What qualifications do you need to become ACCA chief executive? You don't need ACCA qualifications because ACCA's current chief executive has not. You don't need any accountancy qualifications because the job specification devised for the new chief executive boldly claims that you don't need any (Click here for more).
So here is a very simple test. Please look at the following figures and decide whether the number of new ACCA members from the UK is expanding or declining.
New ACCA Members from the UK
Year New UK Members
1997
3,909
1998
2,832
1999
2,762
A five year old child could tell you that the number of new members from the UK has declined by about 30%, or that the ACCa's rate of expansion in the UK is declining How did we get the above figures?
The censorship exercised by ACCA management is well known. It refuses to publish a geographical analysis of its membership (Click here) or the composition of new membership (Click here). ACCA chief executive has consistently refused to publish the data. What are they hiding or trying to prevent? They do not want members to ask uncomfortable questions about the decline in the UK. It is evident to all that ACCA has no political influence in the UK. A necessary precondition of being influentila is that it needs to recognise what it is. Without that the ACCA management are just deluding themselves.
AABA received the above figures and made them publicly available.
So how has ACCA chief executive managed to display here numeracy skills? As ever, the publicity hungry (is all publicity always good?) could not resist a chance of cheap headlines. Accountancy Age wrote a story (Click here) about the ACCA chief executive's views on a report by the Office of Fair Trading (Click here ). Of course, part of the reason for the OFT view is the utmost secrecy exercised by ACCA. It won't publish a geographical analysis of its membership.
To counter the ACCA propaganda, AABA Director Prem Sikka, wrote a short note to Accountancy Age (Click here). In response, ACCA chief executive, as usual personalizes her attacks (is this OK for a leader of a professional body?) and unwittingly continues to provide wonderful quotes for future books and papers and material for historians (Click here).
It is obvious to anyone that the ACCA's new UK membership is declining or at nay rate the rate of expansion is declining. How is it that the ACCA chief executive can't see it? Answers on a postcard please to ACCA chief executive. Please ask her to explain the decline in the number of new members from the UK.
Isn't it time the ACCA hierarchy passed some ACCA exams?