2022 was another year of great resilience and accomplishment for CPA Ireland, our members and students. Some of the highlights throughout the year include the signing of a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) with the International Qualifications Appraisals Board in the USA (IQAB). IQAB represents the interests of both the American Institute of CPAs and the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy in the USA (NASBA). This MRA provides an abbreviated qualification pathway for eligible accounting professionals in the U.S. and Ireland to practice in the partner countries.

We had the pleasure of announcing a new partnership with the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors (CIIA). Members of CPA Ireland now have the option to join the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors by passing the online CIA challenge exam and satisfying the qualifications for good standing.

Sustainability continues to be big on the agenda for CPA Ireland in 2023. In September 2022, we launched the CPA Ireland Sustainability Hub to ensure CPAs are at the forefront of Sustainability and to help guide members and students to develop Sustainability strategies for business. This hub has proven to be extremely successful, and we will be expanding on this hub in 2023 to introduce micro credentials in different areas of Sustainability. You can access the hub at https://www.cpaireland.ie/Resources/CPA-Sustainability-Hub

Towards the end of 2022, we were delighted to return to our in-person events. We ran three in person networking events in the final quarter of 2022, the President’s Business Breakfast in Cork as well as two Women in Business events, one in Cork and one in Dublin. The positive atmosphere, the enjoyable networking and the exceptional speakers all contributed to these wonderful events and reminded us of the great community we have at CPA Ireland.

We were delighted to once again host an in person Conferring Ceremony which took place on 3 December 2022 in the O’Reilly Hall in UCD. It was uplifting to celebrate the success and dedication of our new members and student prize winners, and I would like to wish them every success in their future careers and look forward to them becoming involved with the Institute on many levels. It was particularly enjoyable to spend time with the conferees and prize winners after the ceremony and to meet their family and friends..

2023 looks to be another exciting year with many projects in the pipeline. Later this year we will be launching a new post qualification specialism in Fintech, Cryptocurrency and AI. This qualification will offer participants the option to complete a full Diploma or to take standalone modules.

This year CPA Ireland is working on a particularly exciting project that will benefit both our students and our members. With funding from Skillnet Ireland we are developing a training programme using immersive technology tools. The finished product will be accessed in The Metaverse which provides a platform for immersive, collaborative, and customizable learning that can enhance learning outcomes and make the learning process more enjoyable.

At the beginning of this year, we were sorry to say farewell to Gillian Peters and Caroline Moloney who have left CPA Ireland to pursue new endeavours, and we wish them all the best for the future. We are delighted to welcome Jude Condell who took up the position of Business Development Lead, and we look forward to working with Jude on new and exciting projects throughout the year.

We are looking forward to another busy year and all that is to come in 2023.