This is the first MRA between CPA Australia and Chartered Accountants Ireland, who are both full members of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) and collectively represent more than 215,000 members in more than 100 countries worldwide. Speaking at the signing ceremony in Melbourne, CPA Australia CEO Chris Freeland said that this agreement is a significant milestone in the relationship between the two bodies. “Signing this agreement enables our respective organisations to work together to provide high quality education programs and build the technical capabilities of accounting, business and finance professionals,” Mr. Freeland said.  “This agreement stands as a mark of our mutual commitment to share information and ideas. It broadens the global vision of our respective members and promotes the ongoing advancement of the profession in both Ireland and Australia.  “Importantly, it provides members from both professional bodies a pathway to take up each other’s designation and enhance their career opportunities.” Chartered Accountants Ireland President, Barry Doyle, FCA, CPA said “As a small island, Ireland has always been outward facing, and our members use their qualification globally. This Agreement will benefit the many Irish professionals building their careers in Australia and will allow both bodies to collaborate even more closely in supporting all our members. “The historic amalgamation of Chartered Accountants Ireland and CPA Ireland in 2024 created the largest professional body on the island, with this expanded Institute now the only Ireland-based accountancy body. CPA Ireland enjoyed an enduring relationship with CPA Australia over several decades, and there is now an exciting opportunity to build upon this for the benefit of our members and our respective economies.” The MRA was signed by Chris Freeland AM, CEO, CPA Australia and Barry Doyle, President, Chartered Accountants Ireland.  

If you are finishing your training contract in the months ahead and starting to consider your career path and what direction you want to take your professional qualification there are a number of actions you will need to take. Below is a list you can tick off as complete over the weeks ahead : Action list and Key considerations as a newly qualified ACA Build a top class CV   Start a Career Plan file Watch some career webinars Start market mapping and select my top ten preferred employers – If you need advice on MM contact your Careers Team in the Institute. Get my LinkedIn profile up to speed – Document guide available from dave.riordan@charteredaccountants.ie Treat this as the appendix to your CV – Professional Photo and good bulleted detail. Set up my alerts on jobs boards for a variety of different roles and titles and filter into a folder for review Connect with a few recruiters I trust to understand the career curve of an ACA – Career Pathway Hub here Explore the full spectrum of career paths that I can take post qualification Consider whether a contract might be a good option at this particular crossroads Connect with a few mentors and get their advice formally consider a stint abroad to add real-world experience to my CV Initiate a networking mentality and start speaking to my peer group about what they are doing with their careers in the years ahead examine the LinkedIn profiles of peers several years ahead of me what paths they have taken as they moved out of their training contract. Establish my elevator pitch about where I want my career to go Based on my recent annual reviews in work write an honest SWOT analysis of my personal brand and current profile. Follow companies on LinkedIn that I am very interested Connect with CFO's and divisional heads on linkedIn in organizations that appealed to me using a polite connection message. Start building my Interview narrative – What are my key selling points / key stories and value-add examples? Have I asked the Institute Careers Team or a recruiter for a prep session? Ask for the "Interview Do’s and Don’ts document".  Do some work for Charity. Who are my referees going to be and will they sing my praises. Give them advance notice. If  April 2025 is when you will be leaving your training contract then start the key actions now per the above list and don’t put off contacting your Careers Team until too late.  Get ahead of the curve. The market is very good at the moment but change is the only real constant in the world of business today so take advantage and initiative while you can. Dave Riordan (FCA) Recruitment Specialist & Career Coach | Careers Team Chartered Accountants Ireland. Dave.riordan@charteredaccountants.ie

