Members

Jeff Landers recently relocated to Dubai, with a career journey that has used his qualification in ways he didn't consider. 1. Where did you grow up and where do you live now? I was born in Dublin, and lived in Leopardstown on the south side of the city for my whole life. I did a brief spell in Vancouver, Canada, then went back to Dublin before making the decision to move to Dubai in January 2023 with my partner. 2. What made you choose to become a Chartered Accountant? To be honest, I fell into it based on college and my friend group. I was always good with numbers and business in school, so I ended up doing a degree in Mathematics and Economics in UCD.  After that, I felt the natural next step was to get a professional qualification. Most of my college and school friends went into accounting or law, so at that stage I felt accounting would be a good career where I could put my numeric skills to use.  Chartered Accountants Ireland has always been considered the strongest accounting qualification globally, so when I was offered the chance to join a training firm, (EisnerAmper Ireland), and complete the exams, there was no doubt in my mind that it was the right decision. The chance to get straight into work and start earning instead of pursuing a Masters degree really appealed to me, so when I got offered a firm close to home I jumped at the opportunity. 3. Can you tell us a little about how you got to where you are today – both the geographical location and your career path? At the outset, I wasn't totally sure of the area I wanted to be in. Once I finished my training contract, I realised that working in audit wasn’t for me. I moved on to a great company called JW Accountants to try a different branch. Over the following two years, I got experience specialising in corporate finance, examinership and insolvency. I loved the company and the people but still wasn't sure if I was on the right road. After lots of thinking, I made the decision to move on again. It had been a great few years all round, but it felt right. Dubai had always appealed to me and I was fairly certain I'd like to try it, but Covid forced me to postpone. Not wanting to be idle and just wait, and wanting to keep an income, I decided to start my own business selling cookies online...the natural step for a qualified Chartered Accountant! In ways, Covid steered the direction of the business. I went from selling directly to customers to scaling up to sell to coffee shops around Dublin. The end of the pandemic meant I was back at a crossroads though; I realised that I could scale up to yet another level, investing in a more formal premises and staff, or go back to my previous plan to go to Dubai. It was an incredibly hard decision, but six months in and I can say I don't regret it one bit (and I have stopped eating cookies everyday!) I feel that my Chartered Accountant qualification and training helped with my business skills and decision making so it did enhance that part of my career. On arrival in Dubai, I was still not convinced that straight-up accountancy was the right role for me. I got the opportunity to work in Alchemy Search as a finance recruiter and couldn't say "no". Like running the cookies business, it allowed me to continue to use my accounting experience in a different field. My experience working in various accounting roles and specialisms helps me understand the needs of the candidate as well as the client. It was a huge step for me, and it was a challenging transition, but having settled in and had excellent support from everyone in the team I know I’ve made the right decision. In summary, I took the classic route – audit, insolvency, self-employed baker, recruiter!  4. What do you value most about your membership of the profession and how do you think those benefits can be used to support the economy and society? The profession has given me such a great basis for everything I have done in my career. It gave me the skills and confidence to start my own business – knowing how to register the business with the CRO, file tax returns, maintain my accounts. It helped me get a job in finance recruiting when I relocated to Dubai. What you learn while completing the qualification is transferrable to many parts of life, not just your career. In terms of the economy and society, accountants have a responsibility to support businesses to make better decisions and ultimately help them succeed. It is a privilege to be part of the membership and we need to respect that and give back to society whenever we can. 5. As a member living overseas, can you talk to us about how your membership has been of value to you globally, and what do you value about it now that you're living overseas? I have met some incredible people in Dubai who are also members, and it has a real sense of community, especially abroad. Everyone I have met goes out of their way to make a connection, something I am actively trying to do when I hear of new members moving to Dubai. Whether you stay working directly as an accountant or branch off into a new career like me, the community of Chartered Accountants at home and abroad are always there to help when needed. I have already attended a member event in Dubai, something I recommend for all members living here as it is a great way to network with similar people. I originally came out here with the view of staying for two years (like most…) but having settled now and experienced life out here I think it will be very hard to leave anytime soon. 6. And finally, if you weren't an accountant, what do you think you would be/would have been? I have always loved all types of sport. The dream was always to be a professional in some capacity, however my football skills never matched my desire! I would say now if I had to take a different route, I would have enjoyed sports journalism or media. Considering I have left practicing accounting directly, I think I have definitely ended up in the right profession after taking the scenic route! Jeff Landers is a Consultant with Alchemy Search. Alchemy Search is a dedicated, regional specialist in financial recruitment, focused on accounting, tax, corporate finance and treasury appointments.  

