‘It’s been a whirlwind,’ Louise Johnston FCCA says as she reflects on her first months as chair of ACCA Ireland. Her new role coincides with the launch of ACCA’s new global strategy, and Johnston is excited about the opportunity to share the vision and engage with members.
‘I’m delighted to be a voice for the new strategy and also to be able to provide feedback to ACCA Global Council,’ she says. ‘Being a spokesperson for Irish members is something I take seriously. The role of chair is about listening as much as anything else.’
‘Students are so enthusiastic for their future role as accountants’
At the Accountancy School ACCA Awards in Dublin, Johnston was ‘blown away by the number of graduates getting first in the world in their exams’, while at Queen’s Business School in Belfast she was impressed by the passion and determination of students who had spent their formative years under the shadow of Covid-19. ‘They’ve come through so much and are so enthusiastic for their future role as accountants.’
Sharing and executing on vision is part and parcel of the day job for Johnston. As finance director for the Strategic Investment Board (SIB), she plays a lead role in an organisation at the heart of the infrastructural and social transformation of Northern Ireland. Set up in 2003, SIB is an arm’s length body sponsored by the Executive Office supporting investment planning and investment delivery. SIB is mandated to deliver the investment strategy for Northern Ireland.
CV
2024
Chair, ACCA Ireland
2023
Finance director, Strategic Investment Board
2022
Chair, Belfast International Arts Festival
2016
Board member, Belfast International Arts Festival
2015
Member, ACCA Ulster
2014
Finance manager, Strategic Investment Board
2012
Accountant, Northern Ireland Civil Service
2005
Accountant, Mercedes-Benz Belfast
Decisive move
It doesn’t take long in conversation with Johnston to register her passion for a role with community at its heart, so it may be a surprise to learn that she didn’t set out with any great ambitions to work in the public sector. After graduating from Ulster University, her first accountancy role was with Mercedes-Benz of Belfast, in 2005, and she fondly recalls the ‘glitz and glamour’ that came with selling at the luxury end of the market.
‘If you put 100 accountants in a room, very few will have the same job’
By the time she became an ACCA member, in 2008, opportunities in the private sector ‘had fallen off a cliff’. Johnston made a decisive move out of her comfort zone, first taking on a role with the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister before moving to the SIB, where, in 2023, she was appointed to her current position.
‘I realised early into the move that while there were things I missed about the private sector, I found great satisfaction in the more meaningful and purposeful work,’ she says frankly.
Attending an ACCA members network event for the first time in 2014, Johnston felt immediately at home. ‘I loved the energy and buzz. If you put 100 accountants in a room, very few will have the same job. That’s what I love about what our qualification does.’ This event helped set her on the path to ACCA Ireland chair.
Johnston has also come to see some strong parallels between the public sector and the challenges facing many in the profession.
‘One of the biggest discussion points at the moment is attracting and retaining talent’
‘Talking to ACCA members, one of the biggest discussion points at the moment is attracting and retaining talent,’ she notes. ‘What I see being prioritised in both instances is the development of a strong work culture, where people feel valued and where we are giving individuals a meaningful and interesting career.’
All adds up
A love of maths in her schooldays has been vindicated by her career path, but Johnston says that her teachers might be surprised that the student with no fondness for PE ‘took up running in my late 20s and have run dozens of half marathons and a couple of marathons since then’.
The younger Johnston was also faced with a career choice that she wasn’t minded to say ‘yes’ to. ‘My mother owned a bridal boutique, and countless weekends and late nights were spent there in my teenage years,’ she recalls. ‘I learned a lot about business in a highly competitive market which demanded strategic marketing and careful inventory selection. However, as a career, I was clear that it was not my calling.’
‘I never would have dreamed that Belfast would be on the map as a city people really wanted to visit’
Strategic Investment Board
SIB, on behalf of Ministers, is responsible for creating the Investment Strategy for NI, in collaboration with The Executive Office, Department of Finance and spending departments.
It is one of the Executive’s three high-level policy documents, consistent with the Executive’s Programme for Government (PfG) and Budget, and will be supported by other policies including 10x and Green Growth.
The draft Investment Strategy for Northern Ireland sets key objectives for infrastructure investment in the region for the next thirty years and the next ISNI is currently in draft.
Johnston reflects that there may be a little irony in ultimately choosing ACCA for its global dimension while ‘having my roots firmly planted in Northern Ireland and never having a professional role outside of Belfast’. It helps, of course, that her career choices have been tied into Belfast’s transformation on the world stage. ‘When I was younger I never would have dreamed Northern Ireland would be the place it is today or that Belfast would be on the map as a city people really wanted to visit,’ she says.
Outside of work, her involvement in the Belfast International Arts Festival, culminating as chair, has played a contributing factor. ‘As an accountant, you go into these positions with your governance hat on,’ she says. ‘It was inspiring to see into the arts world while being that critical friend and support. When you can take the skills and experience you’ve gained from previous roles and apply them to different challenges and sectors, it is hugely rewarding.’
It’s an approach that has served Johnston well to date and is set pay dividends in the coming year.
