Trust, sustainability & talking robots at global accounting event in Mumbai

The 4-day event began on Friday and has delegates from across the world

Two screens on wheels moved slowly across the stage, speaking in a male and female voice about accounting matters, tugging back to life a lethargic evening crowd of global accountants.

The robots, which traded accounting jokes (accountants propose to their spouses with engagement letters), represented the growing role that technology could play in the profession in the not-so-distant future; at the 21st World Congress of Accountants 2022 which began on Friday in Mumbai.

The plenary session dealt with issues of trust, ethics and sustainability.

The underlying value for trust is significant for the profession, perhaps even similar to the role it plays in healthcare, suggested Julie Linn Teigland, managing partner for Europe, Middle East, India and Africa at EY.  She suggested that it is a key lever for professionals to carry out their job well.

"It is the currency of accountants," she said.

Poor ethics are often the root cause of corporate problems, according to Gabriela Figueiredo Dias, chair of the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA). A culture of ethical behaviour can help avoid wrongdoing and economic crime, and those in leadership positions have a key role to play, according to her.

"The tone is set from the top," she said.

Merran Kelsall, president and chairman  of CPA Australia said that accountants can help with better data and reporting around issues such as sustainability; given the roles they already play.

"They've got the skills," she said.

Atul Kumar Gupta, former president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), pointed out that around 30 per cent of India's accountants are women now, an example of the equitable nature of the growth and change in India in recent decades.

"That creates empowerment," he said of the increasing diversity in the profession.

Discussion moderator, Alan Johnson, outgoing president of the  International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), said that having a woman president at ICAI could be the next goal.

"I hope that's not too many years away," he added.