ACCA president Ronnie Patton and chief executive Helen Brand share their warmest best wishes with members and future members everywhere...
This is such a special time of the year.
It’s the occasion when we can look back on a year’s achievement – remembering with satisfaction moments which went well – and maybe also reflecting on events which brought us difficulties.
We experienced both in 2023.
It’s also a time when we can pause for a minute to gaze into the future and anticipate the accomplishments which can come our way in 2024.
There’s no doubt that we have continued to see plenty of challenges in the last twelve months. We’ve seen cruel wars rage in the Middle East, Africa and in Europe. We’ve seen continuing economic and geo-political turmoil, and the lingering effects of the global Covid shutdown casting a long shadow.
Yet we can glance in time’s rearview mirror and take enormous satisfaction and pride from the contribution our members and future members have made to make the world a better place in their own ways - in their own organisations, communities and countries.
The story of how they’ve done this in 2023 can be summed up in three words: impact, opportunity and unity.
The stand-out example of maximum impact came near the end of the year, at COP 28 in Dubai.
It marked a major step forward in the world’s efforts to shape a sustainable future, with a commitment to phase out fossil fuels. It was a satisfying moment for all ACCA members. It seemed that world opinion had finally caught up with the concept we have championed for many years – that the only economic future that makes any sense for any of us is one where the needs of people and planet take precedence in business strategy.
It was so pleasing to witness the warmth of the reception our team and our members received in Dubai, notably in the launch of our agenda-shaping report, The role of the CFO and finance function in the climate transition.
It made a real impact, both in the conference and beyond as it attracted widespread media coverage and comment all over the world.
Dubai marked the moment when an idea found its time.
It was also a year when we were true to our purpose in opening up more opportunity to more people, whoever they are and wherever they are in the world.
In our integrated report we were proud to record that we had grown our membership by 2.8% with 247,000 members now supporting sustainable economic growth across 181 countries.
Employers continue to crave the ACCA Qualification, and continue to favour our members when hiring top talent for their teams. ACCA remains the first choice for employers globally, with a net promoter score of +50.9 and 87% of employers stating that they are satisfied with ACCA.
It was also a year when we strengthened the unity of our profession and our worldwide network, building on our status as the greatest professional accountancy body in the world.
We agreed numerous new MoUs, formed fresh alliances, and strenghtened relationships with businesses, public bodies, governments, educators and regulators everywhere. The scale and scope of our reach, status and influence only grew in 2023. Our voice was heard in every corner of business and public policy in every country where our members are active.
It is why we can look ahead to 2024 with optimism and in good heart, and our aim is clear. We continue to strive to ensure that we play our part in giving the world the accountancy profession it needs – motivated by a desire to serve the public good, and to open up ever-more chances of a rewarding, fascinating and useful career to ever-more people.
We know that the coming generation of professionals is motivated by a deep desire to make a real difference in the world.
Our mission is to ensure that more and more people of ambition, vision and talent continue to see their values reflected in what we are and what we do, and that they choose ACCA for their future. Thanks to the splendid example and support of our existing and future members, we can be confident that they will.
Finally, we would like to thank you sincerely for the enormous contribution you have made to ACCA and the accountancy profession in the last year.
We wish you and your families all the very best for 2024, and send you all the happiness, prosperity and peace in the world for the year ahead.
Kindest regards
Ronnie and Helen