The Institute of Chartered Accountants Ireland operates a Recruitment Service for clients and members providing specialist and expert advice at all stages of the recruitment process.  CLIENTS - We provide a full-service end to end recruitment partnership to our clients. We manage the entire process from advertising, screening candidates and interview scheduling all the way through to offer management and reference checking. We take the time to understand your specific needs whether you are the client or the candidate. Our aim is to enable and support positive recruitment decisions. CANDIDATES - Similarly on the candidate journey we represent our ACA and FCA members (exclusively) and provide personalised support throughout the interview journey, including the provision of interview preparation sessions and offer negotiation advice. The members of the Careers Team have combined experience in recruitment of over 40 years for you to leverage. CAREER ADVISORY – The Careers Team is essentially your career partner at every stage of your career from qualification to retirement. We are here to provide guidance, support and advice and to act as your independent and confidential sounding board. Our team of experts can help you to successfully navigate your career enabling you to reach your full potential. For more information about the Recruitment and Careers Service in Chartered Accountants Ireland contact Careers@Charteredaccountants.ie    

Chartered Accountants Ireland has identified a common thread of discussion at our recent events and among our members more broadly, that of “burnout in the profession”.  Reflecting on the 2025 International Women’s Day theme #AccelerateAction and motivated by the desire to better understand and address this issue, the Institute team consulted with well-being leaders and members at Chartered Accountants Ireland, who are deeply invested in the topic - Dee France, Thrive Wellbeing Manager, Dr. Caroline McGroary FCA, Lecturer in Accounting at Dublin City University and Institute Past President and former Chair and Partner with Grant Thornton Ireland, Sinead Donovan FCA.  What is burnout? What we learned is that there are common misunderstandings about the true meaning of burnout. While many consider burnout to be a state of physical exhaustion, it is in fact a multidimensional concept with three main components: exhaustion, cynicism and low professional efficacy, a definition now accepted by the World Health Organisation. It is also part of a complex psychological process, which is impacted by a range of factors, leading to a host of negative outcomes, including serious mental health and physical health issues, decreased job satisfaction and increased turnover intentions, among many more.   Challenging assumptions and seeking solutions We also learned that while much research labels burnout as a “female experience”, these findings must be challenged. The reality is that burnout can be experienced by any gender, at any stage of career, in any profession. Generalisations such as this claiming that we, as women, are more prone to burnout than other genders, may imply that we are less resilient and more prone to stress, resulting in a range of negative career outcomes.  Burnout has also emerged as something of great concern to Gen Z (those born in the mid-90s) and Millennials (those born in the early-1980s). In the Deloitte 2024 Gen Z and Millennial Survey, respondents outlined that work-life balance remained a top priority. That said, many feel they don’t achieve this balance due to long working hours, which is resulting in significant stress. In addition, the 2024 ICBE (Irish Centre for Business Excellence) Business Excellence Skillnet and UL Study found that future business leaders were reluctant to “step up” to leadership roles due to concerns over work-life balance.  In response to these studies, Immediate Past President of Chartered Accountants Ireland, Sinead Donovan, highlighted that burnout should not be an accepted culture in any profession. She further reiterated that as leaders in the accountancy profession, we have a duty to our current members, and the next generation, to show what a purposeful career looks like and how we can exist, and indeed thrive, in these roles without experiencing burnout. It should not be accepted as a side-effect of a successful career. To this end, there was collective agreement that while there is a lot of valuable work being done by wellbeing teams across professions to support members, given the prevalence of, and increased attention on, burnout in recent times, we need to learn more about it and the extent to which it affects members in our profession. We also need to learn how to prevent it from occurring in the first place so that it becomes more of a rarity, not just another stepping stone to be endured.  #AccelerateAction – Stronger together Therefore, as we celebrate International Women’s Day 2025, we encourage our many stakeholders in the accountancy profession, as well as colleagues in other professions, to #AccelerateAction against burnout and to support each other while doing so.   

