We launched Shaping the Profession (StP) in September 2023 to get under the skin of what professional accountants, accounting bodies and finance professionals more broadly must do to ensure they are future-fit, ready to face any changes coming down the line.
Accordingly, we set out five key priorities for StP to address. They are:
1. Societal and stakeholder needs
The anchor of our programme, asking first and foremost what society needs from the profession and how we can continue to create best value for all.
2. What is a professional?
Defining what a 21st-century professional should look like.
3. The impact of technology, including AI
Exploring how technology is redefining the accountant’s role, how it might look in the future and how the profession will need to adapt.
The programme also seeks to explore the impact of technological advancements on professional judgement and the potential upskilling required to harness the capabilities of current and future technology tools.
4. Building an exciting and fit-for-purpose profession for future generations
Equipping future accountants with the relevant skills, capabilities and knowledge to ensure accountancy remains a valued, purposeful and attractive profession for future generations.
5. Regulation
Exploring how proportionate regulation can keep up with, and become an enabler of, positive change.
