Francisco Sant'Anna became IFAC Board member in November 2022, nominated by the Institute of Independent Auditors of Brazil and the Federal Council of Accountants of Brazil.

Mr. Sant'Anna is the Chairman of the Board of IBRACON. He is a retired audit partner of Deloitte Brazil. He is also a past president of IBRACON, a Board member of Deloitte Brazil, and the Regulatory Leader and Public Policy Leader of Deloitte Brazil.

Mr. Sant'Anna has a degree in accounting.

Professor Sidharta Utama joined the IFAC Board in November 2022, nominated by the Institute of Indonesia Chartered Accountants (IAI).

He is a professor of Accounting at Universitas Indonesia (UI). He serves as an independent commissioner, chair and member of audit committee in a number of listed companies. He is the chair of the advisory board of the Indonesia Institute for Corporate Directorship and the secretary of the National Committee on Governance Policy, Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs. He has been the vice rector on finance and general affairs at UI and the chairman of the Indonesia Commodity Futures Trading Regulatory Agency.

Prof. Utama serves as a member of IAI National Council, the oversight board at the Indonesian Institute of Chartered Public Accountants, the steering committee on Financial Accounting policy of the central bank, and the Committee on Public Accountant Profession, Ministry of Finance. He represents IAI as the council member of ASEAN Federation of Accountants. He was also a member of the International Accounting Education Standards Board and the Indonesian Accounting Standards Board.

Prof. Utama obtained his undergraduate degree in accounting from UI, MBA in finance and information system from Indiana University, and PhD in accounting from Texas A&M university. He is a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Financial Analyst and has published research papers in accounting, corporate governance, and finance.

Kathryn Byrne joined the IFAC Board in November 2022 having been nominated by the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants. She previously served as a member of IFAC’s Nominating Committee (2018-2021), chair of the Compliance Advisory Panel (2016-2017), and member of the Compliance Advisory Panel (2010-2015).

Ms. Byrne has more than 35 years of experience delivering services to domestic and foreign corporations, ensuring they are following US GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). She was a member of the Group Governance Council of the  Mazars Group from 2010 to 2023 and was a board member of a public company, where she held many roles on different committees. She is involved in several not-for-profit organizations and is a mentor to a Liberian student for SHE-CAN. She is a Emeriti Member of the James Madison University College of Business Board of Advisors.

Ms. Byrne graduated from James Madison University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and Finance. She also completed the Mazars Next MBA Program.

Cecile Bonino is Principal of Global Engagement for IFAC. She bridges global organizations' relationship management, policy support, event management, and brand awareness. A lawyer by education, Cecile has 20 years of experience in public affairs and public relations. Before joining IFAC, Cecile worked for 13 years at ACCA, where she headed EU Affairs and the ACCA Brussels office, working with European decision and policymakers, Media and key influencers, as well as global organizations. Prior to this, Cécile worked as a consultant in financial services, energy, environment, and climate change at Weber Shandwick and as Environment and Legal Affairs adviser at the European Landowners Organisation. At the beginning of her career, Cécile also worked at the DG TRADE of the European Commission, the DG Development of the College of Europe, and the law firm, Gide Loyrette Nouel. In 2012, Cécile won the ‘Public Affairs Professional of the Year’ prize at the European Public Affairs Awards.

Ce nouveau rapport guidera les organisations comptables professionnelles dans la manière dont elles peuvent agir aujourd'hui pour préparer leurs membres actuels et futurs à saisir les opportunités présentées par les tendances émergentes en utilisant les informations du groupe consultatif et de développement des organisations comptables professionnelles de l'IFAC.

This webinar will update attendees on planned changes to the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board’s proposed standard for Audits of Less Complex Entities (ISA for LCE), including changes since the Exposure Draft and the forecasted project timeline, as well as provide an opportunity for participants to ask questions. This one-hour webinar is organized by the European Federation of Accountants and Auditors for SMEs (EFAA), IAASB and IFAC and will include speakers from all three organizations.

The International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) has selected Mrs. Olivia Kirtley of the United States and Mr. Edward Olowo-Okere of Nigeria as the 2022 recipients of the IFAC Global Leadership Award, recognizing their contributions to the advancement of the global accountancy profession and capital markets.

