\ members
drawing on our strengths of equity,
accountability, transparency and
training, CIPFA can lead the way
in new thinking
addressing the big challenges of public sector management,
public sector governance and, of course, public finance.
July looks like it’s going to be a fairly busy time for
me as President before things start to settle down for the
holiday period in August. There are the rounds of normal
CIPFA business through the boards for me to attend where
possible and to add my two penn’orth into the conversations
and discussions on strategy and current issues. There’s
key issues that we are likely to be tackling as an Institute over also our important work with partner institutes to help
the next few years as we bring our current strategic plan to a maintain the high standards and the self-regulation of the
close and prepare a new one to span the period to 2015. I feel accountancy profession that are so important to maintaining
that this is an important time for CIPFA, and the public sector. independence. At a recent meeting of the CCAB board we
The economic, social, and environmental issues that we will discussed the current issues of the day, the challenges for the
face in the next few years are daunting. They require truly profession and the progress that we are making collectively
innovative solutions; the old ways of doing things and the old towards achieving common international standards.
tactics won’t be sufficient. Across the realms of organisations, However, all this strategic thinking does have its lighter
economics, politics, and the environment there are new ways moments. Colleagues from the ICAEW invited us to attend
of looking at our world which give rise to fresh solutions to their strategy meeting and I was able to go to their dinner
the issues that we face. I believe CIPFA is well placed to be during the seminar event. I was warned by Steve Freer, our
a leader in thinking, drawing on our traditional strengths of Chief Executive, that I might have to sing for my supper –
equity, accountability, transparency, and training. literally. I blanched, envisaging an accountant’s
I was strongly reminded of this when I was able to present karaoke evening, but it turned out rather
new graduates from Warwick University with their CIPFA differently. Some of the senior
certificates in their degree award ceremony. We are members of the ICAEW Council
in the fifth year of our joint venture with Warwick are really quite good musicians
– the Postgraduate Diploma in Public Finance and, having come up during
Management and Leadership. These new members the era of the 1960s, I
of the Institute have been schooled in the newly wouldn’t be at all surprised
developing ways of thinking and, as I told them, to find that a number of
they are ideally placed to be leaders of the future them have played in rock
bands in the past. Instead of
after-dinner speeches they
whip out their guitars and we
Mark Thompson, all sing specially written words
Director General, BBC
to familiar songs. So I leave this,
the first of my presidential notes, with
a taster. Sing the following to the tune of
‘Hallelujah’ (apologies to Leonard Cohen):
‘I heard there was a golden rule that Gordon
made, and he’s no fool
But you don’t really care what happens do ya?
Some have lost the will to live with easing that is
quantitative
and baffled King not saying Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah,
Hallelu-u-u-u-jah.’
CIPFA | Spreadsheet magazine | AUGUST 2009 9
spreadsheet_Aug09_30Jul.indd 9 30/7/09 10:30:05
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24