July 2011 Session

CPA Women in Business Discussion Group

Tuesday 26 July 2011 | 6pm – 8pm | CPA Centre

The NSW Women in Business discussion group are welcoming Ruth Medd, Chair of Women on Board, as guest speaker and Julie Garland Mclellan,a practising company director who has served on 14 boards, as a moderator in July.

As the Chair of Women on Boards Ruth has developed initiatives and interventions to facilitate the improved participation of women in senior and board roles.  Women on Boards is recognised as a major player in the gender diversity debate.

Ruth’s experiences to date have enabled her to contribute her finance and business management expertise as well as her in depth understanding of the public policy, regulatory and business interface. 

Ruth will present on the following topics and provide attendees with a “personal to do list”

-       The story of Ruth Medd FCPA and how Women on Boards grew from a volunteer effort to a thriving social enterprise

-       Why CPAs as sought after as board members

-       What to think about when you are asked to join a board – personal liability, due diligence, etc

-       Strategies for establishing a board career  - tips on target selection, networking in the right places, marshalling your helpers

Then we will have Julie Garland McLellan to be the moderator for Q&A. Julie is a practising company director and has experience on a range of public sector and commercial boards. Julie has been internationally acclaimed as a leading expert on government sector governance. She is the author of three books on governance and the editor of the Director’s Dilemma newsletter which is read in 36 countries around the world.

Julie has a degree in Civil Engineering, an executive MBA, a diploma and an advanced diploma in company directorship.

Julie has served on 14 boards, both listed and unlisted, and the Australian Institute of Company Directors’ NSW Council.

To register for this event, please contact the convenor, Shirley Cho.

June 2011 Session

We will have Kate McCallum to join us on 28th of June 2011, 6pm-8pm, at CPA centre. The topic will be ‘Six ways women can be smart about money’.

The presentation is outlined by Kate:

"Today, a woman is better educated, better paid and has more career opportunities than her mother or grandmother.

Have you identified, as a woman, your financial needs? Do you have a financial plan for your life? Do you feel financially well-organised?  

If you’d like to learn six ideas that you can use to take control of your finances and hear about strategies for savvy women to better navigate investing and life, then please join us for this presentation."

Topics covered include:

-          Setting goals

-          Investing

-          Maximising risk and return

-          Borrowing and debt

-          Minimising tax

-          Protecting income and assets

Biography

Kate McCallum co-founded Multiforte in January 2007 - a boutique firm offering tailored financial advice to people who want to be financially well-organised.

Kate has more than 20 years experience in investment, superannuation and insurance. She has worked at senior levels in several leading financial services firms including Westpac/BT Financial Group, State Street and Commonwealth/Colonial.

She has managed superannuation and investment products and services for most of her career, and managed part of a major financial advice business.

Kate is a Board member of the Australian School of Business Alumni Advisory Board. A mentor in the Lucy Program and NSW Councilor for Women Chiefs of Enterprise (WCEI), Kate is passionate about helping women achieve financial independence.

Kate holds post-graduate qualifications in Commerce, Applied Finance and Investment, and Financial Planning.

Kate is regularly asked to present sessions for organisations and conferences, and is regularly featured in the Australian Financial Review and the Sydney Morning Herald.

Highlight of Tuesday Night

This month meeting was highlighted by the surprised visit of NSW President for 2011, Dr. Margaret Drever and the excellent presentation by our guest speakers (Stephen Lynch and Fiona Hoad from Somerville Legal).

"NSW president is visiting your group tonight." I got this news just couple hours before our group meeting. Dr. Margaret Drever was there around 10 minutes before 6pm. She talked to our group members and encouraged our members to make contributions to our community.

Stephen Lynch presented on "Will" in such a fun way, which really caught the attention of the audience. Q&A time had to be cut short as it had gone overtime.

Fiona Hoad, Accredited Specialist in Family Law, delivered her presentation professionally even though she did not feel very well at that time.

Accountants' PI Insurance Video Series

CPA Australia has produced a few recordings on professional indeminty insurance issues for members in public practice:

• Accountants' PI Insurance: an overview
• 2011 tax regime and risk management 
• Employment practices and insurance

These recordings are also available on the CPA webiste. More details on www.cpaaustralia.com.au/insurancetoolkit.

