Deputy President: our role in London’s recovery

Viresh Paul, the newly appointed Deputy President of the LSCA, on his new role and his mission to support local accountants in rebuilding London’s economy.

August 2020 

Before I introduce myself, I want to acknowledge the immense contribution of the outgoing president Nathan Steinberg who has been a very inspirational leader and very supportive throughout the year to me as a Vice President and a new face amongst the London society ranks.

Taking Office 

I was elected as Vice President last year, having served for three years as chair of the North West London Society.  But you know that as I wrote about that this time last year!

By way of background, I am deeply involved in a range of charitable activities as a member of Lions Clubs International of which organisation I am a past chairperson for British Isles and Ireland.  I also serve as a Governor of a further education college and in my spare time run a small practice which I have been managing on my own with a team of four or thereabouts since I left the tax department of Price Waterhouse (as it was then known) about 38 years ago.

But, enough of myself.  As a deputy I will be giving my full support to our new president Vicky Andrews and start some sort of planning for the following year as I believe I have a lot of big shoes to fill. 

When one gets the opportunity to head such an august organisation, one has to rely on the guidance of the past leaders.  To this end, I would like to reach out to all the past presidents and seek their counsel on how and where to take this society from now on following what has been the most extraordinary event in all our lives. 

Sailing into uncharted waters 

Where we go to from here is not likely to be the same as going where we have or we have been all these years or the recent past.  

We have to chalk out new avenues and new objectives to better serve the 35,000 odd (and I do not mean that in any derogatory sense) members of the society. As we mark the first 150 years and look forward to the next we need to look beyond the horizon and maybe sail into new uncharted waters, keeping our members with us, and more in tune to their needs and aspirations.

Above all, I believe we need to promote the brand ICAEW more effectively and collectively with the help of the big firms as well as the small practices, like mine, to whom businesses turned for help just as they sought out the NHS for their medical needs. 

We are the business medics and we should be out there helping businesses remain healthy and to grow and at the same time rejuvenate the economy that has suffered an unprecedented (there, I have said it!), unexpected and totally unmatched blow on a global scale.

Liked this? Read these: 

• London President’s letter to local members
• London President: our city in recovery