chartered Accountants Ireland ran back then, before starting work in Price Waterhouse as a trainee/staff accountant back in 1989. We had great fun in the Commencement Course as a class of students, and many of us keep in touch to this day, despite being all over the globe. I completed my FAE in 1991 and was admitted to membership in 1993 upon completion of my training contract. I left Price Waterhouse in 1994 and joined the Internal Audit team at Credit Suisse First Boston in New York where I reviewed all of the major trading and banking businesses. In 2011, I switched industries joining Swiss Reinsurance Internal Audit, focusing on their asset management and insurance businesses. Now, I work as an independent Risk and Audit consultant focused on ERM (Enterprise Risk Management) Framework assessments, and external quality assessments of Internal Audit functions, which are required every five years under Institute of Internal Auditors standards. What do believe are the biggest benefits from your membership of the profession? The biggest benefit for me has been the opportunity to meet so many interesting people and to continuously learn. Accounting and finance provides you with a broad canvas – it is up to you what colours you put on it. For me, it was always about learning new businesses and investment products and adding value through risk awareness and internal controls. Over the years, being a Chartered Accountant and an Internal Audit Executive has allowed me to review and challenge many banking and insurance businesses globally and to interact with and learn from many great and talented people. Listening well and being humble are important skills I have learned working in and navigating, complex global organisations; trust and integrity are also critical traits for Chartered Accountants. What do you believe to be the key role accountants will play in achieving a sustainable future today? Today, the role of the Chartered Accountant is beyond the numbers; de-carbonisation is a global strategic ambition that requires great focus, both now and in the long-term.  Carbon footprint and modelling will be critical undertakings (especially for medium and large corporations, indeed for all companies) as the supply chain impacts and end-consumer impacts will all need to be measured and transparently reported in time.  Accountants can play a crucial key role here in ensuring carbon reporting accuracy and integrity. Beyond the stewardship of the financial statements, Chartered Accountants should look to be the ‘organisational conscience’ as it relates to carbon usage, modelling, measurement, reporting and disclosures. By being trusted advisors, Chartered Accountants can shape positive outcomes in this critical ESG space.   Finally, Shane, if you were not a Chartered Accountant, what would you be/have been? Sad to say it but possibly an Actuary. I was always very good with numbers, (I could multiply and divide big numbers at three years of age) much to the astonishment of my parents, but probability wasn’t my thing! Just as well! Being a Chartered Accountant has provided me with a great, global career, full of challenges, learning and opportunities to meet great people.   Shane recently wrote an article, "Progressive Audit Practices", which can be read on the Chartered Accountants Worldwide Network USA website.

Elizabeth Munnelly lives in Wisonsin, but got there via Dublin, London and Kilkenny. Read more about her journey from rural Mayo to the USA here. Where did you grow up and where do you live now? I grew up in a small rural village in North Mayo called Ballycastle which is home to an iconic landmark on the Wild Atlantic Way. I attended college in Dublin City University to study Accounting & Finance and stayed in Dublin for close to 10 years before moving to London, Kilkenny and now finally the US to work across a variety of different roles for a number of companies. I currently work for Kerry Group based in our North America HQ in Beloit , Wisconsin as VP of Financial Control, Tax, Treasury & FPA.  What made you choose to become a Chartered Accountant? My family run a small restaurant in our local village of Ballycastle, and so I grew up in an environment of understanding how business needs to run in order to be profitable, to always be able to pay your bills, minimise your waste and pay off your debts. The hospitality industry was a great place to learn about business as the margins in food and hospitality are minimal. Also, I always loved maths and business studies in school so Accountancy did feel like a natural fit. Once I joined the Accounting & Finance degree in DCU it was clear to me that the Chartered Accountant qualification was one I wanted to achieve and so I did this via the route of completing a training contract with Deloitte in Dublin where I worked in the Consumer Business division with a variety of different clients.  Can you tell us a little about how you got to where you are today – both the geographical location and your career path? While completing my training contract with Deloitte I became very interested in industries in the FMCG space such as retail and food as they are such an integral part of day to day life and I found this very interesting. I would advise people to try and be involved in a business in which they have some interest personally as this really will help to cement your connection with the company you work for and also hopefully create a sense of belonging.  After my training contract I joined Tesco in their Ireland office based in Dun Laoghaire, Dublin and worked in the Commercial division where I learnt a huge amount about the way retail operates at its very fast pace! I subsequently held another role in Tesco based just outside London before moving home to Ireland again and moving to Glanbia to work in both the Corporate Division and the Sports Nutrition division. After that I joined Kerry, initially based in Naas holding an Operations finance role which enabled me to visit a number of factories across the globe. I then relocated to North America, first completing a Commercial Finance role as Finance Director Beverage before moving to my current role as VP of Financial Control, Tax, Treasury & FPA.  One of the key learnings I've had in my career to date is to make sure to own your career planning and development as nobody else will have as strong a drive to make it happen as you do.  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? The key value I see in the accountancy membership is the professional, educational and ethical standards it sets and maintains for all its members; organisations are assured of certain standards when an individual has this qualification and this is very important for the economy and society at a wider level. As a member living in the USA, can you tell us about how your membership has been of value to you globally and what do you value about it now that you're living overseas (and what would you like to see more of)? As I've mainly been overseas during Covid times, I have not utilised the in-person events yet. However I do keep abreast of updates and trends as highlighted by various updates and online courses. I think the key piece for me is having a ready resource to access services and other professionals when needed and I do see this continuing to be very important for me as my career continues.  And finally, if you weren't an accountant, what do you think you would have been? I think I would have worked in the hospitality or tourism sector! Elizabeth Munnelly is VP of Finance at Kerry.  

