Northern Society of Chartered Accountants

NorSCA News – first 2018 members newsletter published

The latest edition of NorSCA News has been published and is on its way to ICAEW members of Northern Society in the post.

Look out for the first 2018 edition of NorSCA News arriving through your letterbox accompanied by Courses & Events – our summary of a wide range of top quality CPD courses and networking events across the north east and Cumbria is the weeks ahead.

Northern Society of Chartered Accountants is one of the most active of the ICAEW district societies in the UK and each year we arrange a wide selection of events. More details can be found at norsca.co.uk/events

Our courses are open to everyone

You do not need to be a member to attend our CPD course – our courses are open to all and details are available on this website.

ICAEW member? Not receiving NorSCA News?

If your recorded preferences on the ICAEW Preference Centre on icaew.com do not indicate a tick in the ‘Regional updates – news, courses and networking in your area’ box we are not able to contact you by post or by email about any local events across the North East and Cumbria.

Opt back in by updating your preferences at icaew.com/preferences.

Your membership number is your user name.

Alternatively, call the Members Information Team in Milton Keynes on 01908 248250 and they will be happy to help you opt back in to receive local news in the North East and Cumbria. So call them today.

Downloadable Diary Card and Course List

Download a 2 page summary of upcoming courses and events in our Northern Society of Chartered Accountants Diary Card and Course List.

Further information on courses and events are shown on this website and the latest information is available at norsca.co.uk/events

About Northern Society of Chartered Accountants

Northern Society of Chartered Accountants (NorSCA) represents ICAEW members working in business and the finance profession across the North East of England, Teesside, Northern Yorkshire and Cumbria. We have been assisting businesses in the north of England and producing chartered accountants for over 130 years.

 

 

More

New Vice President for Northern Society

Keith Proudfoot becomes Vice President of Northern Society of Chartered Accountants.

We are delighted to announce that Keith Proudfoot, who has supported ICAEW Chartered Accountants and ACA students across the North East & Cumbria for many years has take up the office of Vice President of Northern Society of Chartered Accountsnts (NorSCA).

Keith will be known to many of our members and a wide range of stakeholders across northern England and Scotland through his work over the past 16 years as ICAEW Director for Northern and Scotland.

ICAEW created Sheffield to Shetland mega-region

Following restructuring by ICAEW in April 2017 the “ICAEW Northern Region” was expanded from Sheffield to Shetland to take in the areas covered by the Sheffield Society, West Yorkshire & York Society and Humberside & District Society in addition to the very wide area already covered by Northern Society and ICAEW Institute Members in Scotland (IMS).

News announced by Chris Soan, Honorary Secretary

The announcement of Northern Society’s new VP was made on Twitter by Chris Soan, Honorary Secretary of Northern Society of Chartered Accountants who said:

“In my capacity as Secretary of Northern Society of Chartered Accountants (NorSCA) I’m delighed to announce that Keith Proudfoot has taken up the post of Vice President of NorSCA. I look forward to continuing to work with Keith in his new role.”

Keith to be President from May 2019

Keith retired from ICAEW on 31 December 2017 and he is now able to take up his role as Vice President of Northern Society.  Keith will work with Karen Muir, President of Northern Society and Alan Johnston, Deputy President and Keith will assume office as President of Northern Society in May 2019.

Northern Society of Chartered Accountants remains one of the most active and engaged district societies in the UK – in the last year some 90 different events and courses were run locally to support ICAEW Chartered Accountants and ACA students and the wider community.

Karen Muir, President, welcomes Keith to the team

Karen Muir welcomes Keith to the Northern Society presidential team and said:

“I am delighted to announce that Keith assumes the office of Vice President of Northern Society of Chartered Accountants from 2 January. Keith has worked with many local businesses and organisations across northern England as well as supporting ICAEW Chartered Accountants and our ACA students and he is a great additiom to the NorSCA Presidential Team.”