In recent days, Institute President Pat O'Neill kicked off a member outreach trip to North America, where almost 1,000 members of Chartered Accountants Ireland live and work. Overall, 10% of Chartered Accountants Ireland's total membership is based overseas, so supporting and representing these members is a key priority.  Pat and Council colleague Pamela McCreedy hosted a member event in Toronto on Friday evening followed by another in New York on Monday evening. In between, the team also had the opportunity to partner with Ireland Inc for this year’s Ireland Day held in the New York Stock Exchange, taking part in a roundtable discussion to mark St. Patrick’s Day.  The contribution of Chartered Accountants from Ireland in practice and industry all around America was a central theme over the few days. Pat O’Neill spoke about the Institute’s pride in its members' successes there and it is further evidence of the way the Chartered qualification can be used as a global passport.  In addition to sharing updates with members, gathering feedback, and finding new ways to deepen engagement, the trip gives the Institute a chance to engage with partners and colleagues including Chartered Accountants Worldwide Network USA, IFAC, the Northern Ireland Bureau, The Ireland Funds, and the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy, with whom the Institute recently extended its Mutual Recognition Agreement which enabling members to access the US CPA qualification (with a similar arrangement for their members coming to Ireland). To view pictures from the New York member event click here. 

Cliff Wilson is the incoming Chair of the Australian Society, and here he tells us more about his career journey. Where did you grow up and where do you live now? I had a nomadic childhood, born in Kilkenny, moved to Wexford at age five, then on to Baltinglass, Co. Wicklow at 10 and then went to boarding school at Kilkenny College. I now live in Sydney, with two girls and one on the way!  What made you choose to become a Chartered Accountant? It was subliminal and meant to be. I always had a love of business and commerce. As a young boy I was very interested in how business worked. I suppose I got exposed a lot to people in business through my Dad, who worked with Bank of Ireland. For as long as I can remember, I was always asking questions of people in business. As a boy hanging out with his friends, I would often stay at their kitchen table if there was something I could learn about business from their mum or dad. I spent a lot of my youth watching my dad: how he managed people, and listening to the various challenges he was working through. The opportunity to understand a business through an audit at the time was my way of figuring out what I wanted to do and with what type of business.  Can you tell us a little about how you got to where you are today – both the geographical relocation and career path? In my Leaving Cert year, I did not know what I wanted to do, so a B Comm in Business Studies felt safe. There is a part of me that enjoys being technical; economics and accounting found that part of me in uni and I really enjoyed it. Soon, I was offered career opportunities with the Big 4 and from a few of the banks. At that age, you want to make the best decision for your future, and it was the first time I remember feeling a little overwhelmed. The training program at KPMG was impressive and stood out to me. I made a strong connection with the people I met, their values and it just felt right for me. Qualifying as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG opened the door to opportunities to work in many great cities, Dublin, London, Singapore, Hong Kong, Delhi, Chennai, New York, Houston, Auckland, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.  I believe the real message here for me is always hold goals lightly, let them be a compass but not the destination. An opportunity to work on an engagement with KPMG London was presented to me. The London market then produced some incredible options which resulted in an opportunity to go to New York in Product Control. Further travels (leisure and professional!) to Australia followed, and next thing, I am working in banking in Sydney.  My technical knowledge and experience provided a great path to securing a working visa. Some experience of travelling through Asia alongside my work in London and Sydney really changed my mindset, specifically my "soft skills" around understanding others. I always felt safe being technical; recently, as part of a leadership programme I developed a regular routine to spend time reflecting.  This was all a catalyst to a career change in 2006. I did a full pendulum swing from a technical accountant to recruitment. At that time my identity was heavily integrated with what I did for work. This made a change in career challenging. During the first two years the goal of returning to Ireland and building an accounting practice kept me going. In 2008 while the economy was in such flux, I decided to stay in Sydney. Wilson Select was founded in 2010 and has grown into a business offering recruitment, advisory and coaching services in a way that aims to meet the needs of a business looking to create a strategic advantage through people.  4. What do you value most about your membership of the profession and how do you think those benefits can be used to support the economy and society?    The profession is a part of my foundation of who I am and how I conduct myself. The people I meet, the opportunity to make real connections with other members helps how I think about some of the challenges business and life throws at me. As an overseas member, that connection with other Irish Chartered Accountants facilitates a space to grow and be vulnerable in a city over 17,000 kilometres from a place called home. Having a safe place is a basic need in any society.  In relation to an economy, accountants can bring a different lens to a subject. Membership of the profession helps you acquire multiple perspectives, supporting diversity and fostering better decision making. As a member living in Sydney, can you talk to us about how your membership has been of value to you globally and what do you value about it now that you’re living overseas (and what would you like to see more of)?  Membership has provided the opportunity for me to travel and work in places I wanted to give a go and experience living there rather than a flying visit. For me, the real value is the connections.To walk into an event and have some common ground with most of the people there. It also brings out the Irish in me, which is everything from keeping up to date with what’s happening in Ireland to spending time with people who know how to have the craic without talking about the craic! And finally, if you weren't an accountant, what do you think you would be/would have been? Probably a retail or corporate banker. If I had understood computer science before selecting a course at uni, possibly a career in software as a service. Cliff Wilson is Director of Wilson Select.