ICAS President, Clive Bellingham CA: Widening the profession's talent pool
By CA magazine
25 January 2024
A recent celebration of senior CAs was a reminder of how much is changing for those just starting out on their career journeys, says President Clive Bellingham CA
Late last year I went to an ICAS Gold Club lunch in Glasgow, from which two moments stuck in my memory. First, there are just a handful of people who will really make a difference to the direction of your career – and I was sitting between two of them. To my left was Bill Bachelor CA. Bill worked with my father, an electrical engineer who knew nothing whatsoever about accounting. But he knew and respected Bill because he was a CA – and it was in Bill’s footsteps that he thought I should follow.
To my right was Gordon Jack CA, who I’ve mentioned in a previous column. I trained at a small firm, but I was keen to travel, so wanted to join one of the Big Eight (as it was then). When I moved to Coopers & Lybrand, I said I only wanted to work one year in Glasgow, then go to Saudi Arabia.
Gordon could have said: “You know, coming in for one year only doesn’t really work for the client, because I have to pay the headhunters. You should do two or three years before you go to Saudi Arabia.” But Gordon saw something in me, supported me and made it happen. So meeting Gordon again at the Gold Club event was a great opportunity for me to say thank you.
The second take-away from the lunch was that Gold Club events are one of the few where I’m not the oldest person in the room – which makes a nice change! In fact, I would have been the youngest were it not for the two ICAS Foundation students who were also seated at my table.
We make a point now of inviting students to such events, and I was struck by how much they really enjoyed being there. They were enthusiastic about meeting experienced CAs and truly embraced the support they have received from the foundation, as well as what it stands for.
Mobility matters
The ICAS Foundation celebrates its 10th birthday in 2024 and it will play an increasingly important part in how ICAS promotes social mobility in a tangible and meaningful way, rather than it being a mere tick-box exercise. Whenever I speak to member firms, social mobility is always high on the agenda. Simply talking to them raises awareness of the foundation, which in turn leads to greater collaboration between the firms and ICAS.
For example, in October we started the first partnership of its kind in the UK with Johnston Carmichael, who will provide bursaries to two accountancy students throughout their degrees, for up to four years. The partnership will also see Johnston Carmichael provide coaching to other students in the foundation programme to improve their employability.
We hope other firms will use this as a template. We had a record number of applicants to the ICAS Foundation this year. The more of these partnerships and this financial support we have in place, the more people from disadvantaged backgrounds we can help into the profession.
Furthermore, there is an increased market demand for accounting, thanks in part to the growing importance of sustainability reporting and assurance. ICAS is responding to that, not least by trying to create more routes into the profession. In future, you’ll see much more of a mix of students coming from schools, colleges and universities. There will be more pathways, more diversity and more opportunity.
Social mobility is at the core of the equality, diversity and inclusion agenda ICAS is embracing. And the best social mobility initiatives that I’ve seen start with the recognition of the need for a wider pool of talent. If you’re fighting for talent, why restrict yourself to those from one particular background?
Social mobility programmes should be driven by the market, rather than by organisations thinking this would be good for their PR. The message – which should start from the boardroom and filter down from there – is that such programmes are good for business and for clients, as well as for wider society. Those organisations that have truly invested in and articulated their purpose are more focused on how to maximise their human capital. Ultimately, social mobility cannot be left to HR – it has to start in the C-suite.
It is, though, a medium-term play. My concern is that, as we start 2024, there are multiple pressures on business, in part from rising costs and the drive for sustainability. Although the headline from the recent Cop28 summit was an agreement to transition away from fossil fuels – which sounds great – it leaves us with the question of who pays for it.
Some of that falls to the government. But my worry is that when it falls to consumers, even when they grasp the bigger picture, they still don’t want to pay. And when that happens, there is a danger that social mobility is shuffled down the list of priorities. For the good of our profession, and our society, we must ensure that doesn’t happen.
For more information, visit icasfoundation.org.uk
