Northern Society of Chartered Accountants

At the time of writing this, I am six months into the role of Regional Director for Northern, Yorkshire and Humber. It has been a very interesting – and enlightening – period for me for a number of reasons.

A new direction

I came into this role from a completely different sector, so there has been a lot to learn – and a lot that I’m still learning – about ICAEW and the profession overall.

I started out as a chartered engineer and have spent around half of my career to date in industry (mostly R&D), and the other half in the academic sector (management and administration of research and innovation), so while skills such as relationship building are universal, there’s a lot to discover about the world of accountancy and the issues that matter to our members.

Changing times

As ICAEW President, Paul Aplin, said in his speech at the recent Northern Society Business and Awards Dinner, we live in challenging times. From the uncertainty associated with Brexit, to how to prepare for changes such as the introduction of Making Tax Digital (MTD), there’s no doubt that, things are constantly changing.

Thankfully, there are a number of resources available from ICAEW – and events organised at local level – to help members keep abreast of what lies ahead.

At local level, events such as March 2019’s Conference for General Practitioners at Redworth Hall offer members the chance to get up to speed with developments – including the latest on MTD – and to benefit from the expertise of some of the best speakers in the UK. Our BCM events offer the opportunity to explore how changes affect businesses and to share insights with your peers.

I’ve been both surprised and impressed by how many events take place in the NorSCA region, from courses designed with professional development in mind, to more social things such as quizzes and dinners; there really is something for everyone. I’d definitely recommend exploring what’s coming up via the NorSCA events pages.

An eventful start

On the subject of events, I’ve been lucky that my first six months in this role have been bookended by two of the key events in the NorSCA calendar; May’s student Graduation and Prize giving event, and October’s Northern Society Business and Awards Dinner. Both events were a great opportunity to meet members, put faces to names and get a flavour of what NorSCA is all about.

May’s event was a particularly inspiring introduction to things – it was fantastic to see younger members embarking on their career as chartered accountants – it’s an exciting (if challenging) time to join the profession, but I’m confident that the robustness of ACA training, and the resources and support that are available to members throughout their careers (including services such as CABA) means that they’ll be more than equipped to face things.

As your Regional Director I am always interested in engaging with members and hearing your thoughts and ideas, please contact me at [email protected]