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CPA Australia CEO Chris Freeland AM – Pic by Ruwan Walpola
By Nisthar Cassim
CPA Australia recently emphasised that the accounting profession has never been more valuable than today as it provides independent, verifiable, auditable information that can be relied on by the people and other stakeholders.
“The accounting profession has never been more valuable because we are the one profession that provides independent and verifiable information that can be relied on. So in times of misinformation, misinterpretation, we are the one profession that can be trusted,” said CPA Australia CEO Chris Freeland AM.
“We have a critical role to play in society and so we are not just supporting our existing members but helping society because we are helping businesses, we are helping provide financial information which is assured and can be relied on and that is good for business and good for society,” he added.
CPA Australia has a global membership of 175,000 across 100 countries, including 600 in Sri Lanka, and according to the CEO, its social remit is for-purpose organisation.
“Our purpose is not just to help our members but also to help the societies in which we operate. The society depends a lot on accounting professionals to guide them to the assurances,” Freeland said during an interview with the Daily FT along with CPA Australia’s Sri Lanka Liaison Representative Dinuk Hettiarachchi.
Chris said incidents involving some accountants have cast a disproportionate shadow around some of the ethics. “That is very unfair on the profession because an isolated incident should not affect the profession,” he opined.
“The one word, if you see our logo on the top left, is integrity. So integrity is absolutely at the heart of what is important to us as a membership organisation. For us to play that role, which is vital to society, is to provide independent, verifiable information. You need integrity, because if you don’t have integrity, you don’t have trust, and therefore that role is completely lost,” the CPA Australia CEO emphasised.
He said that the CPA which is part of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), has redoubled its efforts as an organisation to make sure that integrity is very much at the forefront. It has made ethics a compulsory subject in the CPD requirements for its members.
Chris also stressed that globally and locally, CPA members continue to make significant contributions to the nation’s finance sector, business leadership, and economic development.
A Certified Practicing Accountant (CPA) is a finance, accounting and business professional with a specific qualification. Being a CPA is a mark of high professional competence. It indicates a soundness in depth, breadth and quality of accountancy knowledge.
The CPA designation is recognised and respected across the globe. It signifies financial, accounting and business advisory professionals of the highest training and expertise.