About Northern Society of Chartered Accountants

Northern Society of Chartered Accountants (NorSCA) represents ICAEW members working in business and the finance profession across the North East of England, Teesside, Northern Yorkshire and Cumbria. We have been assisting businesses in the north of England and producing chartered accountants for over 130 years.

More

Keith wont be putting his feet up following his retirement

Keith Proudfoot, our ICAEW Director for Northern and Scotland retires from ICAEW on 31 December 2017.

As the man responsible for the Sheffield to Shetland mega-region created by ICAEW restructuring in April 2017 Jane Walker found out what the role has meant to him and why he’s looking forward to what comes next…

As many members will know you come from an accountancy background – can you tell us a bit about your career before you joined ICAEW?

I like to reflect that, without realising it at the time, I was building my experience across a range of areas in which many of our members work.

Having qualified with one of the large international firms (now KPMG) I then went to work in a small firm in the Durham town of Consett just before the huge steel works closed down, this meant that I got to work with a lot of start-ups due to significant impetus from the European funding made available in the area.

After five years there I moved to head up the finance function at a partnership of Chartered Surveyors, which quadrupled in size during my time there. Due to a clash with a commercial property client I took the opportunity to be part of a MBO of the residential property business, becoming group FD of that business.

When did you start working for ICAEW and how has your role evolved since then?

In 2001 ICAEW created its regional structure, directly employing nine regional managers and 21 Regional executives to support the 21 District Societies and their members across England and Wales.

As an actively engaged member – I was Deputy President of the Northern Society at the time – I was keen to continue my support of ICAEW through employment and successfully applied for the Northern position.

Around that time, members in Scotland were agitating for similar support to that enjoyed by members in the rest of the UK, so my area was expanded to include Scotland and a group of members came together to establish what we know now as ICAEW Scotland – a group that, I’m delighted to say, has gone from strength to strength in that time.

Over the years the area that you cover has grown – it now spans the UK from, as you put it “Sheffield to Shetland” – what were the biggest challenges of dealing with such a geographically large “patch”?

Initially, the main challenge was working out where our members were located, but the real challenge was trying to achieve everything that we, and the members, wanted to do. Quart… pint pot and similar challenges!

But we have, I believe, won that by choosing our areas to grow from, and have been very fortunate to have so many committed Northern Society members willing to give their time to boost the resources that we have from our regional exec Joanne and Alison (who provides event support in Scotland and Northern on “part time” hours).

How has Northern Society changed over the years?

Northern Society has continued to evolve over the last 16 years that I have been RD, continuing to connect our business communities across the North and supporting our ACA students. It has a great tradition (going back to 1882) and I think that provides one of its core strengths but it has innovated too – often leading the way.

The annual Graduation and Prize-Giving Event held in King’s Hall, Newcastle University is a good example. It’s developed into a wonderful event offering ACA students and their families the opportunity to attend a local event so that their exam success could be celebrated without having to travel to London. There also continues to be a wide selection of events, not just the well-regarded CPD courses programme, but things such as the retired members events, FD breakfast briefings as well as active student societies. Many members engage actively with these local events which must show that they value the networking opportunities too.

What are the highlights of your time with ICAEW?

This has been such an enjoyable job – promoting ICAEW to our members, reminding them of resources that can help them in their role, and how easy it can be for their firms to train the next generation of ACAs. I particularly enjoy seeing our students grow though engagement and make connections that they might not have been able to within their training firm.

What are you most proud of professionally?

Seeing people who I first encountered as students growing personally and professionally, moving up in their career, growing in confidence through engagement with more senior volunteer members and becoming ICAEW members – it’s been particularly heartening to see younger members then get involved with Northern Society’s student societies & branches and I’m delighted that several are currently are actively involved with the Northern Society General Committee.

As Regional Director of such a large area you’ve spent plenty of time on trains – have you picked up any travel tips along the way?

I find train journeys are a great opportunity to catch up with emails. Of course trains quite often incur delays, so my top tip would be to just roll with those and crack through even more emails!

What will you miss most about your work with ICAEW?