To pass your CAP 2s and FAE exams in 2024/25 you need to be implementing a rigorous study plan during the year and as you approach qualification an ACA finalist will need to implement the same approach and format to your job search and career planning. If you don't structure your job steps through a considered strategic plan you risk your career pathway making random jumps and just falling into opportunities. Here are a few suggestions to help you build the beginning of your effective long-term career plan : In 10 years as an FCA what role do you think you will want to be settled into ? What does this picture look like ? – Map it out for yourself in detail.. At 5 years PQE (Post Qual Experience) what role do you anticipate holding? It should be a good springboard to your 10 year target. It should be in line with the Career Pathway map - https://www.charteredaccountants.ie/Career-Pathway Do an honest skillset audit – Document the skills you are proven to be strong on and identify what you are lacking and will need to shore up / develop if they are important to your 5/10 year plan Speak to people – constantly! - make your career-map part of your business conversations and put your ambition to go out there in a particular direction with people. Document your plan – write it down – keep a detailed spreadsheet- track and analyse it like a full ongoing long-term project that you give monthly priority to. (I have seen very average performers reach lofty career heights by giving sufficient time and attention to their career projects and ambitions – don’t put it low on your to-do list). If you aim to move after qualifying then take a look at the key actions and considerations here : https://www.charteredaccountants.ie/docs/default-source/careers-recruitment-dept/ca-jobs-checklist.pdf?sfvrsn=2 Start meetings with a few mentors and document the tips they give you in your Career File. Build your personal brand both in work and online / LinkedIn Start to build your personal network in line with key career influencers Put a slot in your diary each month to spend a few hours on your Career project. There is of course a lot more to building a formal career plan but these are a few initial considerations and initial building blocks to put in place. Once you qualify make sure you connect with your ICAI Careers Team to map out the rest of the plan and review the wide variety of ACA paths and market opportunities. Dave Riordan (ACA) Recruitment Specialist & Career Coach https://www.charteredaccountants.ie/Career-Pathway

As a newly qualified Chartered Accountant, Paul Barron ACA was offered a position in Costa Rica. He packed his bags for Central America and now reflects on his experience - with some insights and advice for others in the same position. I trained as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG, qualifying in 2014. Shortly after finishing my training position, I took up a position with Fyffes (the banana people!) as an internal audit manager. This position involved travelling to the various Fyffes locations worldwide, performing controls testing as well as inquiring and then reporting back to the Board of Directors with my findings. After nine months in this role, I was offered a longer-term position as Financial Controller in Costa Rica. It seemed like a great opportunity to have a new experience and progress my career, so I went for it. I was nervous of course, but I spent three years in this role before returning to Head office in Dublin in March 2020.  Overall it was a great experience and I am very glad I did it, and here are my thoughts on the benefits and challenges of working abroad as a Chartered Accountant. Benefits and opportunities Excellent work opportunity – I managed a team of 12 people and was a central part of our operations in Central America. My willingness to relocate afforded me the chance to have a very stimulating and dynamic job which I don’t think I would have been considered for, at that stage of my career (1-year PQE), in companies of a similar size had I remained in Ireland. I got valuable management experience and really had to hit the ground running, which has stood to me since. Experience and exposure to interesting, varied work. I think I might have been exposed to some of these in a standard setting but going abroad to Costa Rica meant I was doing standard work in a non-standard (for me) environment like a large-scale farming operation or getting to see the tangible links between the finance team and the operation itself. During my three years in Costa Rica, I: got hands-on FC experience reviewing a large farming operation had the opportunity to manage a cross-cultural team was exposed to and given the opportunity to manage large capital projects interacted with most of the departments within the business and learned more about how they work Experience of a new culture and a new language Spanish was the language in the office and the operation, so I took classes and worked extremely hard on getting to a conversational level in my first six months working in Costa Rica. I like languages and have French in my primary and master’s degrees, so this was very enjoyable but also tiring and a big challenge I lived and worked in an area of the world about which I knew very little before relocating – it was enjoyable getting to know about a new culture, food, people and traditions and I’ll always have a nice connection with Costa Rica and  friends made along the way. Challenges The first nine months were exhausting with getting to grips with a new job that entailed a lot of responsibility; learning a new language; settling into a new home and trying to make new friends. I’d recommend a long holiday after about six months if you are considering relocating.  It takes some time to adjust to working within a cross-cultural team. I enjoyed the different outlook as time went on, but at times different approaches to tackling problems surprised and sometimes frustrated me. It was definitely a learning curve I was lucky that I had some Irish colleagues in the Costa Rican office. This certainly helped but integrating into a very different culture was tough and isolating at times and should be considered before relocating.  In summary Overall, I am really glad to have done it. I feel privileged to have been offered the opportunity to experience working in Costa Rica. Going to a different language, culture and climate all give rise to moments of culture shock and homesickness, but also moments of real enjoyment. You do need to be realistic about the pros and cons but also resilient and somewhat brave.  Having the comfort of my ACA qualification and Institute membership, my Irish colleagues in Costa Rica and my company support both there and at home all made the move much more accessible. I could have come up with as many reasons to not go as to go, so I have no regrets but am happy to be home! The experience in Costa Rica did definitely help me to establish and progress within my career and I know will continue to stand to me. I may still keep my eyes and ears open for other international opportunities. Institute supports I found the Career service very helpful throughout. I spoke with Karin Lanigan on average three or four times a year and still do on my career development. It has been extremely useful to help me plan my career and also have a sounding board when decisions have to be made. It is a great and unbiased service which has been a real help to me. In particular, it helped me plan my move home - which can be as challenging a transition as the initial move.

