Wise farming folk in my corner of Northern Ireland have an old saying: ‘You don’t fatten a pig by weighing it.’ That nugget of homespun wisdom holds a wider truth that applies just as equally to business. In other words, it’s a mistake to get hung up on numbers and measurements while ignoring the value of the thing you are measuring. It might sound paradoxical for an accountant to say it, but we shouldn’t fixate on figures.
So the announcement this month that ACCA has reached the incredible landmark of a quarter of a million members made me reflect that, staggering and impressive as the number is, the significance of what it represents is even mightier. It is a mark of how much our impact is growing all around the world.
It also shows that our purpose – to give the world the accountancy profession it needs – is more relevant than it has ever been, and that our age-old values – of integrity, innovation and inclusion – are increasingly appealing. We are attracting a new generation that views accountancy and ACCA as a brilliant choice to build a satisfying, rewarding and worthwhile career.
It demonstrates that, in the year when we also celebrate our 120th anniversary, ACCA is above all else a forward-looking, progressive, modern organisation. Our members are able to respond to the increasingly sophisticated expectations and needs of employers, and society.
We are all adapting to new priorities in a changed world, developing skills to address the impact of climate change, the march of technology and changing priorities in the workplace.
The qualification should be accessible regardless of background or geography
We talk a lot about removing artificial barriers to membership. ACCA was founded on principles of inclusion, and we are proud that our membership spans 180 countries across six continents, with nearly half of our members being women. It’s as important to us today as it was 120 years ago that the qualification should be accessible regardless of background and geography.
Steps we’ve taken in terms of digital accessibility have also meant that members, as well as all our future members and partners in business and education, can get all the help and support from ACCA they need or want, wherever they are and whenever they want it.
Our far-seeing founders would surely nod with satisfaction at how we are making the vision come true, all around the world, for more and more people – 250,000, and counting…
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Read about ACCA’s new strategy