Meeting members and finding out about their career story and interests – professional and personal – I’m both impressed and amazed that so many of our members are triathletes!

I’ll also miss the speaking opportunities, especially sharing a platform with the Bank of England to talk about the economy and our Business Confidence Monitor each quarter. I started out in the role as quite a reluctant public speaker, but have grown to relish these opportunities.

What are your plans for retirement?

I am open to lucrative offers of work for one day per month! Seriously though, after taking a long holiday in January, I am very much looking forward to being able to spend time with our first grandchild, who is due in late February/early March – it’s perfect timing!

I still currently sit on three arts boards so it will be good to have time to fully support them until my trustee roles come to an end.

I also plan to spend more time taking part in rallies in my classic Mini – so I may well be driving though a town near you very soon!

What are you most looking forward to having more time to do?

Driving my Mini and catching up on my reading – there will be fewer emails to be read and replied to, so it will be good to take the time to read some of the books I’ve not had chance to tackle…

Any words of advice for your successor?

Embrace the diversity of members we have and the roles they’re in, engage with key stakeholders across the North East and Cumbria (as well as the rest of the Sheffield to Shetland area!) and enjoy the job; it’s a big challenge but it’s a hugely rewarding role.

On a more practical note, I’d say that they should aim to keep on top of their emails – an overflowing inbox was the only downside of the role in my view!

With thanks to Jane Walker who interviewed Keith on behalf of Northern Society and ICAEW Members in Scotland (IMS).

Happy retirement from Northern Society

On behalf of our 4,000 ICAEW Chartered Accountants and ACA students across Northern Society of Chartered Accountants, Karen Muir, President and our committee would like to take this opportunity to thank Keith for his great work in supporting northern business, fellow chartered accountants and the wider community.  Many thanks for all that you have done and we wish you a well-earned healthy and enjoyable retirement from ICAEW.

About ICAEW

Members of the Northern Society of Chartered Accountants are ICAEW Chartered Accountants.

ICAEW is a world leading professional membership organisation that promotes, develops and supports more than 147,000 members worldwide.

We provide our members with knowledge and guidance, and ensure ICAEW Chartered Accountants are meeting the highest ethical and technical standards. 

As financial experts we act in the public interest offering insights into business and the economy that help to shape government policy and regulation. Find out more at icaew.com

About Northern Society of Chartered Accountants

Northern Society of Chartered Accountants (NorSCA) represents ICAEW members working in business and the finance profession across the North East of England, Teesside, Northern Yorkshire and Cumbria. We have been assisting businesses in the north of England and producing chartered accountants for over 130 years.

More

Dinners raise £7,712 for local charities in the North

Northern Society members and their guests were generous in support for their communities at both our Northern Society Business and Awards Dinner and Teesside Dinner raising a fantastic £7,712 for charities with match-funding from Barclays Business (thank you to the local Barclays team).

Northern Society Dinner with Steph McGovern supported Butterwick Hospice Care

Northern Society Business and Awards Dinner with guest speaker Steph McGovern at the Civic Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne on 13 October raised £3,736 for Butterwick Hospice Care.

Northern Society of Chartered Accountants has been at the heart of northern business since 1882 and its 4,000 ICAEW Chartered Accountants and ACA students work across business and the finance profession in the North East, Teesside, northern Yorkshire and Cumbria.

Butterwick Hospice Care aims to improve the quality of life for those who have a progressive life limiting illness and those close to them and to offer positive support for every challenge they may encounter during their illness and to see death as part of life’s journey. Find out more at butterwick.org.uk

 

 

Teesside Dinner with Lembit Opik supported MFC Foundation

Teesside Dinner with guest speaker Lembit Opik at Wynyard Hall Hotel on 24 November raised £3,976 for MFC Foundation.

Teesside Dinner is the annual dinner of Teesside Society of Chartered Accountants, a branch of Northern Society of Chartered Accountants.

