From its origins in ancient Mesopotamia 7,000 years ago, accounting has progressed from simply recording the growth of crops and herds.
Forget the ‘bean counter’ image. The role of the modern accountant extends beyond mere number-crunching to communicating financial information to a wide audience: business owners, managers, shareholders and regulators among them.
Significant changes to the regulatory framework and shifts in the economic, political and social environments in which accountants work have put the profession under enormous pressure in the past decade, and this has been exacerbated by skill shortages.
The accountant of the future needs to be adaptable, to continue developing technical expertise, to have a global outlook and to learn skills in new areas, such as accounting for water and carbon.
