Mark Koziel, CPA, CGMA, is CEO of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants and president and CEO of the AICPA.

He's been in that role since the start of the year and travelled all over the world hearing from members. Summer's end seemed like a good time for a progress report on a variety of fronts from Koziel, who at the time of publication was visiting Asia.

This is a special edition of the podcast, published jointly on the Journal of Accountancy and FM channels.

What you'll learn from this episode:

• The skills gap affecting businesses around the world.
• Global influence on accounting and standard setting.
• An explanation of Rise 2040 and what it will mean for finance professionals.
• The role of hard and soft trends in strategic planning exercises.
• Why a 2026 report release is not the end of the Rise 2040 project.
• What Koziel has learned about himself now that he's had nearly eight months on the job.