New chair for watchdog?

Fairness and gender inequality in the accounting profession is the topic of new research by Professor Kathryn Haynes, from Northumbria’s Newcastle Business School. Funded by the Leverhulme Trust, she will be building on her existing research in the field of gender and accounting.

Professor Haynes’ research, entitled ‘Contemporary Feminisms and their Emancipatory Implications for Accounting’, will explore systematic inequalities, both in the accounting profession and in the accounting practice itself.

She said: “I hope to generate findings that will be both definitive and impactful in the accounting field and of interest to other disciplines. What we choose to measure or not to measure, such as a person’s labour and other ways they contribute to society, can leave many feeling undervalued – and often underpaid. It is a global issue for the accounting profession and resonates particularly with feminist theories. I am keen to help address these issues in any way I can through my research.” AAT wants to help you start the new year in top gear, with its first-ever student conference. The free-toattend three-day event starts on Wednesday 26 January.

It’s a chance to meet the AAT’s new CEO, Sarah Beale, as she will be discussing how completing her AAT qualification helped her to progress in her career. There are also sessions on AQ2016 vs Q2022, study support tips, and how to be assessment ready.

Steven Drew, Head of Markets and Products at AAT, said: “With all the challenges of the last two years, for many of our students their studies may have taken a back seat. However, our new AAT Student Conference will help them tackle their studies and assessments with confidence and build a successful career in accounting. Students who attend the conference will also receive valuable advice on assessment techniques, CVs and interviews, updates on qualifications timelines, and can find out more about where studying with AAT can take you.”

To sign up go to https://tinyurl. com/42h2rxh7

Jan du Plessis named as preferred candidate for FRC chair

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has named Jan du Plessis (pictured) as the government’s preferred candidate to become the new Chair of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC).

Du Plessis has led a number of FTSE 100 companies, most recently serving as chair of BT Group. Prior to that role he was chair of Rio Tinto, the international mining group, and of SABMiller, the multinational drinks company.

As chair of the FRC he will play a crucial role ensuring high standards of governance and transparency among the UK’s largest and most important businesses. He will be charged with driving forward the ongoing transformation of the FRC into a new, stronger regulator with more powers to hold companies to account – the Audit, Reporting and Governance Authority (ARGA).

Du Plessis’s nomination follows an open competition for the post. The Secretary of State has invited the Commons Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee to hold a pre-appointment scrutiny hearing and to report on Du Plessis’s suitability for the post.

This is in line with the government’s commitment to strengthen the role of Parliament in scrutinising major public appointments. If formally appointed, Du Plessis will serve a four-year term in the role.