Mrs. Olivia Kirtley

Mrs. Kirtley is an internationally known expert in accounting, risk management, and governance. She served as the first female Chair of the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) and later became Chair of the AICPA Board of Examiners administering the U.S. CPA Exam.

While serving as the first female Deputy President and later President of IFAC, Mrs. Kirtley worked on important reforms to IFAC’s constitution and support for Professional Accountants in Industry. As President, she focused on promoting diversity within the profession, capacity building, strong governance structures and public sector financial management.

Since leaving IFAC, Mrs. Kirtley has continued breaking the glass ceiling for women with ongoing service on corporate boards, including current service as Director of Papa John’s International, Inc., a publicly traded company listed on the NASDAQ; Lead Independent Director of U.S. Bancorp, the parent company of US Bank, a NYSE and Fortune 500 company; and Director and Audit Committee Chair of Bexion Pharmaceuticals.

Mrs. Kirtley is a member of the Accounting Hall of Fame and an AICPA Gold Medal winner, which is the highest honor granted by the AICPA. In addition, in 2020, she was named the first recipient of the American Woman's Society of CPAs (AWSCPA) Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes women who have demonstrated leadership and a strong record of accomplishment in furthering the advancement of women in the accounting profession.

“It is a privilege to present this award to Olivia, IFAC's first female president," said President Alan Johnson. "Through her leadership of the AICPA and IFAC, and work on many corporate boards, Olivia has used her expertise in accounting, risk management, and governance to lead the development of the profession across the world, including as a role model for aspiring female accountants, and has continually enhanced the reputation and trust of our profession. Her international reach and steadfast commitment to the public interest have been of immeasurable service to the profession."

Mr. Edward Olowo-Okere

Mr. Olowo-Okere has over three decades of experience working on development issues around the world. He is Senior Adviser in the Equitable Growth, Finance, and Institutions (EFI) Vice Presidency at the World Bank.

Previously, Mr. Olowo-Okere was the Global Director for the Governance Global Practice where he led the Practice to support client countries in building accountable, transparent, and inclusive institutions to facilitate private-sector growth and build trust in governments. He joined the World Bank in 1998 and has held various positions in operations, including Director of Governance overseeing Africa, MENA and ECA regions, and Director of the Core Operational Services Department in the Africa region. Before joining the Bank, he worked in Nigeria, Britain, and New Zealand.

Mr. Olowo-Okere was instrumental in establishing Pan African Federation of Accountants, playing a crucial role in facilitating engagements amongst the key stakeholders that culminated in the organization’s launch in Senegal in May 2011. Specifically, he facilitated several conversations, provided guidance on drafting the PAFA constitution, and presided over the launch event. Over the years, Ed has actively supported PAFA, especially by speaking at various forums, providing advisory input to the Board and leadership, and, more recently, serving as a 10-year PAFA advisory committee member. PAFA currently has a membership of 56 Professional Accountancy Organizations from 45 countries. Amongst other contributions, Ed served on the IFAC’s Developing Nations Committee (DNC) and a Group that transformed DNC to Professional Accountancy Organization Development Committee (PAODC).

In 2021, Mr. Olowo-Okere was recognized by the World Economic Forum Global Future Council on Agile Governance as one of the world’s 50 most influential people driving agile initiatives to ensure governments can effectively navigate disruptions like COVID-19 and the climate crisis.

"I am honored to present this award to Ed, a passionate global leader with over thirty years of significant global contributions to the accountancy profession and the public sector," said President Alan Johnson. "Ed was instrumental in the development of the Pan African Federation of Accountants (PAFA) in 2011 and has played a leading role in developing a strong accountancy profession across the world."

Established in 2017 by the IFAC Board, the IFAC Global Leadership Award in Honor of Robert Sempier recognizes individuals who make outstanding contributions to the global accountancy profession. The award honors the contributions of Robert Sempier, IFAC’s first executive director who greatly contributed to the development of the profession worldwide.

The Global Leadership Award was presented during IFAC’s Council meeting, held on November 15, 2022.

About IFAC

IFAC is the global organization for the accountancy profession dedicated to serving the public interest by strengthening the profession and contributing to the development of strong international economies. IFAC is comprised of 180 members and associates in 135 jurisdictions, representing more than 3 million accountants in public practice, education, government service, industry, and commerce.

