I was privileged to be invited to the 2025 ICAS Annual Dinner as the recipient of the TPE (case study) 1st prize. The event is a gathering of the leaders, volunteers and supporters of ICAS and esteemed guests. For those wondering, ICAS is the Institute of Chartered Accounts of Scotland, the oldest professional body for accountants in the world, which despite its age, continues to be modern and innovative.
Attending this dinner gave me a new appreciation for ICAS, an organisation that pioneered ethical leadership and continues to be a leader by leading the way in reimagining training for accounting professionals.
celebrate the successes of the year and give a vision of the future of the professional body.
Canapés and champagne
The evening commenced with a drinks reception in the striking stone vaulted entrance of the museum. This was the first opportunity to meet some of the other guests and hear their stories. I fortune have met many interesting people, including a former ICAS president and hear about his career and the contribution he made to ICAS during his presidential term.
The main event
The dinner took place in The Grand Gallery of The National Museum of Scotland, a truly surreal backdrop.
The evening was hosted by Kaye Adams, a well-known TV and radio broadcaster who I’ve seen many times on screen and did not disappoint!
A welcome from the Chief Executive
We heard from Bruce Cartwright CA, the Chief Executive of ICAS, who delivered an entertaining demonstration of the abilities of AI and reflected on the themes of trust and being a quiet force for good.
A conversation with the President
Kaye Adams interviewed the ICAS President, Alison Cornwall CA, who shared the story of her impressive career, which started in Coopers & Lybrand (later merged with PriceWaterhouse to become PwC). She moved into the creative industry where her roles have included CFO at Walt Disney TV International, CFO of Vue International Cinemas (where she led the business through COVID and the 6-month actor strike of 2023), venture financing of films (including The King’s Speech), and many more impressive positions. Her career is a credit not only to her drive and determination, but also to the doors that can be opened by being a CA.
A culinary delight
We were treated to a delicious three-course meal, the vegetarian option of the main was Wellington of beetroot, morel mushroom and truffle, confit garlic and chervil mash, baked artichoke, broccoli, pickled shallot, onion velouté.
Celebrating the prizewinners
ICAS has a tradition of recognising talented students who perform exceptionally in their exams, many congratulations to my fellow prizewinners!
Live off-air: Faisal Islam, the BBC’s Economics Editor
It’s not often you get to see a familiar face from the news talking candidly about their specialty. Faisal’s speech was entertaining, engaging and touched on some of the real issues that the UK faces, from the very real threat that AI will take away entry level professional jobs and the fragile state of the global economy with the long-term plans of economic superpowers.
A point that resonated was the disconnect between the amount of parliamentary time spent debating issues to the impact that these issues are likely to have. Education and the response to the restructuring of the workforce that will result from AI is not discussed at length, however parliament lends a disproportionately high amount of time to discussing migrant boats.
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