It may be a long way from Monaghan to Sydney, but Eimear McCarron now calls Sydney home. We found out more about her journey recently, and will keep an extra sharp eye on the Australian Open Tennis from now on! Where did you grow up and where do you live now? I’m from Emyvale in Co. Monaghan & I went to university in Queens Belfast, trained in Deloitte Dublin and I now live in Sydney Australia. What made you choose to become a Chartered Accountant? I don’t remember making the decision but I think that I wanted a profession that would give me great career and personal opportunities. My father has his own business so I did work experience in his accountants when I was at school. I like that as a chartered accountant you can be involved in anything from helping family businesses to being the CFO/CEO of a huge multinational. Can you tell us a little about how you got to where you are today – both the geographical relocation and your career path? I really enjoyed my time in Deloitte, Dublin, and think it was the best training and experience I could have had to start my career. However, I had a strong desire to travel and to try living abroad, so after a few months traveling in South America I moved to Sydney in 2014 with a few other Deloitte friends! I was lucky to get a job in Vodafone under another Irish Chartered Accountant, and they sponsored me after six months. I ended up staying in Vodafone for nearly five years doing several roles from FP&A analyst to merger integration planning so I got a very varied experience there.  I’m currently a Senior Finance Manager at Nine Entertainment – Australia’s largest media company. I lead the finance business partnerships for all group departments which includes sales, technology, head office, property, P&C, finance & legal. I really enjoy working directly with and learning from the most senior management in Nine and it’s exciting working for a media company that covers TV, radio and publishing. 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? The most valuable part is definitely the career opportunities it gives you. In Sydney, the Irish Chartered Accountant brand is very powerful and has a very strong reputation – employers hold it in high regard. I think the path to becoming a chartered accountant really sets you up for whatever path you choose next – the work ethic and experience you get while training really stands to you. As a member living in Australia, can you tell us about how your membership has been of value to you globally and what do you value about it now that you're living overseas (and what would you like to see more of)? I recently joined the Australian Society committee as I’ve always gone to the networking events over the years and found them a great way of catching up and meeting new people. Membership gives you that link to a professional community and I think it can definitely help new members moving overseas whether it be getting job opportunities or making friends in a new city. In-person events probably haven’t properly kicked off again since Covid so I’m looking forward to them returning soon.  And finally, if you weren't an accountant, what do you think you would be? I’ve recently taken up tennis so maybe if I had started that a bit earlier that could have been the career for me! Realistically, I think I might have liked engineering or something along those lines either.  Eimear McCarron is Senior Group Finance Manager at Nine.        

Run in the Dark aims to raise awareness and fund research to find a cure for paralysis. Chartered Accountants Ireland's District Societies, Young Professionals, staff, and members are mobilising to support this initiative and get involved virtually and in person as participants and as event volunteers....and you can get involved too. You can register as a volunteer, or you can walk or run 5km or 10km at a venue, or choose your own route. No matter how you participate, join Team Chartered Accountants Ireland!  About Run in the Dark As darkness sweeps around the globe from 9 – 16 November 2022, 25,000 people worldwide will get up from their armchairs, slip on their red flashing armbands and pull on their running shoes to complete a 5k or 10k. Connecting runners both physically and virtually across four continents, this global movement will light up the night as people hit the road to help cure paralysis in our lifetime. You can take part, whereever you are in the world as a walker, runner or volunteer. Join us for this year’s Run in the Dark on Wednesday 9 November 2022 (16 November 2022 in London) as a volunteer, walker or runner. Volunteer Run in Dark is fuelled by the support and commitment of 600 volunteers around the globe who make it possible to operate 50 events on four continents as darkness falls each November. This year, there is a particular need for volunteers in Dublin, Cork, Belfast and London. Chartered Accountants Ireland members can register as volunteers at any of these four venues here. Not a keen walker or runner? Maybe you have an injury and can't take part but still want to soak up the atmosphere. You can marshall at a live event, meet and greet participants on arrival or staff a bag drop station. The time commitment on the evening of a live event is four hours. Take part in a live event Run in the Dark takes place in up to 50 cities around the globe including 45 casual fun runs in America, Australia, Europe and Asia managed by a network of volunteers.  Is there an event near you? See the list of locations here. Sign up to walk or run 5k or 10k at an event or you can volunteer to help out on the night at the registration desk and finish line.  Virtual option: 9 – 16 November – run your own route at a time that suits you  Complete your 5k or 10k event anytime during the week and use the Run in the Dark app to record and log your time and join the global leaderboard. Why not connect with colleagues, family and friends around the world to synchronise your time or day?! Want to sign up? Join Team Chartered Accountants Ireland wherever you are in the world Events will take place in up to 50 cities around the globe including 45 casual fun runs in America, Australia, Europe and Asia. Sign up to walk or run 5k or 10k at an event: Run in the Dark - Register Click on location in which you will participate Click "Enter Now" Select number of entrants and then proceed Complete individual entry details Choose "Select a team" and type "Chartered Accountants Ireland" Don't forget to share your event photos on social media with #runinthedark #charteredaccirl Enjoy!