It might be interesting to our group members in public practice.

May 2011 Session

Fiona Hoad and Steven Lynch from Somerville will join us on the 24th of May as guest speakers.

Stephen Lynch

Bio:

Stephen Lynch has been a solicitor with Somerville Legal since 2001, and was made a director in 2010. He has specialised in estate planning and deceased estates throughout that time, working with clients, accountants and financial planners alike to create effective yet easy-to-understand wills which can cover even the most complex of situations. He is also highly experienced in the administering deceased estates, including obtaining grants of probate/administration and family provision claims.

Recently, Stephen was involved in the pioneering cases  AB v CB and Ors (2009) and Elayoubi, Application of Wosif (2010) which were among the first in NSW to allow the court to make a will on behalf of a person without testamentary capacity.

Presentation Summary:

Stephen Lynch will discuss some important considerations relating to wills, including the mechanics of testamentary trusts and the significant advantages they provide, particularly for relatively substantial estates. He will also discuss the growing area of Family Provision claims upon estates, as well as other important parts of estate planning including superannuation, powers of attorney and enduring guardianship.

Fiona Hoad

Bio:

Fiona Hoad has been a solicitor with Somerville Legal since August 1997.   Fiona was a Senior Associate from 2000 until 2010 when she was appointed a director of the firm. Fiona has practised in family law for over 12 years.  In 2005 Fiona became a Law Society of Society of NSW Accredited Specialist in Family Law. Fiona’s experience includes all areas of family law including property, parenting, spouse maintenance applications and relocation applications. 

Presentation Summary:

Fiona Hoad will present a paper aimed at arming accountants with some basic information to equip them to understand the manner in which assets are treated under the Family Law Act in the context of property settlement.  Fiona will also discuss the significance of Family Law Act Binding Financial Agreements which are the only mechanism in which a person can protect their asset(s) from the jurisdiction of the Family Court of Australia in the event of a relationship break down. 

Let me know what else you would like them to cover.

Good Presentation on "Fraud"

Brett Warfield delivered a very good presentation on “Fraud” to our group on 27^th of April 2011. Most members were captivated by his vast experience and knowledge on the prevention and detection of fraud that were shared. We would like to have him back in the future on exploring this area further.

NSW TAFE - Associate Degree of Accounting Focus Sessions - Need your help

This is a message from NSW CPA Centre. They are looking for help in participating in a project. A few group members including Amy, Ellie and Lisa have put their hands up. There are more places for this Thurseday and Friday to fill.

"TAFE NSW Higher Education with the valued input of CPA Australia and universities are developing a unique tertiary pathway to an accounting career through an Associate Degree of Accounting that allows graduates to transfer to year three of a Bachelor Degree at one of our partner universities.  The program will use innovative delivery and assessment approaches to prepare graduates for work as well as for further study at university.

The program aims to improve graduates’ knowledge and abilities to meet the needs of employers. This will be achieved through strong industry engagement throughout the development and delivery of the program.   At this stage of development, we are seeking your input regarding the required knowledge, skill and other attributes of accounting employees and your thoughts on future directions for the profession.

We invite you to attend one of the lunch time focus group at either the CPA Australia office or the TAFE Ultimo campus on the following dates:

• Thursday 14 April - 12.30pm - 1.15pm at TAFE Ultimo campus

• Friday 15 April - 12.30pm - 1.15pm at at CPA Australia office

The group will consist of around ten accounting professionals and relevant other professionals who will have the opportunity to share and exchange thoughts about the needs of the profession going forward.  A light lunch will be provided.

Your input into the design of this program is highly valued and we hope you will be able to attend.

In participating in this focus group you understand that CPA Australia may make and you consent to the recording of your likeness and/or voice, by any means (including but not limited to audio or visual recordings by cameras and photographers) and that CPA Australia may use these recordings for any purpose.

RSVP:   to Jess at jessica.hartley-lichtenstein@cpaaustralia.com.au"

Join us in supporting this project!