iscoverCouncil election season is here, meaning it’s time to have your say on each respective accounting body’s council to positively impact and influence the evolving accounting industry.
‘Ensuring sustainable futures’: 2025 accounting council elections kick off
30 September 2025
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10 minute read
The ballots are officially open for the 2025 council elections for Chartered Accountants ANZ (CA ANZ) Council, CPA Australia Divisional Council, and the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA) Global Council, with multiple passionate and influential members in the running.
CA ANZ and CPA Australia look for members each year to sit on their regional councils through a mix of elected and appointed positions, with both bodies electing members to serve for a three-year term to play an important role within their governance frameworks.
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On a global scale, ACCA has also opened polling for its global council across its 180 membership bodies.
Heather Smith, industry thought leader and founder of Anise Consulting, said election season in the accounting profession was a transformative period that more accounting body members needed to take advantage of.
Smith revealed she was in the running for the ACCA Global Council election for the sixth time after having been a member of the body for 30 years.
“I’m the only person running from the Southern Hemisphere, so trying to activate votes is a big challenge. With membership across 180 countries, tapping into their culture and language is a challenge,” she said.
According to Smith, encouraging people to vote in the election was crucial, as electing passionate members to their respective councils drove advocacy, positively influenced the future of the profession, represented underheard voices, and simply gave back to the community.
Kyelie Baxter, IQ Accountants director and CPA Queensland divisional council candidate, said professional bodies supported members and represented the profession to the wider community, yet to do that well, they needed input from the people actually doing the work in all its different forms, hence where regional and divisional councils came in.
“Our profession is broad and diverse and councils bring those different perspectives together. From members in public practice and business advisory, to those working in commerce, government, education, and beyond, it’s vital that decisions reflect the whole profession, not just one part of it,” she said.
“Voting matters because it’s how members choose who represents them. For me, it’s about giving back to a profession that’s given me so much, and making sure Queensland members know their voices are being heard in the conversations that shape where we go next.”
CA ANZ said this year, each of its regional councils had two elected positions and one appointed position to fill.
“As a global professional body, we recognise the importance of inclusion and diversity in creating a world-class member experience and ensuring a sustainable future for the profession,” the body said.
“We encourage all members to consider standing for regional council no matter what age, experience, sector or cultural background so that our regional councils are truly representative of our members in each region.”
Smith said from her perspective, she wanted to encourage people to spend the five minutes and vote – as in many elections, fewer than 5 per cent of members actually voted.
“As the 2024 Accounting Thought Leader of the Year, I believe it’s important to serve and positively drive change in our profession,” she said.
“Serving on council within a membership body is one way to do this. That said, standing for election and asking people to vote doesn’t come naturally to me. Instead, I reframe it as a learning and supportive opportunity.”
Baxter echoed a similar sentiment and stated that the motive didn’t stem from asking people to vote, but rather to help shape the trajectory of the profession and support members.
“Whether it’s the CPA Divisional Council, the CA ANZ Council, or the ACCA Council, these groups exist to represent members, make sure our voices are heard, and help shape the future direction of the profession,” Baxter said.
“Most importantly, vote to have your say because at the end of the day, these councils only work when they reflect the voices of the people they serve.
From the small proportion of people who vote within the campaigns, Smith said she was shocked more members were not actively having a say in these elections.
“I often see people venting about membership bodies online, but once a year they have an opportunity to put aside 5-10 minutes and vote,” she said.
“As a data driven accountant, my focus is on connecting with members, and activating eligible voters to vote. I recognise it must be tiresome for people, but every social media message contains a phrase asking members to vote.”
CA ANZ’s elections were set to close on 14 October, CPA’s on 13 October, followed by ACCA’s on 23 October.
When the results are released, everyone would walk away with more wisdom, stronger connections, and surprising opportunities, Smith said.
“It takes time to learn the rules, work within them, and find ways to influence and shape outcomes, so we need to be persistent about this,” she said.
“I know a lot of brilliant people, and of course some of them are candidates in the ACCA, CAANZ, and CPA elections that are happening at the moment. We are actively exchanging messages of support, inspiration and wisdom, and campaigning for each other where possible.”
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