MFC Foundation works across Teesside, delivering sport, health, education and inclusion projects that raise aspirations and change lives amongst the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in local communities. Find out more at mfcfoundation.co.uk

Thank you to everyone for your kind assistance in supporting these two local charities.

About Northern Society of Chartered Accountants 

Northern Society of Chartered Accountants (NorSCA) represents ICAEW members working in business and the finance profession across the North East of England, Teesside, Northern Yorkshire and Cumbria. We have been assisting businesses in the north of England and producing chartered accountants for over 130 years.

More

Q4 UK ICAEW Economic Forecast

The Q4 2017 ICAEW Economic Forecast, is based on the views of those running UK plc: ICAEW Chartered Accountants working in businesses of all types, across every economic sector and in all regions of the UK, surveyed through the quarterly ICAEW Business Confidence Monitor (BCM).

ICAEW continues to work with Oxford Economics to issue quarterly reports which provide useful insight and timely intelligence for finance professionals and their clients.

The ICAEW Economic Forecast considers the outlook for the UK economy.

Q4 Key findings:

We forecast GDP growth of 1.5% in 2017, rising modestly to 1.6% in 2018
Recent data suggest the squeeze on consumers has continued, while manufacturing and exports have provided only a slight encouragement to activity. With these trends set to continue into 2018, and little movement likely on either fiscal or monetary policy, we expect GDP growth to remain slow by historical standards next year.

Productivity constrained by weak investment intentions.
Output per hour grew in Q3 2017 at the fastest rate since 2011, but this was entirely driven by a reduction in hours worked, rather than an improvement in productivity. Measures set out in the Autumn Statement could yield longer-term productivity gains, but the ongoing uncertainty over Brexit will constrain business investment again in 2018.

Slower jobs growth means unemployment rate stabilises.
After a solid first half of 2017, the rate of job creation slowed markedly in the third quarter, with total employment down modestly, but the unemployment rate remaining at a 42-year low. We think the private sector can continue to create jobs into 2018, but at a slower rate, and constrained by shortages of skilled labour in some sectors. The unemployment rate and pace of nominal wage growth are both forecast to be relatively stable over the coming year.

Weaker pound helping manufacturers.
After a few quarters when a weaker currency seemed only to bring higher costs to manufacturing and exporting businesses, input cost pressures have started to ease and competitiveness has been improving in recent months. The ICAEW Business Confidence Monitor® (BCM) evidence suggests an expansion in export growth for manufacturers in 2018, although obviously risks from a “no-deal” Brexit remain.

Economic outlook

We forecast GDP growth of 1.5% in 2017, rising modestly to 1.6% in 2018.

The economy picked up a little momentum in Q3, with growth of 0.4% (0.1 percentage point higher than each of the previous two quarters). Within this, the broad pattern of growth tilting from services toward manufacturing continued. Retail sales expanded at a rate which is slower by more than half a percentage point than the quarterly average through 2016. Manufacturing output, though, spurred by the weaker pound, rose by 1%, the best performance since Q4 of last year (see focus section).

Looking into Q4, monthly data suggested that the services sector gathered some momentum in October – although interpreting October’s retail sales data is complicated by an unusually strong October 2016. Meanwhile, although retail sales volumes in October fell versus a year earlier (the first such occasion for over four years), this largely reflects the 2% month-on-month jump in October 2016, rather than especially weak monthly data in October 2017 itself. Nevertheless, with inflation edging up to 3% in September and October, consumer spending growth will remain constrained. We forecast GDP growth of 1.5% for 2017 overall.

The squeeze on household finances will persist into 2018, with the Bank of England’s recent base rate increasing debt servicing costs for some households. With business investment remaining constrained (see next section) but support predicted to come from better trade performance, we forecast GDP growth at 1.6% in 2018. Major changes in macro policy seem unlikely in the coming couple of years however. The Autumn Statement contained little in the way of major fiscal measures outside of those aimed at the household sector, with the focus mainly on reducing the deficit against a backdrop of weaker OBR growth forecasts. Meanwhile, the MPC’s statement following November’s rate hike did not suggest that they will be tightening again anytime soon.