Get in touch with your Chartered Accountants Ireland Careers Team today to help sculpt your new CV now that you are qualified. Its never too early to start this essential document. We will send you a template to get you started and you can schedule an online call to review and talk through it once complete.   For the moment, here are some initial CV tips, pitfalls, versions and suggestions : Minimise (no) colour No photo – that’s more a continental thing. Your latest job detail should take up about half of the 1st page – good detailed points. Use ‘ownership’ terminology such as “I drove, I led, I resolved … “ 1 or 2 lines about your current employer = context Use the width of the page- no large whitespace gaps | Typically 2 full pages give or take. Ariel or Calibri 11 or 12 Include your Annual Review Rating if you got a good one. Naming Clients – where suitable … to give context. Clients : - what size / what sector ? Have a few versions of your cv for different applications Include Academic results 2.1 / 2.2 / 510 points 3.8 grade avg etc Punchy – Not long winded story style points. Profile Summary for HR/Website applications – per below Strong References available on request(include of you have) Include Charity work, societies, events, articles written etc. Spelling – check it and triple check it Focus on the getting across your competencies and your value add Identify your USP / What differentiates you System Skills ? ( Tip )  Create a Summary profile or synopsis to go alongside your CV or to be mailed with your cv attached to either recruiters or employers : For example :  My Profile Summary : ACA 2022 Big 4 Trained – Audit Currently in XYZ plc as a Financial Accountant Previously Audit Senior working with Banking Insurance and Funds clients Very strong leadership qualities and relationship building track record Strong audit fundamentals Very keen on a move into IA with the right organisation and ABC ltd very much appeals. Excellent communication skills and very positive client interaction feedback 100% comfortable with travel required On 55k base + solid bens currently Target base 60/65k base circa Linkedin Profile : https://www.linkedin.com/in/daveriordanaca/ Get in touch with your Careers Team in the Institute as your first step once you qualify for cv, interview and market guidance as well as job placement and an unbiased, objective view of the market and your career path.  Dave Riordan (ACA) Recruitment Specialist & Career Coach | Careers Team Chartered Accountants Ireland. Dave.riordan@charteredaccountants.ie   

If you completed a Masters Degree and as a result only need to do a 3 year training contract (as opposed to the 3.5 years) you may be looking to interview in the market before the end of this year! As such, you will need do start considering your career path and the direction you want to take. There are a number of actions that will help you when making important decisions.  Below is a list you can tick off as complete over the weeks ahead :  Action list and Key considerations as a newly qualified ACA : Build a top class CV – Template and guide here   Start a Career Plan file – Webinar here   Watch some career webinars here and articles here    Start market mapping and select your top ten preferred/potential employers – If you need advice on market mapping your Careers Team in the Institute. Follow these companies on LinkedIn and you could even reach out to other Chartered Accountants working there via LinkedIn.  Get your LinkedIn profile up to speed – Document guide available from dave.riordan@charteredaccountants.ie  Treat this as the appendix to your CV – Professional Photo and good bulleted detail.   Set up alerts on jobs boards for a variety of different roles and titles and filter into a folder for review.  Connect with a few trusted recruiters to understand the career curve of an ACA – The Career Pathway Hub here will also be a useful resource.  Explore the full spectrum of career paths that you can take post qualification  Consider whether a contract might be a good option at this particular crossroads  Connect with a few mentors and get their advice formally.  Explore the option of a stint abroad to add real-world experience to my CV  Initiate a networking mentality and start speaking to your peer group about what they are doing with their careers in the years ahead.  Examine the LinkedIn profiles of peers several years ahead of you to see what paths they have taken as they moved out of their training contract.   Establish an elevator pitch about where you want your career to go.  Based on your recent annual reviews in work write an honest SWOT analysis of your personal brand and current profile.   Start building an Interview narrative – What are your key selling points / key stories and value-add examples? Have you asked the Institute Careers Team or a recruiter for a prep session? Interview Do’s and Don’t’s document here :   Consider who your referees going to be and will they sing my praises. Give them advance notice.   If October or November 2024 is when you will be leaving your training contract then start the key actions now per the above list and don’t put off contacting your Careers Team.  Get ahead of the curve.   Dave Riordan (FCA)   Recruitment Specialist & Career Coach | Careers Team Chartered Accountants Ireland.   Dave.riordan@charteredaccountants.ie    

