ICAEW appoints non-chartered accountant board members for first time

The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales has appointed its first non-chartered accountant board members.

This historic move aims to widen the scope of diversity of thinking and experience at the organisation's highest levels.

Review

Communications specialist Michael Stewart and Jill May, an investment banker with 13 years in M&A at SG Warburg & Co, have been appointed to the ICAEW board after a review carried out by the institute.

Both new members took up their appointments in July, and were appointed after a lengthy process led by international executive search consultancy Fidelio Partners.

Stewart is president and CEO of Edelman's Europe and CIS region and a member of Edelman's global executive committee. Previous experience includes McKinsey and Company, where he was a partner and global director of communications and marketing.

May's career in investment banking has seen her spend over ten years in strategic functions at UBS. Other appointments include being a member of the Complaints Committee of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) as well as holding the post of non-executive director and panel member of the Competition and Markets Authority.

Role

The ICAEW board manages the running of the business of the institute as well as future planning, all of which must be in line with the objectives, policies, and budgets that have been approved by the body's council.

As such, any new appointments are likely to have an impact on the accountancy sector in England and Wales.

ICAEW president and chairman of the board Andrew Ratcliffe said: "We want to ensure our board reflects not just the interests of ICAEW members but also the society they serve. We are delighted to have appointed two individuals of the calibre of Jill and Michael and look forward to their contributions in helping ICAEW set and deliver its strategy."