Read more

You can read more about the ICAEW Economic Forecast on icaew.com

ICAEW’s forecasts for economic growth, business investment and the outlook for the labour market are based on the correlation between ICAEW Business Confidence Monitor (BCM) indicators and official economic data. The BCM contains data – from a survey of 1,000 UK businesses – on business confidence, financial performance, challenges and expectations for the year ahead to provide a unique analysis of future developments in the UK economy.

About Northern Society of Chartered Accountants

Northern Society of Chartered Accountants (NorSCA) represents ICAEW members working in business and the finance profession across the North East of England, Teesside, Northern Yorkshire and Cumbria. We have been assisting businesses in the north of England and producing chartered accountants for over 130 years.

More

Congratulations Northern Society Awards winners

Congratulations once again to the finalists and winners in the Northern Society Awards which were presented at our Northern Society dinner.

Recognition

Our awards recognise not only those who attained first place in the ICAEW exams in the calendar year 2016 (our Order of Merit Awards) but also those who demonstrated an exceptional contribution to their firm or wider general community through their professionalism, acumen or teamwork (Northern Society Presidents’ Awards).

We also recognised the talents of our younger members who acted as mentors at our three ICAEW BASE heats in Carlisle, Newcastle and Middlesbrough in 2017.

Northern Society Awards 2017 Winners

Northern Society Order of Merit Professional Stage Student of the Year – Rachael Stein, PwC
Northern Society Order of Merit Advanced Stage Student of the Year – Adam Ballantyne, RMT
Northern Society Presidents’ Award Professional Stage – Joe Black, Leathers
Northern Society Presidents’ Award Advanced Stage – Louise McLeod, National Audit Office
Northern Society BASE Mentor of the Year 2017 – Whitney Savage, Armstrong Watson

Congratulations all finalists and winners for your contributions as ICAEW Chartered Accountants in connecting communities.

About Northern Society of Chartered Accountants

Northern Society of Chartered Accountants represents 4,000 ICAEW members and ACA students working in business and the finance profession across the North East of England, Teesside, Northern Yorkshire and Cumbria. We have been assisting businesses in the north of England and producing chartered accountants for over 130 years.

Members of the Northern Society of Chartered Accountants are ICAEW Chartered Accountants. ICAEW is a world leading professional membership organisation that promotes, develops and supports more than 147,000 members worldwide.

As leaders in accountancy, finance and business our members have the knowledge, skills and commitment to maintain the highest professional standards and integrity. Together we contribute to the success of individuals, organisations, communities and economies around the world.

More

Business confidence remains in negative territory but there is ground for modest optimism

The latest ICAEW UK Business Confidence Monitor (BCM) shows that while business confidence remains in negative territory there is ground for modest optimism as sales and profit growth show some improvement.

Key findings this quarter

• The Confidence Index improves but remains negative, up from -8 in Q3 to -3.4 this quarter.
• Overall sales growth remains steady but slow. Export sales growth is still weak though gently improving.
• A slowdown in input price inflation and moderation in wage growth are generating modest improvements in profits.
• Employment continues to grow, backed by similar modest increases in spending on staff development.
• Low levels of business confidence and high levels of spare capacity are holding down significant increases in investment.
• Regulatory requirements and the availability of non-management skills are presenting increasing challenges to businesses

Join us for our BCM Breakfast Briefing with Bank of England on 6 December 2017

Join us on 6 December 2017 in Newcastle to hear more from Keith Proudfoot, ICAEW Director on the latest ICAEW BCM findings and an “off the record” update from the Bank of England.

Our breakfast briefing will provide an overview of business confidence and the latest economic forecasts can provide valuable insights into how a rapidly changing economy is affecting business in the North East and the rest of the UK.

Presentations will be followed by discussions of the findings and implications for businesses. As well as answering questions, presenters will be keen to hear your views about business conditions in your area.

