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Two well-known members of the Institute of Public Accountants have been appointed to their association’s board of directors, looking to take aim at the “quagmire” of legislation burdening accountants in public practice.
New board appointments announced at IPA
31 July 2018
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2 minute read
The Institute of Public Accountants (IPA) will appoint Change Accountants and Advisers managing director, Timothy Munro, and Vita Gustafson and Associates partner, Cheryl Mallett, to its board of directors for a two-year term from 1 November.
IPA president Damien Moore, and fellow director Jason Parker have also been re-appointed as directors.
“Tim Munro and Cheryl Mallet are both experienced practitioners who are both pioneers in their own right. In their own ways, they demonstrate a great sense of commitment to the IPA values of improving the quality of life of small business and ensuring we are at the forefront of technical issues and advocacy as well as technological change," said IPA nomination committee chair, Ivan Robinson.
"We are confident Tim and Cheryl together with the important reappointments of Damien Moore and Jason Parker will provide continuity of an upward growth trajectory that has delivered record member intake bringing the total number of members and students to over 36,000."
Speaking to Accountants Daily, Mr Munro said he was excited to offer his perspectives as a practitioner to help shape the accounting discourse.
“It's important that any accounting body really understands who their members are and the challenges their members face and it's great having people like myself and Cheryl and others who are dealing with clients on a daily basis,” said Mr Munro.
“We hear all the time with what accountants are facing and I'm happy to jump up and represent them and make sure their thoughts are actually heard and acted on.”
Mr Munro has also identified two areas he will be passionately pushing for, namely the role of accountants in financial advice amidst education changes, and the use of technology in practices.
“The big problem we face at the moment is that with accountants and SMSF - we've got a quagmire of legislation and ideas and thoughts and it is not helping financial advice to be affordable or relevant to mums and dads,” said Mr Munro.
“It's just very scary that all of the bureaucrats and government officials want to enforce additional CPD and additional requirements on accountants and wealth advisers when these things in the past haven't worked and just loading up more education is not going to help.
“The other thing that I'm really passionate about is the use of technology in accounting firms to help mum[s] and dads better understand things and make things faster. It's not just online software but technology to help accountants give better reports and make things more up to date and easier to deal with.”
The appointments follow the addition of three new directors announced late last year, including Dr Michael Schaper, former deputy chair of the ACCC; Julie Williams, principal of Insolvency Solutions; and Mike Mooney, principal of Mike Mooney Accountants.
