ACCA restructure sees three departures

ACCA has lost three senior figures in the last month, as it restructures its international model.

Dr Steve Priddy, the body’s senior technical director, was the most prominent departure. Director of media relations, Clive Booth, and head of public affairs, Veena Hudson, also left.

Dr Priddy was well known in the industry and stood in for chief executive Helen Brand at key events, including a meeting of the Treasury Select Comm­ittee in February. He declined to answer direct questions about his departure, but in an article in Accountancy Age this week he argued institutes need to safeguard and strengthen their technical reputation in order to thrive internationally.(Read Dr Priddy's view here).

Neil Stevenson, executive director of brand at ACCA, would not comment on the departures but said the body was reorganising its international set up with the creation of four global regions. He added: “There are no internal ructions or disagreements.”

He said the organisation remained focused on being a global body and dismissed suggestions it did not have the right focus. “That's just not the case at all,” he said. “Global research and global technical expertise and knowledge are vital for accountancy bodies in order to thrive in the future… Our focus is global, the regional structure… is an operational structure that relates to our 83 offices and centres around the world.”

He said ACCA had become increasingly “cost-conscious”, undertaking a financial review, but this was not interfering in plans to grow the institute. ACCA has about 5% of global market share for professional accountants, according to its 2008 accounts.

The spread of international accounting rules has presented challenges for the UK’s acc­ounting institutes as they seek to stamp their influence on an inter­national and domestic level.

Further reading:

Dr Steve Priddy on the profession’s future