Buisness confidence – Keith Proudfoot, ICAEW Regional Director will talk about the latest findings from the quarterly ICAEW Business Confidence Monitor (BCM) will give an indication of the overall direction of the economy, what is driving change and highlights the key concerns of UK.

The UK economy – Mauricio Armellini, Bank of England Agent for North East will then provide an ‘off-the-record’ update on the current economic climate based on the Bank of England’s latest forecasts. This session will examine the most recent economic data as well as the prospects for growth and inflation over the near-term.

Breakfast will be available from 07:45hrs, the presentation and discussion will commence at 08:00hrs.

Pre-booking is required to attend – read more details and book your place on the BCM Breakfast Briefing with Bank of England here.

The view on Q4 BCM from ICAEW in London

Michael Izza, ICAEW Chief Executive, said: “While businesses are struggling to be confident in the current environment, there are reasons to be more optimistic. Businesses are controlling costs and there is finally some improvement, though small, in export sales growth.

The IT, Construction and Business Services sector are all modestly positive. Even the retail sector has seen an improvement in confidence – albeit still in negative territory.

These findings highlight the cliff edge that the UK economy is on at the moment. The recent interest rate rise was not unexpected but any sudden shocks from the Chancellor at the Autumn Budget could have a serious impact.

Businesses to some extent know that uncertainty is to be expected due to Brexit but they must again see good reason to invest in technology, training and development, as well as new products and services to help drive economic growth in 2018 and beyond.”

Improvement in key financial indicators

Export sales are slowly improving with growth of 3.5% and 3.9% expected in the next 12 months as the fall in sterling finally begins to reflect in more selling.

Sales volume growth now stands at 4.4% compared to 3.7% the year before and input cost inflation has flattened off and is expected to fall to 1.7% in 2018.

Wage growth remains steady at 1.9% as companies control costs despite planning on increasing headcount by 1.8% in the year ahead.

Staff development, research and development budgets and capital investment growth have all increased moderately. Although not spectacular, the findings are more positive than previously.

Regulatory requirements and skill shortages becoming a greater challenge

Among challenges to an organisation’s performance, regulatory requirements are concerning an increasing number of companies.

This reflects various regulations introduced this year such as the Apprenticeship Levy, Gender Pay Reporting and forthcoming General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The availability of non-management skills is also becoming a greater challenge than 12 months ago (24%) compared to management skills (16%), perhaps reflecting the impact of Brexit on migration.

Regional and sector variations in confidence levels

The IT(+7.8), Energy(+4.4), Construction(+3.6) and Business Services (+1.5) sectors all had positive confidence levels.

With Christmas imminent, the sentiment of the Retail sector improved from -23.4 in Q3 to -8.9 in Q4.

Regionally, confidence in Wales and the South West has rallied but London remains the most pessimistic region at -7.8. The capital has been below the UK average in all but one quarter since the EU Referendum.

Read more about BCM and download the report

You can read more about the key findings from Q4 2017 here.

And you can download the full report here – Q4 2017 ICAEW Business Confidence Monitor report.

 

About the ICAEW Business Confidence Monitor

The Business Confidence Monitor (BCM) survey began 2003. 1,000 ICAEW Chartered Accountants responded to a telephone survey from 2 August to 20 October 2017.

Businesses were categorised in terms of size (no. of employees), region and industry sector. Regional classification used was ONS Government Office Regions.

The BCM survey covers over 1% of economic activity both for the UK as a whole and for different UK regions. This assures our data captures accurately the mood of UK senior business professionals.

About Northern Society of Chartered Accountants

Northern Society of Chartered Accountants (NorSCA) represents ICAEW members working in business and the finance profession across the North East of England, Teesside, Northern Yorkshire and Cumbria. We have been assisting businesses in the north of England and producing chartered accountants for over 130 years.

 

More

Artificial intelligence and the future of accountancy

In a recent ICAEW report Artificial intelligence and the future of accountancy, Kirstin Gillon, from ICAEW’s IT Faculty, looks at the rise of artificial intelligence, its impact on the accountancy profession and how it can be utilised by accountants.

