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Paul Thompson

Technical Director, European Federation of Accountants and Auditors for SMEs

Paul Thompson is the Technical Director at EFAA for SMEs and a World Bank consultant dedicated to thought leadership and building capacity of the global accountancy profession.

From 2004 to 2016 Mr. Thompson worked for IFAC latterly as Director, Global Accountancy Profession Support, a role that extended to overseeing the IFAC Global Knowledge Gateway, research and innovation, and activities in support of small- and medium-sized practices (SMP) and professional accountants in business (PAIB).

As a World Bank consultant he works on various initiatives to improve corporate reporting and the capacity of the accountancy profession in the South Caucasus. He also advises developing professional accountancy organisations in Asia.

Previously Mr. Thompson worked for Touche Ross & Co., London before going on to lecture on corporate reporting and analysis at universities in the UK, Singapore, and Malaysia.

He has a number of publications in academic journals and the professional press in the areas of ethical finance, corporate sustainability reporting, corporate governance, integrated reporting, practice management and the future of the profession.

A man wearing a suit looking at the camera
Yuri Dolidze

Board Member, Service for Accounting, Reporting and Auditing Supervision (SARAS), Georgia

Yuri Dolidze is the Board Member for SARAS, also the EU and World Bank consultant dedicated to accounting and sustainability reforms implementation in Georgia, Ukraine and Armenia. 

Yuri founded and managed two local leading SMPs in Georgia, worked as a local contractor for Deloitte and Ernst & Young, initiated opening of PwC Georgia branch in 2005, acting as its Assurance and Advisory Services Director and Academy Leader for 9 years. Yuri also participated as ICAEW consultant in the ADB’s Audit Quality Assurance Technical Assistance Project in Armenia.

Yuri was significantly involved in developing professional society in his country. He was one of the founders of IFAC member Georgian Federation of Professional Accountants and Auditors (GFPAA), presented in its Board and various committees for 15 years. 

In 2016, the Prime-Minister of Georgian assigned Yuri to the position of the Head of Service for Accounting, Reporting and Auditing Supervision (SARAS) where upon term expiration he represents business societies in its Board. 

As the World Bank and EU/DAI consultant, Yuri continues supporting accounting and auditing reform with regional coverage including Georgia, Ukraine and Armenia. His mandate as consultant recently also included the sustainability reporting and assurance matters.

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