Update from the CPA Australia Board 28 September 2023

President’s message

This is my final update as President and Chair of CPA Australia. It has been a tremendous privilege to serve in this role for the past three years and I’m very grateful for the wonderful support I’ve received from members, fellow directors and all of CPA Australia’s employees. I’m proud of what we have achieved on behalf of members, and I step down as President confident that the organisation is well placed to meet the challenges ahead.

On behalf of the board, I’d also like to thank CEO Andrew Hunter for his strong leadership in guiding the organisation since April 2018. As announced in July's board update, Andrew has resigned effective from March 2024, when he will pursue the next phase of his career in Europe. It has been a great pleasure working alongside Andrew who continues to make a significant contribution to CPA Australia and its members.

Board of Directors appointments

CPA Australia is pleased to announce the election of a President and Chair and two Deputy Presidents, as well as the reappointment of one director and the appointment of three new directors to the board.

Congratulations to John Curtin Distinguished Professor Dale Pinto FCPA on being elected as President and Chair of CPA Australia. I also congratulate Warren McRae FCPA and Louise Cox FCPA on being elected as Deputy Presidents. Dale has previously served as Deputy President for three years, and Warren for one year, while Louise has been a director for four years. They are united in their dedication to advance the needs of members and make sure CPA Australia remains a leading voice in the profession. Each of these appointments is for 12 months from 1 October 2023.

Congratulations also to Anthony Wright who has been re-elected to the board as a non-member director for a three-year term commencing 1 October 2023. Anthony brings to the board unique and valuable experience across a broad range of specialised fields including legal, governance, risk and compliance, finance, ESG and marketing.

Three new directors have also been appointed to the board:

Member directors

• Kaushika Jayalath CPA, is an experienced Solutions Consultant at Oracle Corporation specialising in higher education, implementing cloud technology solutions to drive enterprise finance transformations and sustainable change management.

• Anna Quinn FCPA, a senior executive and company director with extensive experience across a broad range of industries, including marketing, media, digital, ecommerce, retail and consumer business.

Non-member director

• Sarah Adam-Gedge CA, is a chartered accountant with extensive experience as a CEO and executive leader in the digital transformation and technology industry and as a non-executive director across a range of listed, private and not-for-profit organisations, including Austal Ltd, Codan Ltd, Bravura Solutions Ltd, Kinetic IT Pty Ltd and Cricket Australia.

Sarah, Kaushika and Anna have been appointed for a three-year term commencing 1 October 2023. We welcome them to the board and congratulate them on being appointed as directors. The Appointments Council, comprising members elected from CPA Australia's Divisional Councils, made the new director appointments in accordance with CPA Australia's Constitution.

I have completed my term as President and Chair of CPA Australia and will also be retiring from the Board. Rosemary Sinclair AM FCPA and Helen Lorigan, having completed their second three-year terms, are also retiring from the Board effective from 30 September. I take this opportunity to thank Rosemary and Helen for their tireless work and the incredible contribution they have made as directors.