Statement from the Board 7 May 2021

2021 Annual General Meeting

The CPA Australia Annual General Meeting (AGM) was held on Tuesday 27 April at CPA Australia’s offices in Melbourne. This year’s AGM was a hybrid event with members attending in person as well as 158 people watching the meeting online. The Board would like to thank everyone who contributed to the AGM, particularly the members who watched the webcast and submitted questions. A recording of the AGM is now available and responses to questions submitted in advance, or not addressed during the meeting will be published on the website shortly.

CPA Australia website release

The restrictions associated with COVID-19 have highlighted the importance of people being able to connect online and the value of the website as a vehicle for delivering services to members. One of the major projects in which CPA Australia has made significant investment is the development of a new website which has been released. The new website offers a more personalised experience for users with advanced functionality, a more intuitive menu and layout, easier navigation, refreshed content and an improved search function. This initial release represents a step in our journey towards personalisation of the website with further releases to come during the year.

Board of Directors applications open

CPA Australia is calling for expressions of interest for suitably qualified candidates to apply to join the Board of Directors for a three-year term commencing Thursday 1 October 2021. In addition, there is a current casual vacancy for a suitably qualified candidate to join the Board for the remainder of the term from 1 October 2021 to 30 September 2022. Applications close at 5.00PM AEST on Monday 31 May 2021. Full details on the skills and experience required and the relevant selection criteria, as well as information on how to apply are available on the Board of Directors application page.

Semester 1 exams

The Board commends the dedication of ASA members studying the CPA Program who sat their Semester 1 exams between 7 and 25 April. As with semester 2, 2020, CPA Australia offered a hybrid exam model this semester, with candidates in most jurisdictions having the choice between attending an exam centre or sitting an online proctored exam. Overall, there were more than 27,000 subject enrolments from candidates across 60 countries wishing to sit exams in nine CPA Program subjects.

In the lead up to the exam period, we were pleased to note an increase in the number of candidates accessing the learning support services provided through KnowledgEquity, with nearly 21,000 learners (88.7 per cent of candidates) engaging with the webinars, practice exams, discussion forums, and exam preparation resources. Candidates can look forward to the release of results on Friday 4 June 2021.

Certificate presentation ceremonies resuming

With COVID-19 restrictions easing across most parts of Australia and New Zealand, CPA Australia is thrilled to once again host certificate presentation ceremonies to recognise members advancing to CPA and FCPA status, as well as those marking a major membership milestone. Commencing this week in Melbourne, we will be hosting 28 ceremonies across 23 cities and regional locations in Oceania throughout May and June, where we will be celebrating the achievements of more than 4,500 members along with their family, friends and invited guests.

Following a recent event in Ho Chi Minh City, certificate presentations are also scheduled for Hanoi, Hong Kong, Mainland China and Singapore over the coming weeks with other international locations to follow throughout the year, subject to local guidelines on the size of gatherings.

New micro-credentials on leadership

Following the release in 2020 of CPA Australia’s Digital Finance suite of micro-credentials, three new stand-alone micro-credentials on Leadership topics are now available:

• Leading People and Performance
• Strategic Leadership
• Business Management Professional

These self-paced online learning courses are developed by CPA Australia from the Harvard ManageMentor leadership units and enable members to test their knowledge and demonstrate their skills and competencies in key aspects of leadership. Upon successful completion of each course, members earn a digital badge that can be displayed on LinkedIn profiles or digital CVs.

 

Merran Kelsall FCPA
President and Chairman
On behalf of CPA Australia’s Board of Directors