DEMOGRAPHIC SHIFTS IN ACCOUNTING PROFESSION REFLECTED BY NEWLY ELECTED SAIPA BOARD MEMBERS
At its recent annual general meeting, the South African Institute of Professional Accountants (SAIPA) elected three new board members: Cindy Debete, Muhammad Seedat and Altaaf Parker. “These new board members bring an impressive set of skills and life experiences to our board, and will further help us to meet the needs of our members,” says Shahied Daniels, CEO of SAIPA. “These are young people of the highest calibre who, with the backing of our members, will help take the organisation forward.”
Daniels says that he is particularly pleased that these new board members reflect the growing demographic representativeness of the accounting profession as a whole and of SAIPA in particular. SAIPA’s board now represents even better the ideal non-racist, non-sexist South Africa for which we all strive.
The same process of change is underway across the broader organisation, albeit more slowly. Forty-two percent of all full SAIPA members are female, and the organisation’s current chair is its second female figurehead. Currently only 10 percent of full members are Black African.
“Our ongoing research however shows that a massive demographic shift is occurring if you look at the profile of our trainees doing learnerships and studying to qualify as Professional Accountants (SA),” says Daniels. “At present, within this group, almost 20 percent are Black Africans, while 62 percent are female. We have a long way to go yet, of course, but it’s extremely encouraging to see that our efforts to attract more black graduates into the profession are bearing fruit. The future is starting to take shape now.”
Cindy Debete
Muhammad Seedat
Altaaf Parker
ISSUED ON BEHALF OF: South African Institute of Professional Accountants (SAIPA)
ISSUED BY: PR Republic