Head of Accountancy becomes ICAEW council member
Wed, 02 Oct 2013 12:26:00 BST
Key role as one of the 84 council members that will represent 140,000 chartered accountants worldwide
THE University of Huddersfield’s Head of Accountancy has become one of the 84 council members that will represent 140,000 chartered accountants worldwide.
For more than 20 years departmental head Wilma Teviotdale has played a key role in the education of accountants and now she wants to use her new position to help SMEs in the region.
Regarded as the world leader of the accountancy and finance profession, the ICAEW supports its 140,000 members across the globe through its qualifications and professional development programme and by taking on the role of policing the quality and integrity of the profession.
The Council of the Institute is the supreme governing body and the council members have overarching responsibility for its activities.
Wilma Teviotdale has just completed a successful term of office as President of the West Yorkshire Society of the ICAEW, which is one of the largest in the UK with over 5,500 members. She felt the position of council member was a natural next step and when the elections came round in June, she put herself forward.
“Having completed my term as President, I didn’t feel that I had finished with the tasks that needed to be done. The role of council member is very much a constituency role where as well as representing views we are also able to help the Council to determine key strategies – deciding how are we going to do things, are they working and how does they compare nationally and internationally.”
Chartered accountants can fill the void following the demise of regional development agencies
One of the recent initiatives that the ICAEW has introduced for the UK was a business advice service and the Institute has been actively promoting chartered accountants as business advisers to small to medium-sized businesses, thereby filling the void left following the demise of regional development agencies, like Yorkshire Forward and Business Link.
Although the Institute has been encouraging a ‘bottom-up’ approach, the University’s Head of Accountancy feels that they need to review how they achieve their connections with small businesses.
“There is definitely a black hole in terms of support for SMEs, but, although accountants are very willing to take on the role of business advisers, it’s very difficult to engage with the SMEs. And I’m sure that West Yorkshire isn’t alone in establishing this engagement.
“One of things I want to take forward is find out what is happening in the other regions and to use the regional directors and regional executives as our intelligence to find something that will support this bottom-up approach and encourage SMEs to come to us.”
The benefits of her four-year position as council member and the links which that affords also lifts the University’s reputation and offers opportunities for the students.
“Through my involvement as President, the University has now gained a lot more business links, not just with firms of accountants, but also with other businesses in our area. Being able to invite them into the University, through a series of initiatives and events, is an excellent way of showcasing what we do and how we and our resources can be of benefit to them, which is what the CBI means when it talks about employers engaging with education.
Wilma Teviotdale is not alone in the department in being an ICAEW member and Huddersfield is now one of the universities that comprises the Institute’s Partner in Learning scheme. “This runs alongside the Partners in Accountancy scheme at Huddersfield and, combined, the two give us that additional credibility with firms who traditionally may not have considered this University. Now we are regarded as one of main players in the area.”
