Prime Minister supports CPA Congress 2009

Unless you’ve been tucked away on some remote desert island – perhaps waiting for the GFC storm to pass by – you probably know that each year the month of October marks the annual congress season for CPA Australia.  And this year we have been fortunate to receive the support of the Prime Minister the Honorourable Kevin Rudd MP to help launch proceedings by way of a Message from the Prime Minister*.  The message touches on many of the things we’ve been blogging about for some time, for example – Australian businesses like many around the globe are facing exceptional economic and business challenges, and while Australia has shown a lot of resilience (see my previous post on the GFC site), recovery is expected to be slow, and unemployment still expected to rise.  The PM’s message also talks of the need for Australians to work smarter and harder, and touches on many themes you will find in various forthcoming Congress sessions.  CPA Australia undertakes a significant consultative agenda with government, politicians and others on behalf of members and the profession on an ongoing basis.  And we do not always see eye to eye on all issues, but at the end of the day, our professional, business and economic interests are more often than not closely aligned.  And we very much appreciate the Prime Minister’s message of support and well-wishes for the forthcoming Congress season.

I hope to see many of you at this years Congress, and as always, smooth sailing!

Brisbane Melbourne Sydney Adelaide Perth Canberra

Have you taken a long journey in Australia lately? How did you get there?

Low-cost airlines and their slashing of rates for long-distance travel has caused really tough times for the likes of Greyhound Australia.  After enduring several years of shrinkage it became a sink-or-swim situation.

Greyhound had to look to a huge change in strategy to bring about a desperately needed turnaround.

Led by Company Secretary Rick Romanin FCPA, the story of how Greyhound survived is a more than just a story – it’s a great lesson in diversification and criticalness of response to change.

How did Rick re-focus the organisation, improve reporting, performance measurement and turn the down around?

It was no mean feat.

As one of our keynote speakers at CPA Congress 2009, Rick will be telling us exactly how he did it.

The theme of this year’s CPA Congress - ‘the way forward’ – seems to have hit the mark with the needs of our members.

We’re witnessing a momentous period in history, gripped by an economic crisis with ramifications affecting almost all of us.

In the midst of all this, accountants are regarded as key players to address and resolve this critical situation.  Our members are primed to lead, influence and shape a broad business response – and we have a responsibility to do this.

Anyone who knows me knows I’m passionate about our members and the profession – and I love hearing your viewpoints. Over to you – what’s your story?  How are you and your organisation responding to recent challenges?

What’s been your ‘way forward’?

Judy  McGrath
General Manager – Queensland

Thoughts on CPA Congress 2009, from the Victoria GM

I am excited to be welcoming you to CPA Congress 2009 from our new Congress microsite.

This blog is a great opportunity for you to ask questions, engage with staff and connect with your peers about any issue you think is relevant.

CPA Congress aims to provide a range of sessions on the burning issues affecting accounting, finance and business both in Australia and globally, as well as offer great networking opportunities. As a CPA you are a strategic business leader day in, day out, and Congress will enhance your current skills, provide you with new ones, keep you abreast of the latest changes affecting your sector, and show you how economic uncertainty can provide opportunities for those who know how to identify them.

Victoria’s Congress has always been a flagship event, and it traditionally attracts the largest number of delegates, making it a dynamic and exciting place to be.

I have had a lot do with CPA Congress in varying capacities in my seven years at CPA Australia. This will be my eighth Congress, and I have seen the event grow and adapt to the changing needs of our diverse membership and offer a fantastic range of fascinating speakers and up to the minute topics over the years. I’m always extra proud to be part of CPA Australia when I attend congress and have the chance to meet and speak to the delegates, because I believe it sets a very high benchmark in accounting and finance professional development. It is also an excellent demonstration of how we can assist you, the members succeed in work and in life.

I’m keen to hear your feedback on Congress, past and present. What have your experiences of Congress been in past years? What do you think of this year’s offering, particularly in light of the economic conditions?

Cris Massis
General Manager Victoria
CPA Australia

Les Paul, an innovator, a rock legend and inspiration to anyone in business

Sadly Les Paul passed away at the age of 94 last week. For those who haven’t heard of Les Paul, he’s a rock ‘n’ roll legend and credited with developing the solid-body electric guitar. Les through his search for a particular sound created a guitar which was different to the hollow-body guitars around in the 1940s. He also created multi-track recording allowing layers and layers of reverb and other sound effects.

Les Paul is once quoted as saying “I never stop being amazed by all the different ways of playing the guitar and making it deliver a message.” And he never stopped playing, until recently he continued playing at a jazz club in New York.

Innovation and determination seem to have been keys to Les Paul’s success. I am consistently amazed and pleased to hear stories of how individuals and businesses learn and grow. Success for many, like Les, doesn’t come overnight. Les first started trying different ways to get the amplification he wanted at the age of 13.

In challenging times, such as what many businesses throughout the world are experiencing now as a result of the global financial crisis, innovation often takes a back seat. Many operators want their business to be risk free and continue on the smoothest road possible. This is perfectly understandable. But, how do you embrace innovation while your business is experiencing difficulties? I guess the question for many is, how do I know making innovative changes will pay off?

