Continued Growth and Success in 2006 for ACCA

Growth in student (14%)and membership (5%) numbers was impressive, with new totals of 296,056 and 115,345 respectively. Globally, the fastest member growth area for 2006 was in South East Asia and Africa, while Central and Eastern Europe saw particularly high student increases. Member retention was at a high of 97%.

Long-term working partnerships were also forged with leading global organisations including CGA Canada and other accountancy bodies in countries including Argentina, Botswana, Cyprus, and Egypt.

Commenting on the successes of 2006, Allen Blewitt, ACCA’s Chief Executive, said: “Extending our global reputation through partnerships has been a particular success in 2006. We now work with over 50 accountancy bodies around the world. With these partners, we are extending global recognition and increasing the range of services available to our members. ACCA’s qualifications are now taken in 140 countries – all under the same global syllabus and examination methodology.”

In 2006, ACCA won new significant consulting projects in Jamaica, Kosovo, Pakistan, Poland, the Slovak Republic, Sierra Leone and Trinidad & Tobago. ACCA also made significant contributions to regulatory policy around the world, including working with the Australian Tax Office on income tax assessments and on the liberalisation of services, offshore funds and companies regulation in Hong Kong.

ACCA also developed its influence in the public sector, notably in the healthcare field. A study tour was held in Beijing with senior financial managers from local hospitals. And ACCA also launched its healthcare manifesto called Accounting for the Nation’s Health, which received substantial exposure in the UK and US.
Another major development in 2006 was the development and launch of the Cambridge International Certificate in Financial English (Cambridge ICFE) developed through ACCA’s partnership with the University of Cambridge English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). The first examinations will be taken in May 2007.

During the year, ACCA launched its new qualification, the result of extensive consultation in 2005 amongst members. Putting ethics and professionalism at the heart of accounting, the new qualification includes a new Professional Accountant module examination and a compulsory ethics module. The first examinations will take place in December 2007.

Blewitt concluded: “The future goals set by ACCA’s Council are challenging - by 2010 we aim to be the leading global professional accountancy body by reputation, influence and size. We value the views of our stakeholders on how we should take ACCA forward and it is encouraging that through surveys, 97% of Approved Employers said they intended to remain with ACCA and 80% said they would recommend the qualification to other organisations.”