As we approach the new subscription year, I am pleased to share that AIA has continued to uphold the highest standards in professional education and deliver world class services, while making significant strides towards achieving our strategic objectives.
Throughout the past year we have continued to champion environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards, keen to consider and measure our environmental and social impact. A key focus has been on promoting equality, diversity and inclusion. Further strengthening our corporate governance framework, as well as embedding EDI throughout our operations.
I was delighted to welcome Tracey Wilson as our first female Chief Examiner this year, Tracey is a chartered accountant and chartered tax advisor, and senior lecturer at Newcastle University Business School.
From a sustainable perspective we joined other accountancy and finance bodies to urge the UK Government to take transformative action to achieve the global Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. We have encouraged our members to embrace carbon reduction and given them the tools they need to address their carbon footprint through our partnership with Net Zero Now and their Net Zero Accountancy Initiative.
AIA also joined close to 400 organisations in signing a climate declaration in support of new ISSB climate standards, to help drive an enhanced global corporate reporting system and our work to support the Sustainable Finance Education Charter (SFEC) shows our dedication to equipping members with the required tools to lead in sustainable finance.
We have continued forging relationships with policymakers, regulators, professional bodies, and other stakeholders to ensure AIA and our members are represented in key decisions that may affect them. Key consultations we responded to this year included ‘Raising standards in the tax advice market: strengthening the regulatory framework and improving registration’ published by HMRC on 6 March 2024.
We have written to the new UK Government to outline key areas of reform which we consider necessary to strengthen the UK economy and secure future growth and we have published new guidance based on findings from our Anti-Money Laundering (AML) monitoring and supervision activities to assist Members in Practice in complying with AML regulatory requirements.
Our commitment to building international relationships remains strong and we have expanded our international management committees to support the head office in providing member services, outreach and advocacy, and arranging CPD and networking opportunities. I was pleased to be able to join our colleagues in Hong Kong SAR in June to help them to celebrate their 51st Annual Dinner and to have the opportunity to also visit our colleagues in mainland China.
In Europe, we continued our active membership in the European Federation of Accountants and Auditors (EFAA) and I was pleased to head up a delegation to their annual conference in May 2024, where we explored how we can increase the attractiveness of the profession, support the work of IFAC, and develop key guidance to assist SMPs to meet their requirements in a changing market with new ISSB standards. It was an honour to meet the current IFAC CEO, Lee White, and have the chance to discuss the global challenges and opportunities faced by SMPs.
We have also celebrated many AIA members being recognised for their achievements this year, with many award nominations and prizes received. We’ve also had the honour of judging awards ourselves, and being able to recognise both prospective accountancy students through our scholarships programme, and students studying accounting at partner universities.
As we look ahead to another exciting year, our strategy remains focused on driving growth and recognition for AIA while upholding our core values of collaboration, innovation, excellence, integrity, and respect.
Thank you for your continued support.
Shahram Moallemi, AIA President
Renewing your membership ensures that you stay connected with a global network of professionals, access valuable resources, and keep your skills up-to-date with our ongoing support and opportunities for professional development.
The quickest and easiest way to renew your membership and declare your CPD is to login to MyAIA.
RENEW TODAYWe want to know what's important to you, what you value about your AIA membership, and how we can improve the services we offer.
Complete our membership survey today and you could win a year's membership just for taking part. One member will be selected from all valid completed surveys within 7 days of the survey closing on 1 October 2024.
TAKE THE SURVEY