This month, our main interview is with Nirala Singh FCCA. She is head of finance at BAT Bangladesh, but the Trinidad and Tobago-born Nirala, her husband and two children have relocated to five countries – including Costa Rica, Romania and Mexico – in three continents during her career. Read more about her global view here.
The US went to the polls, and we now know the outcome. Undoubtedly, the country is at a turning point – as is the finance profession, following a landmark presidential election that looks likely to create plenty of work for accountants and consultants. The policy shifts and sweeping changes to the tax code, business regulations, environmental policy and trade tariffs could affect your business. Find out why here.
In Europe, will companies be bidding adieu to France? French government plans for special ‘exceptional and temporary’ taxes on the highest-earning individuals and largest-turnover companies will not make those targeted flee France, an aide close to budget minister Laurent Saint-Martin has stressed to AB. Learn more here.
Las Vegas has been playing host to the Microsoft Excel World Championship, an annual competition bringing together Excel experts from around the globe to dance their digits across keyboards in a bid to prove they are the kings and queens of data crunching. Proof, if ever it was needed, that the death of the spreadsheet has been greatly exaggerated. Check out the formula for success here.
The Economist’s Big Mac Index has been amusing finance executives for some time now, but it does make a serious point about the best ways to understand undervalued and overvalued currencies. Turns out, it goes down well with BEER as well. Get your teeth into it here.
Finally, if you missed ACCA’s annual conference Accounting for the Future, which took place at the end of November, don’t panic – you can still feast on the insights. With the theme of ‘Embracing the disruption’, the three-day event looked at trends and developments affecting professional accountants around the world, including opportunities around new technology, imperatives for sustainability, and the new skills needed in this fast-moving landscape. Register here to attend on demand.