Artificial intelligence technology

Artificial intelligence systems can be very powerful and are improving quickly. They provide outputs that can be extremely accurate, replacing and, in some cases, far superseding human efforts. However, they do not replicate human intelligence.

We need to recognise the strengths and limits of this different form of intelligence, and build understanding of the best ways for humans and computers to work together.

ICAEW has an AI ‘bot’

ICAEW has started exploring the use of artificial intelligence to improve existing services for its members and other audiences.

You can now have a conversation with the ICAEW AI assistant. It’s trained to answer questions on the impact of artificial intelligence on the future of accountancy, and can also tell you a little about ICAEW, general AI questions and about itself.

It’s in Beta mode at the moment and all interactions will help ICAEW improve its machine learning capabilities. The process of developing this bot, and the data gathered through interactions, is intended to provide increased learning and understanding in this relatively new digital platform.

Please leave feedback on your experience of ICAEW’s AI assistant on icaew.com.

Artificial intelligence and accountancy

Although artificial intelligence techniques such as machine learning are not new, and the pace of change is fast, widespread adoption in business and accounting is still in early stages. To build a positive vision of the future, we need to develop a deep understanding of how artificial intelligence can solve accounting and business problems, the practical challenges and the skills accountants need to work alongside intelligent systems.

ICAEW has long-standing expertise in technology-related issues, drawing on the experience across many aspects of business, finance and accounting, and will focus on building understanding of the practical use of artificial intelligence across business and accounting activities today and in the near future.

Watch the recording of IT Faculty’s event Artificial intelligence – what does it mean for the future of accountancy?, in which artificial intelligence expert Professor Moshe Vardi discusses the growth of artificial intelligence and its impact on the accounting profession.

Download the full report

You can download the full report on artificial intelligence and the future of accountancy here.

You can read more about AI on icaew.com.

About Northern Society of Chartered Accountants

Northern Society of Chartered Accountants (NorSCA) represents ICAEW members working in business and the finance profession across the North East of England, Teesside, Northern Yorkshire and Cumbria. We have been assisting businesses in the north of England and producing chartered accountants for over 130 years.

 

More

Teesside Society 2017 Annual Dinner at Wynyard Hall

Emma Read and Angela Foster, Co-Chairs of the Teesside Society of Chartered Accountants (TSCA), invite you and your clients, colleagues and friends to our Annual Dinner on Friday 24 November 2017 at Wynyard Hall from 18:45 until late.

Look forward to a special evening this November – you don’t have to be a Chartered Accountant to enjoy the evening with us – our dinner is open to all.

We would love for members to bring their colleagues, clients and guests to enjoy a memorable evening and a superb networking opportunity.

Our principal guest speaker this year will be Lembit Opik.

During the course of the evening we will hold a raffle to raise funds for MFC Foundation which has been kindly match funded by Barclays Business.

Cost

Tickets are £41.67 + VAT

Online booking closes on Friday 10 November.

Speaker – Lembit Opik

Bangor

Born in 1965 in Bangor, Northern Ireland to Estonian parents, Lembit Öpik is one of the most characterful and recognised politicians of his generation.

Newcastle upon Tyne

In 1988, after some dramatic years in student politics, Lembit joined American multi-national giant Procter & Gamble, where he worked in the advertising department on a number of household brands including Ariel and Fairy Liquid, rising to the role of Global Human Resources Training & Development Manager.

At the same time he pursued a parallel career in politics as a Liberal Democrat councillor in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Montgomeryshire

In 1997, Lembit was elected to Parliament as the MP for Montgomeryshire in Wales. Very quickly he began to be recognised as one of the more energetic and entertaining MPs in the country, with regular appearances on everything from Question Time to Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, and most of the major entertainment shows in between.

