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The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) has recently appointed Orkney accountant Karen Scholes as vice president.
Scholes is a senior partner and director at the Kirkwall headquartered Scholes CA, the accountancy practice started by her later father, she was the sole practitioner in the firm until it was incorporated in 2008.
Regarding her appointment she said: “Having trained and passed through ICAS and worked closely with the organisation throughout my accountancy career, to be nominated as its new vice president is a massive honour. The role gives me the opportunity to give back to ICAS and help ensure it’s well placed to deal with the challenges of the post-pandemic, post-Brexit, business climate.”
She has held a number of roles within ICAS over the years, chairing its members in practice advisory board (MiPAB) and serving as convener of the ICAS authorisation committee. She has also been a member of the ICAS council and regulation board.
Scholes is keen to enhance the engagement ICAS has with its members in practice and is particularly passionate about supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs and enjoys nurturing young people in business through her work with Young Enterprise Orkney.
She said: “I believe a key priority for ICAS, as the trend for the consolidation of accounting businesses continues alongside the increase in regulation, is how to best support the many small to medium firms out there, ensuring their voices are heard.
“There’s a need for ICAS to be at the vanguard of efforts to attract and retain the next generation of accountants, from as wide a range of backgrounds as possible. I believe the ICAS foundation, which offers bursary and mentoring support to accountancy and finance students, will play a vital role in this drive to safeguard the future of the industry.”
Scholes concluded: “I’d also like to explore how to boost inclusivity within ICAS, ensuring its membership and services fully reflect the diversity in the industry.”