The International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), the voice of the global accountancy profession, announces the election of Asmâa Resmouki as its President. Mrs. Resmouki is the first IFAC President from the Africa-Middle East region and the third female President. She will serve a two-year term through November 2024, serving previously as IFAC Deputy President since November 2020.

“I am honored to have been elected IFAC’s next president, and proud to be the organization’s first president from the Africa – Middle East Region.  This is a clear example of IFAC leading by example in the area of diversity,” said Mrs. Resmouki.  “I look forward to continuing to work with IFAC’s Board and management to deliver on our public interest mandate, and to progress our positive impacts on a strong and sustainable accountancy profession, strong and sustainable private and public sector organizations, and strong and sustainable financial markets and economies.”

Mrs. Resmouki joined the IFAC Board in November 2017, originally nominated by the Ordre Des Experts Comptables—Morocco. She served as the Governance Committee Chair in 2020, before taking the role of the Planning and Finance Committee (PFC) Chair in 2021 and 2022. In addition to her work with IFAC, she was the first female President of the Pan African Federation of Accountants (PAFA), after serving on the PAFA Board for six years.

Mrs. Resmouki has over 30 years of experience in the profession, including as a Big-4 Audit partner at EY and Deloitte. In 2020, she started her consultancy practice where she has been assisting different organizations in projects relating to the profession and to advisory services.  

Jean Bouquot Named Deputy President

IFAC also announced the election of Jean Bouquot as Deputy President.  Mr. Bouquot joined the IFAC Board in November 2020, nominated by Compagnie Nationale des Commissaires aux Comptes (CNCC) and Conseil National de l'Ordre des Experts-Comptables . Mr. Bouquot served as president of the CNCC from 2017 to 2020 and was also a President and Deputy President of the Compagnie des Commissaires aux Comptes (CRCC) de Versailles from 2015 to 2017. He currently serves as a Board member of the Fédération Internationale des Experts Comptables et Commissaires aux Comptes Francophones (FIDEF).

Mr. Bouquot has over 42 years of experience as an auditor in various positions with a wide exposure to international activities. He was a Partner with EY from 2002 until 2020 and was in charge of the company’s assurance service line for France/Luxembourg/Maghreb from 2008 to 2015.

New Board Members Elected

IFAC also announced new board members, maintaining a female-majority board for the fourth consecutive year. IFAC places a priority on diversity in professional, gender, and geographic representation on its board and advisory groups.

The new and reappointed IFAC Board members and their nominating member organizations are:

New appointments:

• Ms. Kathryn Byrne (AICPA, USA)
• Mr. Francisco A. M. Sant’Anna (CFC / IBRACON, Brazil)
• Prof. Sidharta Utama (IAI, Indonesia)

Reappointments:

• Mrs. Fiona Wilkinson (CCAB (ICAEW), UK)
• Mr. Yeong Kyun Ahn (KICPA, Korea, Republic of)
• Ms. Joan Curry (CAI, Ireland)
• Ms. Caroline Gardner (CIPFA, UK)
• Dr. Winnie Nyamute (ICPAK, Kenya)
• Mr. Ismaila Zakari (ICAN, Nigeria)

New IFAC Member Organizations Admitted

In addition to the election of new Board members, the IFAC Council also approved a new member and new associate member organizations.

New IFAC Member:

• Ordre National des Experts-Comptables et des Comptables Agréés du Burkina Faso

New Associates:

• Association of Professional Financial Managers (Azerbaijan)
• Ordre National des Experts Comptables et des Comptables Agréés du Mali
• Qatari Association of Certified Public Accountants
• Auditors' Chamber of Ukraine

The new appointments and membership decisions were approved at IFAC’s 2022 Council meeting, held on November 15.

About IFAC

IFAC is the global organization for the accountancy profession dedicated to serving the public interest by strengthening the profession and contributing to the development of strong international economies. IFAC is comprised of more than 180 members and associates in 135 jurisdictions, representing more than 3 million accountants in public practice, education, government service, industry, and commerce.

In 2020 we produced an evergreen Strategic Plan: one that has the flexibility to adapt to emerging opportunities and risks, but which is also anchored in our Vision, Purpose, Values, and Strategic Objectives, which have proven durable and stood the test of time.

Several factors influenced our thinking as we worked on updating the Strategic Plan for 2023.