ICAEW President issues Council Member call

30 October 2020: With nominations for ICAEW Council elections opening on 12 November 2020, President David Matthews has called on chartered accountants to bring their real-life experiences to the table.

With governments, regulators and the private sector working together on issues such as the COVID-19 recovery, climate change and audit reform, accountants are often on the front line, providing information, analysis or advice, and stand to play a crucial role in how business and society are reshaped in the long-term.

With that in mind, ICAEW President David Matthews has called for members of all backgrounds and experiences to stand for election when nominations open on 12 November and help the Institute shape its approach to the varied and complex challenges.

“Council is vital for ensuring everything the Institute does is grounded in what members are experiencing,” says Matthews, “it’s more than just understanding the member perspective – it’s about diversity of thinking, and that’s why important to have as many different views as possible acting as the voice of the profession”

Member benefits

As a ten-year Council veteran, Matthews points to a range of benefits for members of being a Council Member. These include the ability to feed into the complex professional issues faced by accountancy and the wider business world, and how ICAEW approaches them in discussions with government, member firms or businesses or other organisations. 

Council members can also point to non-executive experience, ongoing education and increased awareness about some of the wider issues relevant to the profession. 

Matthews highlights the ability for chartered accountants to make a difference, speak about member views picked up from elsewhere and relate them to what’s happening in the day-to-day world.

“Member involvement also helps the standing of the Institute,” says Matthews. “If the qualification isn’t highly regarded then the standing of chartered accountants in society is diminished. How can you expect your views to be taken into account if you don’t express them?”

“I appreciate younger members, in particular, feel they’ve not got enough time to get involved,” concludes Matthews, “but the commitment involved for Council is not that great. Four meetings a year plus a two-day conference – six or seven days a year are taken up. The vast majority of Council Members do this with enthusiasm, and from personal experience I recommend everybody to get involved.”

Nominations for Elections to Council will open on 12 November 2020 at 12 Noon (GMT) and close on 14 December 2020 at 12 Noon (GMT). For more details, including Council constituency vacancies, click here.