Ainslie van Onselen appointed new chair of CAW
Chartered Accountants Worldwide today announced that Ainslie van Onselen, CEO of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ), has been appointed as the next Chair of Chartered Accountants Worldwide (CAW) with unanimous support from the CAW Board.
When making the announcement Chartered Accountants Worldwide thanked Michael Izza for his hard work during his time as Chair, who steps down after six years in the role ahead of his retirement as CEO of the Institute of Chartered Accountants England and Wales.
“It has been a privilege to be Chairman of Chartered Accountants Worldwide and to see the family grow from strength to strength over the last six years to include 15 member institutes and more than 1.8 million members and students worldwide,” said outgoing Chair Michael Izza.
“We have made huge inroads into leading the sustainability conversation, but there is more still to be done. I know the organisation is in safe and dynamic hands and Ainslie will build on what we have already achieved and continue to promote the vital role that Chartered Accountants play around the world.”
Ms van Onselen’s appointment takes affect from 14th November 2023, for an initial two-year term. Her appointment marks two milestones: it’s the first time a woman has been the Chair of Chartered Accountants Worldwide and it’s also the first time the Chair has been from CA ANZ.
“It is a great honour to be appointed Chair of Chartered Accountants Worldwide. Michael Izza has done a phenomenal job in promoting the Chartered Accountancy profession and bringing together 15 member institutes from around the world - a community of almost two million Chartered Accountants in more than 190 countries.
“It’s such an important time for the profession. With the world focused on sustainability, accountants have a vital role to play in driving sustainable business transformation - from instigating action through to evaluating strategies, as well as measuring and reporting performance.
“Social, cultural and environmental values stand right next to economic value. For a business, and the profession, to be truly sustainable in the long-term, they must show value creation across these areas.
“At the same time, there is a spotlight shining very brightly on ethics and integrity, and there is much we can do together to ensure they remain the cornerstone of our profession.
“Whether it’s opportunities in ESG, sustainability or AI, or working towards a more attractive profession and an even stronger ethical standing – we gain so much from working together,” said Ms van Onselen.
“Michael has done a phenomenal job in promoting Chartered Accountants as trust leaders and incorporating new member institutes from all corners of the globe. I look forward to continuing this important work,” said Ms van Onselen.
CAW Members Institutes:
ICAEW – The Institute of Chartered Accountants England & Wales
ICAS – The Institute of Chartered Accountants Scotland
CAI – Chartered Accountants Ireland
ISCA –Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants
SAICA – The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants
CAANZ – Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand
ICAZ - Institute of Chartered Accountants of Zimbabwe
ICAM – Institute of Chartered Accountants in Malawi
ICAN – Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria
ICAB – The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh
CA Sri Lanka - The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka
IAI - Institute of Indonesia Chartered Accountants
ZICA – Zambia Institute of Chartered Accountants
ICAP – The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan
ICAI - The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
Ainslie van Onselen
Chief Executive Officer, Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand
- Ainslie has been the Chief Executive Officer of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand since May 2020 (CA ANZ). For more than 20 years Ainslie enjoyed a parallel career as a law partner and non-executive director, before progressing into senior C-suite executive roles including Managing Director and CEO of RAMS Home Loans and running Australia’s second largest bank, Westpac’s $200 billion retail deposits and credit card portfolio.
- Ainslie is passionate about social justice, inclusion, and diversity. She is the former Global Director of Women’s Markets, Inclusion and Diversity for Westpac and currently serves as a Commissioner of Legal Aid New South Wales and Chair of New South Wales leading non-select private school, Kambala Girls School and is a member of Chief Executive Women, Australia.
- An Australian Financial Review Women of Influence winner and a former 40 under 40 WA Business News and University of Western Australia Award winner, Ainslie was invited to represent CAANZ and the accounting and auditing professions at the Australian Government’s 2022 Jobs Summit.
- As well as steering CAANZ’s strategy and digital and data transformation, Ainslie drives CAANZ’s inclusion and diversity agenda and is a prominent advocate for global sustainability and ESG standards.
