Do you need to take your accounting and finance profession globally? Turning into a member of CPA Australia within the Philippines may very well be your ticket to creating a big effect on the world stage.
After residing and dealing in Singapore for 12 years, in early 2022 Sherry Lou Pena CPA (Aust.) returned to the Philippines and now holds a key position as a Apply Director at a worldwide accounting and consulting agency, KNAV.
It is one other step ahead in a profitable profession that was complemented by her being a member of CPA Australia. She began CPA Australia’s CPA Program in June 2017 and attained the CPA standing in June the next yr.
“Working abroad provides you a worldwide perspective, cross-cultural consciousness, stronger communication abilities, and total skilled improvement,” Sherry says.
Sherry Lou Pena CPA (Aust.) at KOMA Singapore, Marina Bay Sands.
“The CPA Program dietary supplements this by offering context to what was, for me, a studying expertise. The matters in this system are immediately related to a worldwide accounting observe.”
Pathway to success
Being eager to boost her CPA Philippines license with an internationally acknowledged accounting designation, she determined to pursue the membership pathway of CPA Australia with the Philippine Institute of Licensed Public Accountants (PICPA).
CPA Australia’s collaboration with the Skilled Regulatory Fee’s Board of Accountancy (BOA) and PICPA means accounting and finance professionals and graduates within the Philippines can apply for CPA Australia Affiliate membership via the Member Pathway Settlement, with advantages and potential exemptions for BOA license holders and PICPA members.
Given her worldwide focus, Sherry discovered this system’s capstone topic International Technique and Management significantly fascinating.
“It is very insightful, because it supplies government oversight and strategic route on present and rising applied sciences and enterprise fashions, which I discover extremely efficient in my position,” she says.
To anybody hesitating about embarking on the CPA Program, she emphases that with fast-paced modifications in at this time’s world, advances in expertise and disruption of conventional methods of doing enterprise, steady studying is extra vital than ever for profession improvement.
“The talents discovered from the CPA Program present the inspiration to cowl not solely accounting and monetary reporting, but additionally strategic administration, governance, and management,” she says.
Your keys to raised studying
“Once I was in Singapore, CPA Australia’s member providers supplied entry to not solely technical and gentle abilities studying, however networking alternatives via occasions equivalent to wine-tasting periods to common conversations about accounting points or job alternatives. CPA Australia membership is extra than simply an accounting affiliation – it is a group of like-minded people who simply occur to be CPAs.”
CPA Australia gives full-time and self-paced on-line research with a variety of guided studying instruments to help contributors. Nonetheless, juggling work pressures whereas finishing this system – particularly on the subject of sitting CPA Australia exams – requires self-discipline.
Sherry carried out exceptionally properly in this system however mentioned there is not any secret to her success.
“Being ready for any examination is vital, so planning your research and understanding, quite than simply memorizing, is a important issue.
“I like studying books and may end a novel in a single sitting. I assumed self-paced on-line research can be no completely different, however I used to be so flawed!
“It took a number of self-discipline, allocating not less than two hours a day – largely throughout the quiet night time hours – for the lengthy reads and quizzes. I bear in mind skipping some dine-outs to spend time within the library to review. Throughout my final paper, it was lucky my then employer gave me a number of days off for research depart, which helped scale back work pressures earlier than examination day.”
Globally acknowledged designation
Certainly, she believes employers place a excessive worth on those that obtain CPA standing from worldwide associates like CPA Australia and that offers jobseekers a aggressive edge.
“The CPA Program and membership of CPA Australia is an efficient begin to create a global profession whereas working within the Philippines and gaining accounting expertise,” she says. “It has actually helped to set me other than different domestically certified candidates.”
In different phrases, it is an important complement to the present CPA Philippines designation.
Importantly, because the chief of her agency’s worldwide assurance help and audit observe within the Philippines, Sherry is optimistic that CPA Australia’s beneficial networking alternatives will permit her to additional improve KNAV’s profile and enterprise improvement.
Sherry Lou Pena CPA (Aust.): “The CPA Australia designation is extra than simply an accounting affiliation.”
She additionally notes that with companies turning into extra internationalized, the accounting and auditing mindset is being globalized.
“Enterprise transactions as soon as recorded via paper journals or columnar have now advanced to the cloud and banking purposes may be achieved from our telephones. With that, auditing has turn into extra analytical and due to this fact consumer engagement is extra vital.”
As such, she says that it helps to turn into a member of a globally acknowledged accounting establishment that gives the training instruments essential to function efficiently in a worldwide atmosphere.
“In a method, I really feel the identify ‘CPA Australia’ creates a misnomer via the impression it solely caters to CPAs or companies in Australia.”
The fact, she says, is that it speaks to the physique’s heritage and the place it was based.
Now, in 2023, CPA Australia is a longtime, wanted, and internationally acknowledged CPA designation with greater than 170,000 members in over 100 nations and areas.
These keen on endeavor the CPA Program can study extra about it by attending certainly one of CPA Australia’s upcoming ‘Change into a CPA’ info session.