A new-look paper for the new age of accountancy.

Welcome to the new-look Accountancy Age. Our mix of news, analysis and rigorous independence continues unchanged, but with a new design and several new sections, you can find information relevant to your specialism more easily throughout.

The evolving role of the accountant and the – albeit spluttering – birth of the new economy inform the changes to Accountancy Age. But mostly the changes reflect what you told us you wanted to see more of when you spoke to us last year.

Some 500 of you took part in the reader research programme conducted by market researchers NOP last summer – many thanks, again – and you told us you wanted to see more on communications, e-business and IT. So we have expanded our IT section – now called technology – and introduced a second section dedicated to workplace issues in the new economy. There are other new sections too, detailed below, and our innovations won’t stop here. Watch out for more changes over the coming weeks.

Big Question

We’ve expanded the Big Question to take in 500 finance directors working for businesses ranging from SMEs to household names. From the euro to the government’s attitude to business, there is no better way of gauging the views of UK plc on financial issues that matter.

Business Week

Our business page, formerly The financial week ahead, now features more detailed company information and an expanded diary section.

Sector pages

Covering tax, audit, corporate finance and – this week – business recovery, these pages will keep you up to date with developments and deals in your sector. The pages will rotate on a monthly basis, with consulting coverage at least once a quarter.

Opinion

News pages will include more personal viewpoints of experts, while our opinion page will have a greater focus on debate. For & Against will pit two opposing minds against each other to tackle an issue affecting the working lives of accountants. We kick off with perhaps the most divisive issue of all – the euro. And to add further spice to the pot, Andre Krauze, regular illustrator from The New Statesman and The Observer, will interpret the debate in his own inimitable style. View from the House has also changed. Now called Corridors of Power, respected political commentators like The Guardian’s David Walker and Chris Moncrieff of the Press Association will continue to write for us while, with a general election looming and Europe set to dominate, BBC business reporter Jonty Bloom is to start a new column looking at Brussels. We will be adding to this roster of columnists, so keep reading.

Section 2

The rationale behind Networking is simple: it tells you what you as financial professionals need to know about working and also managing in the new economy. It features a combination of profiles, book extracts, careers and management news as well as real expert comment and advice. We kick off with a close look at power and influence in the UK accountancy world and our own league of the top 50 people you need to know about in the year ahead. And in the first of a series of management columns, Financial Reporting Council member and former Stakis and Thorn FD Neil Chisman explains why consultants are not always a bad thing. We will also be giving you an insight into how those who have reached the top of the profession spend their time. Week in the Life kicks off this week with Accountancy Age’s Personality of the Year, Anne Redston of Ernst & Young.

People

We’ll continue to cover all the job changes that matter each week, and feature a mini-profile of a key mover.

Business/Personal Finance

To complement our continuing fortnightly look at the world of personal finance, we are launching a business finance page. Also appearing every two weeks, the page will feature new products of which companies and their advisers should be aware, news of the latest financial indicators and insightful comment from leading financial figures. Personal finance will be back next week while another section, public sector finance, will appear at least once a quarter.

Technology

Our popular IT File is becoming a weekly Technology page. It will retain our IT coverage but broaden to include the wider e-business and communications implications of the new economy. A page of web reviews dedicated to a subject tackled elsewhere in that week’s Accountancy Age will also feature in every issue.

Taking Stock – featuring Colin

Colin, Accountancy Age’s resident cartoon character, is getting a new set of friends. You will get to meet them all over the coming weeks, but if you can’t wait that long, visit AccountancyAge.com to see potted biographies of all of them. Taking Stock will maintain its irreverent style, delivering the gossip behind the scenes each week. Gadget watch will alternate with what’s new in the business book market as TS exposes the absurdities of developments in both fields.