  Speaking with many Qualified members in the last month I have noted a common theme that is one of sudden confusion. Many recent qualifiers find themselves in the position where they have just burned the books, finishing their contract and are immediately available to start a new job. You are trying to decide between going to Australia for a year, staying with your training practice for another six months or trying to find a job out in the wider world of FS and the industry. It's a lot to take in. It's a lot to try and figure out very quickly! Sometimes you can feel overwhelmed and feel like you have to make all these big decisions very quickly.  That's certainly not the case in the current market which is very buoyant you are in the driving seat as a newly qualified or a recent qual' and you also hold the top business qualification in the country so don't feel rushed. Don’t feel paralyzed by the expanse of choice and multiple decisions to consider.  As a tip, sometimes a ‘short term contract’ can be a clever option to allow you to tread water while you figure yourself out. Many newly qualified ACA’s don't know what they're supposed to do next! You always knew you had to go to college and then going into accountancy was probably the obvious next step but now as your contract ends you find yourself in unchartered territory with far broader options and a whole new landscape. All I can say is that you are at the start of a whole new exciting career-build with Irelands top professional brand in your back pocket. For me, the journey starts with ‘self analysis’. You need to sit down, brainstorm, mind map and SWOT analyze yourself. Get a few mentors to help you understand what you're good at and what you enjoy with regards to work and career and then you can assess your next steps based on those elements. I would advise setting up a spreadsheet as a hub to record all of your research, all of your market mapping and all of your target employer details and treat it as an exciting project. When it comes to building a career, nobody has a crystal ball. Your job is a big slice of the ‘pie chart of life’ and you do have to take a leap of faith with any new job decision. However just be brave. It’s a long journey to retirement at 65! This is only your first baby step into a professional career and you are allowed a misstep. You should be mindful that you're building a path, however, and that each decision to start a new contract or permanent job is a paragraph on your CV leading to the ultimate vision for your career. So, do have some sort of a five year plan in mind, a 10 year plan even! You may have to pivot and alter course along the way as life dictates but that's part of the fun. If I've learned anything as an ACA recruiter in the last 15 years it's that employers hire ‘the person’, ‘the energy’, ‘the individual’, ‘the communicator’, ‘the leader’, not just the accountant, so make sure you are developing your life skills, your communication skills, your leadership skills, and growing as a person as much as anything else.  Enjoy the journey and as always get in touch with your Careers Team and / or your Thrive team as needed in 2024. Dave Riordan (ACA) - Recruitment Specialist & Career Coach | Careers Team – Chartered Accountants Ireland dave.riordan@charteredaccountants.ie 

Newly Qualified – What Next? Now that you are qualifying as a member of the Institute there are a number of things to consider for the next phase of your professional career build. Below is a concise synopsis that may prove useful as you focus on this long term project : The Market - Practice, Industry and FS sectors are all seeking new and recent qualified team additions.  International opportunities remain good if you are keen to travel! The economic outlook is good notwithstanding inflation, Brexit, Ukraine.  Salaries – Salary and package levels have been strong in recent months. Salary range for newly qualifieds €55–60k and in some cases €60-65k . Benefits packages are where the spotlight is really.Salary should not be top of your list however when deciding your next career step. Early Career-build considerations : Treat it like a long term project  - Make time to plan.Set up a file / spreadsheet for yourself.  Research the multitude of paths you can take now.Speak to your mentors – (3 of them preferably!) Be deliberate about focusing on this career build project. Secondments can be a great way to overcome the gap in industry experience.Be prepared to adjust & shift direction and most importantly start building your Network! Some key career tips - build your personal brand and guard it carefully for the years ahead. Link-In with ACA’s 2 or 3 years ahead of you in their career path. Year 1 post-qualification gives you a licence to try & test random roles and you should feel free to experiment. Think 2 moves ahead when you accept an offer and consider the impact on your cv and a few moves down the road. Be vigilant of The (ACA) Career Pathway which is worth reviewing -  https://www.charteredaccountants.ie/Career-Pathway Consider Contract options in the market and tune in to the growing ‘Gig economy’.  Review Accountancy Ireland Back Issues you have not read in your spare time.   Invest in your Network  - Networking is the Spine of a successful Career ! It will eventually become the platform for your move as an FCA later in life but start now.  Reconnect with Ex Colleagues. Make it a habit to touch base with key people and pick their brains. Social Media – Like Share Discuss and connect constantly. Be vigilant of the people who attended the same events as you. Join LinkedIn Groups and get more involved with the Institute now you have less studies. Do a Career Audit - Draw a (self analysis) mind map. Analyse decisions you have made to date. What worked for you and what didn’t? Why?  What soft skills have you developed in recent years? What have your key achievements been?  And importantly, what did you enjoy and why?  Action Plan – You have an opportunity to take stock & plan now. Take time to gain that insight into what you really want for your career. Craft a strong CV and personal brand and be interview ready when the opportunity knocks. Become an expert on the market if you are actively looking to move now and check in with your Careers Team. . Career Coaching, Advice and Placement – Chartered Accountants Ireland Dave Riordan (FCA) Career Coach & Recruiter Chartered Accountants Ireland Careers Team +353 1 673 7251 Dave.riordan@charteredaccountants.ie  

