What’s on the agenda? Highlights from Members Board September 2024
From Area Networks and international communities to improving how we communicate with members, find out what was on the agenda at the recent meeting of ICAS Members Board.
Members Board provides strategic direction, guidance, oversight and challenge to the work we undertake to support and engage our members and students.
The board last met on Wednesday 25 September to discuss a packed agenda of topics.
Welcoming new board members
Three new members joined the board in September, Lyndsay Browne CA, David Green CA, and Chris Wongsosaputro CA, bringing new ideas, experience and fresh perspectives. Find out more about them and the rest of the Board here. In addition to the new members, six members whose first term ended in September, are remaining on the board for their second three-year term.
Whether it’s AI developments or global networks – connectivity is key
At each meeting, the board hear the key points on the work of ICAS Council, and Oversight Board. They also hear from board members who sit on other ICAS committees, panels and groups. This all helps to ensure knowledge sharing, awareness and connectivity.
Iain McMichael CA shared that the AI Working Group have been discussing the ethical implications of AI and how AI affects professional judgement. The group are in conversation with several organisations looking at sharing material to support the production of bite-sized resources for members.
Ken Croarkin CA has been a Chartered Accountants Worldwide (CAW) Network USA board member, since 2020 and provided an overview of the important role they provide for ICAS members based in North America. Funded by several accountancy bodies, including ICAS, CAW Network USA recently expanded to support CAs in Canada and the Caribbean, providing a mix of in-person networking and online events, professional development resources and guidance on reciprocity.
Improving member communications
A key part of the Members Board workplan is the member engagement and value strategy work and the board focussed on member communication channels in this meeting. Our recent campaign encouraging members to update their profiles went well with the completion rate exceeding targets. Gathering members’ interests enables us to give our members more personalised content, and we now have four versions of the CA weekly email. It’s important members continue to update their preferences - by doing so you will receive more relevant content to you.
Next up was a discussion on the plans for the annual membership renewal communications and fees, where board members shared positive feedback on the new value of membership brochure.
Views and volunteers
The board were interested to hear more about our ethical leadership survey which will be published later this year, alongside the results from in-depth member interviews exploring the survey results.
ICAS has over 300 member volunteers on our boards, committees and panels. The board were supportive of plans to raise the profile of this vital work throughout 2025, as a part of a wider programme celebrating the benefits of getting involved, and the volunteer members who give back.
Regulatory landscape
Robert Mudge, ICAS Executive Director of Regulation, joined the meeting to discuss changes in the regulatory landscape, firm visits and gathered the board’s views on the impact on members of CPD reporting to take to Council. The Regulation Team are now offering a quarterly regulation news update via email for PC holders, as well as other individuals holding ICAS licences.
Area Networks and international communities
To round-off a packed agenda, the board engaged in break-out groups agreeing actions to develop a good communication flow through Area Networks and International Ambassadors. They play an important role in sharing key ICAS initiatives and engagement opportunities and feeding back the pressing issues for members and students.
The oversight of Area Networks and International Communities remains a priority for the board, to ensure that ICAS supports and adapts its national and international communities to meet member needs.
The board will next meet on Wednesday 13 November.
Would you be interested in getting involved with Members Board?
Being a member of the board provides an opportunity to make a positive contribution to the work of ICAS and help shape the member engagement strategy. It’s also a great way to network with CAs from across a variety of sectors and backgrounds and gain experience of being part of an influential ICAS board.
The board is governed by ICAS Council. To ensure the composition of the committee reflects the diversity of the changing membership demographics we are looking for members from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. We particularly welcome applications from ethnically diverse people and other minority groups.
