
FORMAT: 1.5 hours WEBINAR
REGISTRATION: Advance registration required (Maximum 1,000 registrations)
Open to members of each of the five CCAB Bodies
PRICING: FREE TO ATTEND
This free webinar introduces the CCAB Draft Statement to the Profession on the Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence and discusses a series of scenarios concerning ethical issues that professional accountants may encounter in their use of AI tools.
The webinar will feature experts from the CCAB Bodies and a Q&A session with representatives from the CCAB Ethics Group.
12:00-12:10 Welcome and introduction | Professor Susan Smith (Chair, CCAB Ethics Group)
12:10-12:20 The Draft CCAB Statement on the Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence | Julia Penny (ICAEW)
12:20-12:50 The CCAB Ethics and AI Case Studies | Alistair Brisbourne (ACCA); David Lyford-Tilley (CIPFA); Jaci Badenhorst (ICAS)
12:50-13:00 Ethical decision-making when using AI – key takeaways | Níall Fitzgerald (CAI)
13:00-13:25 Q&A session with presenters and representatives of the CCAB Ethics Group | Professor Susan Smith (ICAEW), Professor Pat Barker (CAI), Samuel Ennis (ICAS)
13:25-13:30 Chair’s closing remarks
Why you should attend
1.5 HOURS OF CPD
Who should attend?
This event is open to members of the five CCAB bodies, as well as anyone with an interest in how the accountancy profession is responding to current and emerging ethical challenges.
It will be particularly relevant to accountants and finance professionals, regulators, professional bodies and policymakers, and others with an interest in professional ethics, including the ethical implications of AI and emerging technologies.
The webinar is free to attend. However, registration is essential.
To register, please click the adjacent button or scroll down to the registration form and press the green “Register” button.
Speakers
Chair: Professor Susan Smith
Professor of Accounting at University College London and Chair of the CCAB Ethics Group
Susan Smith is Deputy Director (Student Experience) and a Professor of Accounting at UCL School of Management. Susan is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and holds a PhD in Accounting from the University of Sussex. She is a National Teaching Fellow (2022) and a Principal Fellow of Advance HE. She was awarded these fellowships in recognition of her work to enhance the student experience.
Susan is a member of the IFAC International Panel on Accountancy Education. She is also currently the Chair of the Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies (CCAB) Ethics Committee and is a member of the ICAEW Education and Training Board. Before becoming an academic, Susan worked in various roles in practice and industry, including as a Director at Fitch Ratings.
Julia Penny
Julia Penny was President of ICAEW in 2022–2023, having been a non-executive ICAEW Board member since 2017 and Chair of the Board during her year as President. Julia was a member of ICAEW Council until 2025 and is a past chair of the CCAB and of both the ICAEW Technical Advisory and Ethics Advisory Committees. She was also a member of the ICAEW Technical Strategy and Financial Reporting Faculty Boards and of the AAT’s Council and audit committee.
Outside of this volunteer involvement Julia is a well-known speaker and writer on ethics, audit, financial reporting, anti-money laundering and wider issues impacting the profession. Julia uses her technical writing skills to provide content for publishers, software companies and firms or networks wishing to write and implement their own policies and procedures.
Alistair Brisbourne
Head of Technology Research within the Policy and Insights team at ACCA
Alistair leads on research that supports the ACCA’s global technology and skills agenda. He is currently interested in exploring opportunities for and the implications of wider artificial intelligence adoption and what this means for the future of finance. Alistair joined the ACCA from BDO LLP where he worked as a manager in Research and Commercial Insights. He holds an MSc from University College Dublin and a Doctorate from Royal Holloway, University of London. Alistair worked as a Lecturer at the University of London prior to moving into professional services.
David Lyford-Tilley
Head of Standards and Technical, CIPFA
David leads CIPFA’s work on public sector standard-setting, and technical support via CIPFA’s Networks. He is the project sponsor for CIPFA’s ‘Tech in Focus’ series and is an expert on technology’s impact on the accounting profession, having written CIPFA’s own AI use policy.
Jaci Badenhorst
Jaci is a finance transformation and AI governance leader at NatWest Group, where he serves as Finance AI Lead and Product Owner for the bank’s internal generative AI platform. In this role, he focuses on enabling responsible adoption of emerging technology at scale, with an emphasis on strong risk management, clear accountability, and practical governance that supports innovation while protecting colleagues, customers, and the organisation.
Jaci began his career at PwC working in Assurance and Business Recovery Services, before moving into FP&A at NatWest. He later transitioned into data and technology, bringing together financial rigour with hands-on experience of building and governing digital capabilities in a regulated environment. Alongside his industry role, Jaci chairs the ICAS AI Working Group. His work connects professional ethics, assurance-minded thinking, and real-world experience of deploying AI.
Professor Pat Barker
Patricia Barker is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland. She holds an MPhil from Trinity College, a Diploma in Counselling from Maynooth University and a PhD from DCU which developed a paradigm of disclosure of financial information to employees in Public Interest Entities. She currently is an adjunct professor in Business Ethics in DCU. She has published extensively in the areas of Financial Reporting, Women in the Professions, Business Ethics and Corporate Governance.
Professor Barker chaired Ireland’s Financial Accounting Board for twenty one years, representing Ireland on the Accounting Standards Board in London, and served for two periods as Council Member of Chartered Accountants Ireland. A previous chair of the Irish Blood Transfusion Service Board, she has served as a board member and Audit Committee chair of various public bodies, including the Higher Education Authority, Dublin Bus, Tallaght Hospital, the Marine Institute Ltd, the Health Service Executive and the Courts Service.
Samuel Ennis
Samuel Ennis is a Chartered Accountant (ICAS) and Fellow of the Association of Tax Technicians. Samuel qualified with KPMG, founded the ICAS Ethics Board and was involved in The Power of One paper and the ICAS Ethical Oath. Samuel is Head of Tax for a financial services group based in London.
Níall Fitzgerald
Níall Fitzgerald is Head of Ethics & Governance at Chartered Accountants Ireland, with expertise in business ethics, corporate governance, advocacy and regulatory engagement. He is the author of several guides for accountants, including the recent Ethical Use of AI Technologies: A Concise Guide for Accountants. A non-executive director, committee chair and governance adviser, he also lectures on corporate governance programmes at the Institute of Banking and UCD Michael Smurfit Business School.











