Policy & Insights

Rachael Johnson, ACCA Head of Risk Management and Corporate Governance speaks with Michele Wucker, a well-known risk commentator who conceptualized the Gray Rhino metaphor for a high probability risk that is often ignored. In this episode, Michelle and Rachel discuss her book, The Gray Rhino, and how businesses can recognize and act on obvious risks that tend to be overlooked.This is the first of the Rethinking Risk podcast series, which consists of regular thought leadership discussions to help our members navigate the rapidly changing and increasingly uncertain world.

An ACCA led panel discussion at the 2020 UK Labour Party Conference with former Labour Leader and current Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Industrial Strategy and Energy, Ed Miliband MP on green recovery post-Covid-19. Chaired by ACCA's Head of Sustainability Jimmy Greer, guest speakers included ACCA Corporate Reporting and Tax expert, Yen-Pei Chen, Chief Executive, ShareAction, Catherine Howarth and Director of Research and Advocacy, Miriam Brett.

The role of the chief financial officer, the CFO, is one that continues to evolve and grow in breadth. How has the pandemic reinforced the importance of the CFO role beyond financial stewardship? Clive Webb, ACCA's Senior Insights Manager, Professional Insights discusses this and other trends in our joint report with the IMA 'The CFO of the Future' with Helen Morgan, CFO Character.com, ACCA Panel member and Brendan Sheehan, Change and Agility expert, ACCA Global Council Member, and Chair of the audit committee.

Big data and analytics present a significant opportunity for finance professionals. Report authors Clive Webb, Senior Insights Manager, ACCA Professional insights, Charlotte Evett, and Suresh Sood of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand discuss our joint report Analytics in Finance and Accountancy, the importance of forward-looking analytics, data strategy and the skills finance and accountancy professionals need to develop.

Narayanan and the panellists share their closing views on the report Meaningful work for the digital professional series with Ernst & Young (EY). This fourth and final episode covers the positive changes to digital that have occurred in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the potential long-term consequences on businesses and their employees. Panellists include ACCA Chief Executive Helen Brand, EY EMEA Public Policy Leader Andrew Hobbs; EY Canada Assurance Digital & Innovation Leader Daniela Carcasole; EY Global Assurance, Audit methodology, and Analytics leader Alan Young; and Prime Global CEO Stephen Heathcoate.

Part 3 of our ‘Meaningful work for the digital professional’ series with Ernst & Young (EY) hosted by Narayanan Vaidyanathan focuses on how professional accountants can build their digital skills and the importance of balancing those skills with other skill sets.Panellists include ACCA Chief Executive Helen Brand EY EMEA Public Policy Leader Andrew Hobbs; EY Canada Assurance Digital & Innovation Leader Daniela Carcasole; EY Global Assurance, Audit methodology and Analytics leader Alan Young; and Prime Global CEO Stephen Heathcoate. Conversation highlights:Helen (0.32 secs), developing human skills that enable effective use of technology skills Stephen (2.43 mins), having a learning mindset, how small practices are developing complete talents of accountants, Alan (6.58 mins), managers roles in encouraging their employees to develop their skillsDaniela (9.50 mins), the value of personal passion and curiosity to step outside comfort zones, the role of GIG workersAndrew (16.52 mins), developing multidisciplinary skillsets and the organisational environment required to make that happen

In part two of our series on ‘Meaningful work for the digital professional’ with Ernst & Young (EY), hosted by Narayanan Vaidyanathan, the panellists explore the benefits of digital adoption in accounting and how the new ways of working due to Covid-19 have positively influenced the importance of enhancing digital capabilities. Panellists include ACCA Chief Executive, Helen Brand; EY EMEA Public Policy Leader, Andrew Hobbs; EY Canada Assurance Digital & Innovation Leader, Daniela Carcasole; EY Global Assurance, Audit methodology and Analytics leader, Alan Young; and Prime Global CEO Stephen Heathcoate.Discussion highlights:The journey to adopting and embedding digital within accountancy practices to add value to their work and with clientsHow digital is shaping the policy agenda for organisations, its impact on accountancy organisations to meet societal expectationsThe role of regulation, the role of public and private partnerships in addressing some of the challengesHow digital adoption has influenced work at ACCA moving the diversity & inclusion agenda, and the needs of members/students

The Sustainable Development Goals Disclosure (SDGD) Recommendations, authored by Carol Adams, Professor of Accounting, with Paul Druckman and Russell Picot, Honorary Professors at Durham University Business School, offer a new approach for organizations to address sustainable development issues. They attempt to establish a best practice for corporate reporting on the SDGs and enable more effective and standardized reporting and transparency on climate change, social and other environmental impacts.Jimmy Greer, ACCA’s Head of Sustainability, discusses with the authors and Charles Tilley, interim Chief Executive International Integrated Reporting Council.Their conversation covers, how the SDGD recommendations augument other frameworks and support organisations to achieve sustainable development goals, its relevance to integrated thinking and reporting; its importance for the work of benchmarking agencies.Read the SDGD recommendations

As the business environment changes and businesses evolve to meet expectations and demands, finance functions are increasingly required to support strategic decision making through data-driven insights. Clive Webb, Senior Insights Manager, ACCA Professional Insights speaks with Claus Thorne Madsen, a PwC Partner in Copenhagen, to discuss how finance business partners can become proactive, to add more value to their organisations as finance functions change. Read the 'Finance insights reimagined' report

Finance functions are increasingly being required to support strategic decision making through data-driven insights. Clive Webb, Senior Insights Manager, ACCA Professional insights, Brian Furness, PwC Partner and Global Head of Finance Consulting and Jamie Lyon, Portfolio Lead, ACCA Professional Insights, explore the role of finance business partners, how it's changing, the breadth of skills they need to develop in order to be effective and meet the future needs of the business.Read the 'Finance insights reimagined' report