‘The show had to go on’

In 2010, Lembit lost his seat in one of the most surprising results of the General Election. Despite this blow, 5 hours later he kept his promise to appear on the election special edition of Have I Got News for You in what was regarded as one of the strongest performances for any politician on the show. As Lembit said ‘I lost my seat, not my resolve. The show had to go on.’

Since then, contrary to expectations, Lembit has continued to increase his profile and in 2010 appeared on the blockbusting reality show I’m a Celebrity – get me out of here!

In August 2016 Lembit performed in the comedy Rocking Your Vote in which he played himself. The play was on the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

In November 2017 Lembit will be able to add entertaining to his many feats! Don’t miss it!

In support of MFC Foundation

MFC Foundation works across Teesside, delivering sport, health, education and inclusion projects that raise aspirations and change lives amongst the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in local communities.

MFC Foundation was set up by Steve Gibson in 1996 as the independent charitable arm of Middlesbrough FC. Though it uses the official ‘Boro’ brand to engage with various members of the community, MFC Foundation exists as a separate entity from the football club.

‘Our mission is simple, by harnessing the passion and power of the Football Club brand, we work to raise aspirations and improve the life chances of young people and adults across Teesside.

We work in some of the most disadvantaged areas of Teesside, engaging with those who are hard to reach through the delivery of inspiring sport, education, health and inclusion projects.’

More

Presidents’ Awards 2017 shortlist for Northern Society dinner announced

This years finalists for the ‘Presidents Awards 2017’ for the Northern Society best performing students in the Professional and Advanced stages of the ICAEW exams 2016 have been announced.

The judges Karen Muir, President, David Arthur, immediate Past President and Lewis Pearson President of the Newcastle upon Tyne Law Society met to consider the citations for the Presidents’ Awards.

Again this year we have had a tremendous response with the judge’s finding it difficult to agree a shortlist and eventual winners, such was the quality of the students proposed.

However the judges have finally agreed and those shortlisted for the Presidents’ Awards Professional and Advanced Stage are listed below.

Order of Merit and BASE Mentor awards to be presented also

We are also delighted to announce the finalists of the Northern Society BASE Mentor of the Year Award 2017.

And we will also be presenting the Northern Society Order of Merit Student of the Year Awards (at both Professional Stage and Advanced Stage) for those students who achieved first place in the Northern Society area in the ICAEW exams in 2016.

President’s Award Professional Stage Shortlist

Joe Black – Leathers LLP

Jamie Hogg – Tait Walker

Ross Jackson – Armstrong Watson

Rebecca Liddell – Ernst & Young

Michael Lawrence  – RSM UK

Billy Mack – National Audit Office

President’s Award Advanced Stage Shortlist

Katherine Brown – Dodd & Co

Abigail Davenport – Armstrong Watson

Louise McLeod – National Audit Office

Rebecca Pearce – TTR Barnes

Daniella Shortland – Dodd & Co

Rachael Stein – PwC

BASE Mentor of the Year 2017 finalists

Details of the finalists for the Northern Society BASE Mentor of the Year award 2017 are as follows:

Teesside ICAEW BASE heat – Dhanish Hussain – National Audit Office

Carlisle ICAEW BASE heat – Whitney Savage – Armstrong Watson

Newcastle ICAEW BASE heat – Mark Earl – Eden Farm Hulleys

The winner will be announced on 13 October 2017.

Winners to be announced at dinner with Steph McGovern on 13 October 2017

The winners of the awards will be announced at the Northern Society Business and Awards Dinner with BBC Breakfast’s Steph McGovern on Friday 13 October and will receive their awards from Nick Parker, ICAEW President and Karen Muir, Northern Society President.

There are still places available to book please contact Joanne Lucking ([email protected])

More information on the Northern Society Awards can be found at norsca.co.uk/awards

 

 

 

About Northern Society

Northern Society of Chartered Accountants (NorSCA) represents ICAEW members working in business and the finance profession across the North East of England, Teesside, Northern Yorkshire and Cumbria. We have been assisting businesses in the north of England and producing chartered accountants for over 130 years.

 

More

News

Events