With our member organizations, we serve the public interest by enhancing the relevance, reputation, and value of the global accountancy profession.

Who We Are

Todd Beardsworth, FCA, became a member of the IPSASB during 2018 to fill a casual vacancy. He was nominated by the External Reporting Board in New Zealand.

He is currently the Assistant Auditor-General, Audit Quality at the Office of the Auditor-General, where he is responsible for leading the Office on all audit quality matters. This includes ensuring that auditors are appointed and supported to carry out high quality audits of public sector entities on behalf of the Auditor-General.

He has worked in the New Zealand public sector for more than 20 years, mostly at the Office of the Auditor-General. Mr. Beardsworth's roles in standard setting include six years as a member of the Financial Reporting Standards Board from 2003 to 2008, and two and a half years as a member of the New Zealand Accounting Standards Board between 2016 and 2018. Also, he worked for the External Reporting Board as the Director of Accounting Standards from 2014 to 2015. During 2015, he provided technical support to Angela Ryan, a former member of the IPSASB.

He has a bachelor's degree in business studies from Massey University in New Zealand.

His Technical Advisor is Anthony Heffernan.

The International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) invites all interested stakeholders to its global series of discussions to help shape the future of assurance over emerging forms of external reporting (EER).

Save the Dates!

Please see below for event locations most convenient for you:

Why you should attend

The IAASB is developing non-authoritative guidance to address key challenges arising in the performance of assurance engagements over EER performed using its assurance standard, ISAE 3000 (Revised).

To help shape the future of IAASB’s assurance over EER, the half-day discussions will cover:

• progress in the development of the first phase of the draft guidance;
• implications of the guidance for assurance engagements; and
• assurance issues faced in your region.

Who should attend

The events are open to all. The IAASB wants to engage with those who prepare EER reports, assurance practitioners, regulators, standard-setters, investors and other users of EER reports. Accountants and non-accountants alike are encouraged to attend and participate to help shape the IAASB’s work in this area.

How to register

To express initial interest, please email IAASBmeetings@iaasb.org with your name, organization, country and the event you would like to attend. We will then notify you when registration opens. For updates, please visit our website and follow us at @IAASB_News and #EERassurance.

What is EER?

EER encapsulates many different forms of reporting, including, but not limited to, integrated reporting, sustainability reporting and non-financial reporting about environmental, social and governance matters. Such reports may be prepared under legislative or regulatory requirements and established frameworks, standards and guidance issued by international or national standard setters.

Further details can be found in a discussion paper, the related feedback statement, and the project proposal.

The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) welcomed the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) Member and Deputy Chair of the IAASB, Ms. Megan Zietsman, along with IAASB Members Ms. Karin French (Quality Control Task Force Chair) and Mr. Ron Salole (Agreed-Upon Procedures Task Force Chair) via Webcast to present highlights of certain projects of interest to the IESBA Members.

The updated projects, include, proposed Quality Control at a Firm Level (ISQC 1), Quality Control at the Engagement Level (ISA 220), the proposed new Engagement Quality Control Standard (ISQC 2) and the proposed revisions to the Agreed-Upon Procedures International Standard on Related Services (ISRS 4400).

High-quality reporting should transparently demonstrate how organizations preserve and create value over time. As a global advocate for integrated reporting, IFAC’s 2017 annual review is designed to offer information on our financial, human, social and intellectual capitals alongside our strategic objectives, governance arrangements and financial highlights. It also describes how we strengthen organizations and enhance economies by supporting and empowering our member organizations and the global accountancy profession in the public interest.

This review is part of our 2017 suite of reporting, which also comprises our Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2017. With this annual review, we are continuing a journey of more fully implementing the integrated reporting principles and concepts IFAC advocates for globally—those set out in the International Integrated Reporting Council’s Integrated Reporting Framework.

The Western Balkan professional accountancy organizations (PAOs)—a group of PAOs comprising both IFAC members and non-members—have expressed interest in furthering their regional cooperation in the area of accountancy education and professional development in order to accelerate the development of the accountancy profession in the region.

Both IFAC and the World Bank Centre for Financial Reporting Reform (CFRR) have been working with the PAOs through their respective programming. In April 2018, the two organizations joined together to host a joint one-day Education Community of Practice workshop. Over 60 participants, including the leadership of PAOs from all over Europe, international experts, and members of IFAC’s Compliance Advisory Panel and PAO Development Committee participated in the event.

The workshop hosted panel sessions and open discussions where participants exchanged experiences, best practice examples, and the vision for the future.  

IFAC staff presented its recent International Standards: 2017 Global Status Report and the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead for the accountancy profession at both a global level and for the Western Balkan region in particular. The report also highlights available resources, guidance, examples of best practice, and observations, including the need for multi-stakeholder collaboration and support from national, regional and global organizations to maintain the progress made thus far in the adoption and implementation of international standards.

Further details and materials from the workshop are available on the CFRR’s website.

The International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) has started the consultation process about its future strategy. Today it releases a Strategy Survey to seek views and insights from its stakeholders on emerging developments and trends that are likely to be important to its 2020-2023 strategy.

The survey serves as an important tool to help identify key issues for consideration in developing its future strategy in the context of the IAASB’s broad strategic focus and the changing environment, and with the overriding objective of serving the public interest.

The input from the survey will help inform the development of a Consultation Paper on the IAASB’s 2020-2023 strategy, expected to be published at the end of 2018. 

The IAASB is looking to obtain the views of its stakeholders on areas of future focus as the IAASB continues its work on current projects, including revisions of the standards on auditing accounting estimates; identifying and assessing risks of material misstatement; and quality control for firms and audit engagements, and undertakes work on agreed upon procedures engagements and emerging forms of external reporting. 

The IAASB seeks input from all interested stakeholders. The survey will remain open until July 24, 2018. French and Spanish translations will be available on the IAASB's website next week.

Small- and medium-sized practices (SMPs) in a digital, globalized world need to adopt "good practices" to best serve their clients. IFAC (International Federations of Accountants) has released an updated publication—the Guide to Practice Management for Small- and Medium-Sized Practices Fourth Edition (the Guide) to help SMPs meet this challenge. The Guide will help SMPs improve their management and operational efficiency and support their sustainability and success.

Now in its fourth edition, the Guide is organized into eight stand-alone modules, including a new module on Leveraging Technology. The revised Guide addresses a comprehensive range of topics including:

• Strategic planning;
• Managing staff;
• Client relationship management;
• Risk management; and
• Succession planning.

The new Leveraging Technology module covers how technology developments are fundamentally changing the way organizations operate and recognizes that SMPs must adapt to service their clients that utilize technology. Included are topics such as developing a technology strategy, hardware and software options, technology risks, new and emerging technologies, and leveraging technology for practice innovation.

In order to help IFAC member organizations and practices maximize the Guide’s use, IFAC has updated the Companion Manual, which provides suggestions on making best use of the Guide.

Welcome to the fourth edition of the IFAC Guide to Practice Management for Small- and Medium-Sized Practices.