The International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), the global organization for the accountancy profession, is seeking nominations for the position of IFAC Deputy President and for members of its boards and committees for 2009, including three public member positions. IFAC member bodies, and in some instances members of the Forum of Firms and members of the public, may nominate candidates by April 15, 2008. The IFAC Deputy President and all members of IFAC's boards and committees are expected to act in the public interest and must sign a declaration committing to act with integrity and in the public interest in their role within IFAC.
Deputy President
IFAC member bodies may nominate individuals for the position of Deputy President for the period November 2008 to November 2010. Candidates for the position of Deputy President must be a current or nominated member of the IFAC Board. After serving a two-year term, the Deputy President will assume the Presidency of IFAC.
The Deputy President works with the President and Chief Executive Officer in implementing IFAC's Strategic Plan; represents IFAC among its member bodies, various stakeholders, and other external organizations; and chairs IFAC's Planning and Finance Committee. A nominee for the position of Deputy President should be a very senior and highly respected member of the profession with exceptional leadership skills. He or she should also have an awareness of the social and economic environment in which the global profession, IFAC and its member organizations operate.
Member Body Nominations for Board and Committees
Member bodies are also invited to nominate qualified candidates for open positions on the following IFAC boards and committees for terms commencing January 1, 2009:
- IFAC Board;
- International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board;
- International Accounting Education Standards Board;
- International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants;
- International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board;
- Compliance Advisory Panel;
- Developing Nations Committee;
- Professional Accountants in Business Committee;
- Small and Medium Practices Committee; and
- Nominating Committee.
Member bodies may submit more than one nomination for each board or committee, and they are encouraged to nominate candidates with varying backgrounds.
Public Member Nominations
IFAC is also seeking nominations for two public member positions on the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board and one public member position on the International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board. Public members must be seen to be independent of any special interests and seen to be acting to represent society as a whole. Nominees for the public member positions must have an appropriate level of knowledge about the work of the respective standard-setting board, although they do not need to have a professional accountancy designation. IFAC member bodies, regional accountancy organizations, other organizations, accounting firms, and members of the general public may submit public member nominations, but in all cases the individuals nominated must clearly represent the broad public interest.
Forum of Firms Nominations
A total of five positions on the standard-setting Public Interest Activity Committees1 are open to nominations from members of the Forum of Firms, an association of international networks of accounting firms that perform audits of financial statements that are or may be used across national borders. Two positions are open on the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board, one position is open on the International Accounting Education Standards Board, and two positions are open on the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants.
How to Submit Nominations
The Call for Nominations for IFAC Boards and Committees in 2009 describes the positions available and the qualifications required for each position, as well as the process for submitting nominations. The Call for Nominations may be viewed on IFAC's website at http://www.ifac.org/NominatingCommittee/index.php#Process. All nominations must be submitted by April 15, 2008 using the online Candidate Information System. For more information about the role and activities of each of IFAC's boards and committees, visit its website at http://www.ifac.org/.
IFAC is the global organization for the accountancy profession dedicated to serving the public interest by strengthening the profession and contributing to the development of strong international economies. IFAC is comprised of 157 members and associates in 123 countries, representing more than 2.5 million accountants in public practice, education, government service, industry and commerce. Through its independent standard-setting boards, IFAC sets international standards on ethics, auditing and assurance, education, and public sector accounting. It also issues guidance to encourage high quality performance by professional accountants in business.
1 The standard-setting Public Interest Activity Committees are the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board, the International Accounting Education Standards Board, and the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants.