The CPA Ireland Annual Conferring ceremony took place at University College Dublin on Saturday December 7th.
At the conferring, the President of CPA Ireland has challenged young accountants to show leadership in the fight against climate change. Gearóid O’Driscoll, President of CPA Ireland, has said that members of the profession are uniquely placed to exert positive influence on businesses to behave sustainably.
Gearóid's comments followed the publication last week of a report by the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) on the role of accountants in tackling the climate crisis.
Mr O’Driscoll said “The scale of the climate crisis is now widely understood, but too few businesses and individuals are examining how society can combat this. Every business in Ireland from the largest multinational to a fledgling start-up will avail of the advice of qualified accountants. As a profession, we have a responsibility to help businesses measure their climate impact and lead businesses to transition to a low carbon economy.”
Addressing the CPA Ireland ‘Class of 2019,’ O’Driscoll said, “For those joining the accountancy profession today they are entering an evolving industry with many exciting prospects. For several years’ now our graduating classes have enjoyed full employment and that continues in 2019. Among the exciting new areas of opportunity is green accounting, this will undoubtedly become more important in the years ahead and should become an essential element of the work of every accountant.”
Pictured left to right at the CPA Ireland Conferring Ceremony, Pauline Hayden, Lyndsey Kavanagh, Majella Regan (Liam Donnelly Medal Winner), Gearoid O Driscoll, President, CPA Ireland and Eileen Hurley.