Acca Insights

Julia Graham, the chief executive of Airmic, the risk management trade body, explains why and how an organisation's social purpose is key to building an effective risk culture.

David Rodin, Founder and Chair of Principia Advisory, talks about how to integrate ‘organisational ethics’ in governance and culture.

In this episode Christian Hunt, risk culture and conduct specialist and author of ‘Humanizing Rules: Bringing Behavioural Science to Ethics and Compliance’, discusses how risk and accountancy professionals could think more about the human beings they are trying to influence. Presented by ACCA’s head of risk Rachael Johnson.

Internal control is one of the fundamental concepts used by entities to achieve important objectives, improve performance and build reputation, especially in disruptive and uncertain times. Internal control forms a core part of the activities of accountancy, finance and internal audit professionals, assisting them in ensuring that entities operate effectively. Yet the nature of the business model is changing for many.Transformation, including the adoption of digital enablers, is changing the way that processes are undertaken. Rapid response to changing customer and economic factors is a reality. In this webcast, we explore these and other emerging trends, their impact on internal control and the need for internal controls to be agile and future-ready to support business transformation and growth.In this podcast we explore the key themes of the joint ACCA, Internal Audit Foundation and Institute of Management Accountants report.

In this podcast Narayanan joins Jenny Knott FCCA for a wide ranging discussion about her path into fintech, the key trends in fintech as we look ahead, opportunities for professional accountants and the role of ESG and purpose.Jenny Knott FCCAJenny Knott is both a board level investment banker with over 30 years’ experience as well as a leading innovator in financial technologies. Jenny has extensive prudential board experience having served on Boards of Global Investment Banks, Financial Services Corporates and Charitable organisations for over 25 years, her roles ranging from Chair to member of Board, Board Audit, Board Risk, RemCo and Technology Sub-Committees.Jenny is also co-founder of FinTech Strategic Advisors and assists clients with their FinTech investment and adoption strategies. She supports start-ups achieve scale and commercial success. As an investment banker, she has been a CEO, CFO and COO, widely respected for leading the modernisation and transformation of her organizations and for her know

Mid-tier businesses play a fundamental role in global supply chains, yet many of them are running on legacy systems and processes, facing long-term underinvestment in skills and technologies and have a very strong case investment that is not being addressed. In this podcast Clive Webb Head of Business Management at ACCA’s Professional Insights, discusses the technology considerations for mid-tier organisations, with Adam Freeman, Director of Buyer Enablement at the Access Group and Tony Price, a Partner in PwC.

Supply Chains are increasingly an area of focus for organisations. In a recent report ACCA, IMA and CIPS have explored the key issues from the perspective of the finance professional. In this podcast, Clive Webb, ACCA's Head of Business Management one of the report authors is in conversation with Aleksandra Zaronina-Kirillova, a fellow member of ACCA's Professional Insights team, about the key themes of the report.

Peter Hogarth leads PwC’s UK Accounting Consulting Services team. He advises the firm and its clients across a wide range of financial reporting topics, dealing with both UK GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards. He is a principal author of the firm’s Manual of Accounting and is closely involved with many of the firm’s initiatives concerning the future of corporate reporting. He is a member of the FRC’s UK GAAP Technical Advisory Group.

In this special edition, Julie Hotchkiss, Executive Director – People and Transformation, ACCA and Louise Fowler, Chief Transformation Officer, Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ) discuss with Charlotte Evett of CA ANZ, how their respective professional bodies are transforming in the context of a transforming profession.

What does transformation look like from the perspective of a finance leader who has successfully delivered change. In this podcast Andrea Naylor, Group CFO of Namos Solutions and James Best, Managing Director of Precision Finance Consulting share their personal perspectives and provide insights for the finance professional.

Whilst many focus on the concept of digital transformation, technology and data can only ever be enablers. Having an agile and transformative culture is essential if organisations are to succeed. Brendan Sheehan, CEO of White Squires and Stephen Dowling of etm-unlearn, discuss how to establish an organisational culture that supports this rapidly changing world.

The rapid nature of organisational change is one of several reasons why finance professionals struggle with traditional business cases. In this podcast two leading experts, Tim Barber of the University of Hull and Chris Carter of orgshift Solutions Inc, discuss how finance professionals should address evaluating transformation and the resulting benefits. The key is taking a value-based approach.

Organisations are increasingly needing to respond rapidly to changing customer requirements. This requires agility to adapt in order to survive. What role should the finance professional play in this. In their joint report the strategic partners ACCA and Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, together with Generation CFO explore the key issues. This introductory podcast with the report authors considers why it is important for the finance professional to play an active role.

The collaborative nature of the response to the pandemic in many organisations has reinforced the role of the finance business partner. The provision of insights, often in real time, by finance teams has helped organisations manage the changing scenarios. As part of the series to accompany ACCA and PwC's report Finance Functions: Seizing the Opportunity Dev Ramnarine, a partner at Thrudheim Advisory Services in US and Harry Shuttleworth, Director, Finance Transformation at PwC in the UK, discuss with one of the report authors, Clive Webb, the on-going impact and the lessons learned.

Opportunity Andrea Naylor, CFO of Namos Solutions and Richard Pinder, Partner Finance Transformation at PwC in the UK, discuss with one of the report authors, Clive Webb, the on-going impact and the lessons learned.

How have finance functions been impacted by the pandemic? What lessons can be learned and what opportunities now present themselves? Only 34% of survey respondents suggest a positive change that is long lasting. In this podcast Ronnie Patton, lecturer in Accounting and Finance at Ulster University and ACCA Council Member talks to two authors of the joint report Finance Functions: Seizing the Opportunity, Brian Furness, Partner in PwC in the UK and Clive Webb, Head of Business Management, Professional Insights, ACCA.

In this episode, we explore the problems of plastics and waste with Dr Mushtaq Memon, United Nations Environment Programme in Bangkok Thailand, Matt Morris and James Harmer from the Cambridge Design Partnership.The conversation covers the opportunity of redesign and rethinking how products and services can be reimagined to serve us and the planet better, how to promote more sustainable lifestyles that demand fewer materials use ‘by design’, and as a result, have less of an impact and provide us with better experiences. Find out more about their work: https://www.unep.org/regions/asia-and-pacific https://www.cambridge-design.com

What are the aspirations, concerns and expectations of generation z as they join the workforce? As future accountants, what opportunities and challenges will they face, how will they shape the future of work and the accountancy profession? Gen Z share their views with Jamie Lyon, Head of Business Management, ACCA Professional Insights

If we don't address these challenges, we won't actually be able to ensure that our profession remains the profession of choice for the next generation. Alan Johnson, President of the International Federation of Accountants, reflects on the importance of the messages contained in our Leading Inclusion report with Clive Webb, Senior Insights Manager, ACCA's Professional Insights.