CPA Ireland is privileged to welcome Rachel Grimes, current President of IFAC who spoke at today’s CPA Ireland Annual Conference on “Charting the Future of the Global Profession”
Rachel Grimes was appointed President of IFAC in November 2016 after serving as Deputy President since 2014 and IFAC Board member since 2011. She was nominated by CPA Australia and Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia (ICAA), now the Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.
Ms. Grimes is currently Chief Financial Officer, Technology, Finance Strategy, Transformation and Progress at Westpac Group, a multinational financial services firm.
Speaking at the conference, Rachel praised the continuous progress made by CPA Ireland in this arena, “CPA Ireland continues to make an outsized impact on the global profession. Whether it’s education and building the profession in other parts of the world, landmark research or fierce advocacy for small and local business, CPA Ireland contributes enormously towards advancing the profession”.
Rachel also commented on the key educational trends affecting the role of accountants of the future, stating that accountants are much more than the stereotype of number crunchers but business leaders, change makers and champions of public interest. With globalization and geopolitical forces trending toward protectionist policies, the global accounting profession is and must remain strong and unified. She also spoke of the new and upcoming career opportunities for accountants, in areas such as cyber security attestation, data valuation and blockchain. CPA Ireland continuously works to identify and advocate for the advancement of the profession and the economy.