At NSW Congress this year Ernst and Young’s Eastern Regional Social Entrepreneur for 2008, Michael Traill, will speak about making innovation a priority in these difficult times. He sees innovation as being paramount to positioning an organisation to increase profits once economic conditions improve.

Now, Les Paul was certainly an innovator, when he first put strings on a 4 by 4 piece of wood and played it at a nightclub you can imagine people thought he was mad. Maybe considering his long successful life which awarded him a place in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame and in 2005 the National Inventor Hall of Fame, will inspire you to have some thoughts on innovation.

The web widens your experience to connect, share and learn

If you’ve been to CPA Congress before you’ll know it’s a great way to keep up to date with developments for finance, accounting and business professionals, hear industry-leading speakers and network with your peers.

This year, we’ve developed ways for you to get more from our CPA Congress experience; before you attend, while you’re there, and when you’ve left the event. You don’t need to be physically at CPA Congress to remain connected to it – there’s much to be had anytime, anywhere.

And importantly, if you’re not able to get to one of the CPA Congress locations in Australia, you can participate in a range of online activities. This includes virtual events, video, interactive resources and opportunities to connect and exchange, regardless of where you are in the world.

Here’s a rundown of how you can connect, share and learn online with your peers throughout the CPA Congress season.

• On this blog, we’ll keep you updated on what’s happening for CPA Congress –  plus we’d like you to share your thoughts on key topics in the lead up, during, and after.  Just comment on any of the articles.

• Join a session in the virtual CPA Congress Centre in Second Life, where there truly are no geographical borders. No matter which part of the world you’re in, you can join this free event ‘Beyond the downturn – getting ahead in small business’, where you’ll learn about and discuss the challenges and opportunities with a panel of entrepreneurs and small business experts.

• You may have heard of Twitter, a quick and easy way to network and share your observations, hear what others are saying and stay in touch with what’s going on in conference sessions. By following CPA Australia on Twitter and tweeting yourself using the tag #cpacongress, you can stay tuned in to the CPA Congress conversation no matter where you are.

• Video streaming, vox pops and sound bites also feature through our YouTube channel, and other locations via the web. Watch this space for announcements of video sessions live and on-demand, and if you’re on-site at CPA Congress, keep your eye out for our roving reporters (and say hello to them, they’ll be looking for people to interview!).

Want to know more? Visit Connect_share_learn for more detail about how to use and be involved in any of the above activities.

This is only a taste of what we’ll have on offer to extend your CPA Congress experience online in 2009.

There’s more on the way, so stay tuned on the CPA Congress blog and we’ll let you know. And also, drop us a line anytime by commenting here. We look forward to connecting with you!

Helen Mitchell
General Manager, Knowledge Networks
CPA Australia

Welcome to CPA Congress 2009

CPA Australia’s President

Issues such as corporate governance, accounting standards and practices, financial and risk management, ethics and reporting standards have been catapulted to the top of the agendas of politicians, government officials, managers, company boards, industry groups, professional bodies and the media worldwide.

As our members collectively have expertise in all of these areas, the global financial crisis presents the organisation and its members with a timely opportunity to highlight our accounting, strategy, leadership and international business credentials.

The skills that our members possess mean that they will play a key part in fixing the current business problems. Building and maintaining confidence in the accounting profession amongst investors, managers, board members, governments and the public is essential to their ability to do this.

Buoyed by the support and trust that our profession and its members have earned over many decades, we will emerge from the current business and economic turmoil stronger and better placed to deliver even more accurate disclosure, mitigate the impact of future financial shocks, promote improved approaches to risk management and much more.

CPA Congress 2009 is a valuable opportunity to fine tune skills and increase competitive advantage against the backdrop of a difficult global economic climate. When the dust settles after the recent turmoil, the business landscape will provide valuable opportunities for those who are best prepared. CPA Congress 2009 can help you get prepared.

Professor Richard Petty FCPA
President of CPA Australia

CPA Congress – the way forward

As we draw to the end of another financial year, we find ourselves in a most uncertain economic climate that will pose significant challenges for all of us in the year ahead. Whilst troubled economic times do require us to ‘batten down the hatches’, the crisis also presents an opportunity for our organisations to grow, diversify and out-manoeuvre our competitors. One of the ways to seek these opportunities is to attend CPA Congress 2009 – ‘The way forward’.

CPA Australia is proud to bring you a stellar line-up of speakers and practical sessions to help you triumph over today’s challenges. Hear about business turn-around strategies from Greg Romanin FCPA, Company Secretary of Greyhound Australia. Dan Mulligan of the NASA Space Center will share his perspectives on risk management, and you can learn about the secrets of good leadership from prominent businessman David Gonski FCPA.

Also, look out for great opportunities to connect with your peers, exchange ideas and keep yourself up-to-date with the latest information through ‘CPA Congress Online’.

CPA Congress 2009 promises to be the professional development event of 2009 and I look forward to seeing you there!

Tony Gleeson
Executive General Manager, Member Knowledge
CPA Australia