As you head towards qualification as a Chartered Accountant it is time to start to planning your new career as a professional and so here are some key actions you might consider for 2024. Start now and don’t leave it too late since it could be hard to predict what the jobs market will look like next year.    As a ‘newly qualified’ facing into the market in 2024 you will need to be proactive, agile, career focused and very attuned to what the market is doing so you don’t miss the boat. Hopefully the market remains strong for ACA’s in 2024 but to give you an edge we have put together this checklist that you can incorporate into your activities in the months ahead : LINKEDIN : Tick the ‘open to new opportunities’ check box in my LinkedIn settings Get my LinkedIn profile up to 100% completion  Follow companies of interest on LI  Send a polite connection request with message to 10 targeted profiles in LinkedIn each day. Review the profiles of my peers and predecessors on LinkedIn to see what steps their career paths have taken. Join groups on LinkedIn like Chartered Accountants Ireland and sector/skillset relevant groups MARKET MAPPING : Market map the sectors that appeal to you Set up job alerts messages on relevant job websites such as Irishjobs and LinkedIn Open a spreadsheet to track your applications and to facilitate following up on them Check the Irish times 1000 list of companies and examine each sector Research the companies and sectors that are of interest to you Make a list of sectors that interest you and are currently offering job opportunities Consider contract and interim roles Send 5 speculative applications per week to organisations of interest. NETWORKING : Review back issues of Accountancy Ireland or other business publications as research and for networking suggestions Reconnect with the practice where you trained; partners may have clients with requirements now Brainstorm a personal network list of contacts to go through and reconnect with in the weeks ahead Create a spreadsheet of potential contacts to keep track of your progress Analyse closely the organisations and business parks your locality to see what organisations might be recruiting Check the websites of IDA and Enterprise Ireland, Chamber of commerce and others Are the Big 4 firms doing Breakfast networking meetings online now that you could attend? List out the top 10 Buoyant sectors in the current market and research employment opportunities CV : Create a few different versions of my CV. Short / long, sector-specific etc Tweak my CV each week and save new version as I research specs. Seek feedback on my CV from a number of professional sources RECRUITERS : Research 3 reputable recruiters to partner with and build relationships Seek recommendations of recruiters to approach and get a warm introduction where possible Check in with your recruiter regularly for an update either by mail or brief call PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT: Use the Chartered Accountants Ireland Career Pathway tool to clarify your development needs Select a CPD or upskill course to start soon. Speak to my mentor and discuss plan / Get an independent experienced mentor. Review the Chartered Accountants Ireland website for articles and webinars Use the time to get devise a clear plan that reflects what is important to me in terms of a career roadmap and preferences in relation to: salary / location / work life balance / benefits / bonus / hours flexibility / WFH / promotion prospects. INTERVIEW PREPARATION : Start practicing your interview technique F Build a one page bulleted ‘strengths and weaknesses’ skill-set list Develop a bank of examples that you can outline in interview that will showcase your skills and competencies (use the STAR format) SELF -CARE AND WELLBEING :  Allocate time to connect with family and friends F Build exercise and relaxation into your weekly schedule Try to make some time for your own hobbies and interests each week. As always your Careers Team is here for you now that you are embarking on qualification so get in touch with me for CV advice, Interview prep, Career Consultation or any of the above info. Dave Riordan (ACA)  [ dave.riordan@charteredaccountants.ie ] Recruitment Specialist & Career Coach | Careers Team – Chartered Accountants Ireland Chartered Accountants House | 47 Pearse St, Dublin 2, Ireland Phone: +353 1 637 7251 | Mobile: +353 87 9674285                 

