Irish Institute in merger talks
The Irish Institute of Chartered Accountants has confirmed it is in merger talks with the Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Ireland.
The Irish Institute of Chartered Accountants has confirmed it is in merger talks with the Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Ireland.
If the merger goes ahead the new organisation will have a combined membership of 14,500.
In a statement, ICAI president, David Simpson said: ‘We have had a number of exploratory discussions with the CPA to look at the merits of bringing the bodies closer together.
‘We are open to looking at ways in which we can improve the standing of the profession in an ever-changing business climate and improve the services which we provide to our members.’
The Institute set out the reasoning behind the proposed merger, highlighting possible economies of scale and that increasingly the two bodies ran joint training courses and co-operated in representing the views of the profession to the government.
However, convincing the membership of the Irish Institute might prove difficult, although officials have highlighted possible economies of scale. They also say the two bodies have run joint training courses and co-operated in representing the views of the profession to government.
Simpson plans to travel the country over the next few weeks to hear members’ views.
The merger talks come against the background of the Irish government’s review of auditing services and the proposed creation of a public oversight board to scrutinise regulatory issues in the profession.
Links
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Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Ireland