Season 2 Episode 6: AI and the future of the global Chartered Accountancy profession
Join us for an exclusive episode of Difference Makers Discuss, where we unpack the findings of the inaugural global AI research study conducted by Chartered Accountants Worldwide in collaboration with IPSOS UK.
This groundbreaking report, based on insights from almost 3,000 respondents across 48 countries and 13 professional Chartered Accountancy institutes, reveals how AI is already transforming the profession. It highlights key opportunities, challenges, and the current state of AI adoption, offering a crucial roadmap for Chartered Accountants navigating this digital
shift.
In this episode, Chair of Chartered Accountants Worldwide and CEO of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, Ainslie van Onselen is joined by Alex Russell, Associate Director at Ipsos Corporate Reputation. Together, they will explore the key
findings from the report and discuss the implications for the future of the profession globally.
Broadcasting live on the web and on our LinkedIn channel on Thursday 24th April at 18:00 GMT – Don’t miss it
Saad Bin Asim Zubairi and his journey of Learning, Empathy, and AI
What if a ten-year-old’s love for maths could spark a career that blends finance, empathy and AI for social good? We sit down with Saad Bin Asim Zubairi of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan to unpack how curiosity, grit and global perspective can reshape what a chartered accountant does today.
Meet the Speakers
Alex Russell is an Associate Director at Ipsos Corporate Reputation, working mainly on financial and professional services clients.
Our Host: Ainslie van Onselen, Chair of Chartered Accountants Worldwide, CEO of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ)
Ainslie has been the Chief Executive Officer of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand since May 2020 (CAANZ). For more than 20 years Ainslie enjoyed a parallel career as a law partner and non-executive director, before progressing into senior C-suite executive roles including Managing Director and CEO of RAMS Home Loans and running Australia’s second largest bank, Westpac’s $200 billion retail deposits and credit card portfolio.
Ainslie is passionate about social justice, inclusion and diversity. She is the former Global Director of Women’s Markets, Inclusion and Diversity for Westpac and currently serves as a Commissioner of Legal Aid New South Wales and Chair of New South Wales number one non-select private school, Kambala Girls School and is a member of Chief Executive Women, Australia.
An Australian Financial Review Women of Influence winner and a former 40 under 40 WA Business News and University of Western Australia Award winner, Ainslie was invited to represent CAANZ and the accounting and auditing professions at the Australian Government’s 2022 Jobs Summit.
As well as steering CAANZ’s strategy and digital and data transformation, Ainslie drives CAANZ’s inclusion and diversity agenda and is a prominent advocate for global sustainability and ESG standards.
Watch Past Episodes On Demand
In the final episode of Difference Makers Discuss Season 3, host Sinéad Donovan welcomed back two familiar voices—Brad Hook and Declan Scott, co-authors of the landmark Global Resilience and Well-being Report for Chartered Accountants Worldwide (CAW). Earlier in the year, their inaugural research sparked important conversations about how chartered accountants worldwide are coping with the new realities of work.
In the latest episode of Difference Makers Discuss, host Sinéad Donovan sits down with an extraordinary guest, Carla S. Vijian, a Principal with the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA), whose career spans continents, industries, and some of the most pressing ethical questions of our time.
In the newest episode of Difference Makers Discuss, Sinead Donovan sits down with Nicola Ellam, Managing Principal at CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen) in New York — ranked number 8 among U.S. accounting firms — for a fascinating look at how the profession is transforming through technology, global collaboration, and human-centred leadership.
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