Donal Bourke began his career as an ACA, and now works in FinOps in Leeds, UK. He has also launched a YouTube channel advising others who might be considering a move into FinOps. Did you fall into finops or was it by design the you moved into the area. A keen interest in IT perhaps? My path to FinOps was a combination of luck and design. While working as an accountant, I enjoyed the people engagement side but was frustrated by the fact that we were often reporting figures after the fact – closing the gate after the horse had bolted so to speak. This prompted my first career pivot into analytics. My accounting qualification gave me a great understanding of how businesses work and a comfort with numbers. I took this base and built on it through acquiring skills manipulating large data volumes (ETL – Extract transform and Load) and developing data visualisation skills. These skills lead to my first career pivot into sourcing analytics. In this role I built data workflows to allow sourcing managers make better buying decisions based on what we had purchased in the past and planned to purchase in the future.  One of the categories I supported was IT Infrastructure with our largest spend being on public cloud. Given the size of the spend, this area began to focus more and more of my time. The more I learned about the public cloud the more opportunity I saw for someone who can wrangle large data sets, make sense of numbers, and communicate these to the business. I gained my FinOps certification and was approached about a FinOps consulting role in another company which is where I am now. What skills, intrinsic to an ACA, make you an effective proponent in the FinOps area? Growth mindset and continuing professional development is a key characteristic when working in the FinOps area. The cloud providers offerings are changing constantly as well as customers' IT infrastructure. All these changes need to be considered and appropriate actions taken to deliver the greatest value to our customers. What additional training did you have to do? If I was starting on the learning journey again the key steps I would take are as follows: Understand the basic concepts of cloud computing. I found this podcast (Cloudcast Basics) very useful AWS provide some free training material which would bring you through the various services in more detail Understand the kind of activities FinOps involves and get used to some terminology. Another podcast I found useful was Cloud Cost Optimization Take the FinOps certification course and exam to get accredited (the course is about $600 and the exam is about $300) Once certified you will have access to the FinOps community to show how to apply what you have learned. What is your take on the growing convergence between IT and finance/accounting? The rise of cloud raises a new challenge for finance. Previously, companies had on-premises data centres (private clouds) for which they would raise a Capex request which would go through the various levels of approval before the purchase is made. In the world of cloud, engineers are creating cloud resources with every line of code they write. The developer's priority is to make the system run while cost may be lower down their list. All these charges build on each other in opex leading to a growing cloud bill which may contain a rising level of technical debt. This is where FinOps comes in: to bridge the gap between the technical architecture and financial accountability. What advantage or differing insights do you have versus your IT professional counterparts in your current team? Being able to layer business context to the numbers and architecture is a major advantage. For example if a customer's cloud bill jumps all of a sudden, this may be due to a sale or promotion being run by the business. By understanding this context we can make better decisions. How do you see the area of FinOps evolving in the years ahead ? Is AI a threat to it or a boost? FinOps as a discipline has only been around since 2019 with earlier incarnations of cloud cost management only being a few years earlier. Given the early stages, the growth and foundational frameworks are still being put in place so it’s very hard to see where it will end. Given the volume of data being generated from cloud providers, data literacy will become more and more important. I can see AI having two major impacts in the FinOps space: AI being used a s a co-pilot to sift through vast data sets to find the anomalies that require action and optimisation All these AI models run on the cloud, guess who needs to monitor the efficiency of these cloud environments?… FinOps practitioners! I would liken it to being a shovel salesperson in California during the gold rush. A FinOps practitioner may not necessarily build the models, but they will be needed now more than ever. What does a typical month or quarter look like in the FinOps space? Daily monitoring of the customer's environment to optimise their cloud commitment mix to maximise savings Building data models to improve data points to allow better decisions be made for the above commitments Monthly/quarterly customer meetings where architecture changes are discussed to understand future optimisation opportunities No month end!! What career "stepping stones" would you recommend to a newly qualified ACA keen to get into this area? Much like my own additional learning I mentioned earlier, I'd try to grasp and learn the basic concepts involved in cloud computing; things like the Cloudcast Basics podcasts were helpful to me; The AWS training material can help boost knowledge of the services in a more detailed way; get your head around the terminology and get certified. That's really the key, as it can give you greater access to the community and opportunities within the industry. Donal Bourke is a Cloud Optimisation Consultant with NetApp Donal's YouTube channel, FinOps for Finance, gives an overview of FinOps, how it relates to finance, and how to pivot into a career in the growing space of cloud optimization.