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.