“The pace of change is matched only by the scale of opportunity ahead”
Advocating for the powerful role of Chartered Accountants as trusted guardians at times of change will be a key priority for the Institute’s new President, Pamela McCreedy, FCA
The election of Pamela McCreedy, FCA, as President of Chartered Accountants Ireland on 23 May 2025 marked a pivotal moment for the Institute and the profession.
Confirmed at the 137th Annual General Meeting in Belfast, McCreedy is the first public sector professional in 17 years to take on the role, the first President appointed since the Institute’s historic amalgamation with CPA Ireland on 1 September 2024 and the first female president from Northern Ireland.
For McCreedy, who qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1998 with KPMG in Belfast, the appointment marks the culmination of a distinguished 27-year career spanning practice, public service and an abiding dedication to serving the profession she is passionate about.
As Chief Operating Officer of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), she brings extensive leadership experience across complex public-facing organisations. “I am privileged to accept the chain of office and to start my work as President on behalf of our members and students,” McCreedy says.
“It is a great honour for me personally, and my focus will be on working with members across the island of Ireland and abroad to strengthen our impact and build on our proud legacy.”
Greater scale, breadth and depth
As the first President to be appointed by Chartered Accountants Ireland since the Institute’s amalgamation with CPA Ireland, McCreedy’s year-long tenure begins at a time of transformation, both for the organisation and the profession.
“The amalgamation has increased the breadth and depth of what this Institute offers and has given us even greater scale to make an impact,” McCreedy says.
“As the largest professional body on the island of Ireland, we now have an enhanced mandate and a responsibility to deliver.
“A priority for me as President will be to draw on the collective strength of our membership to further progress how we use our voice in the public interest, engaging with policy makers and stakeholders.”
Guiding these endeavours will be the implementation of Strategy27, the Institute’s three-year strategic framework, designed to strengthen the profession’s resilience, relevance and influence.
For McCreedy, Strategy27 stands as a “bold and timely blueprint” reflecting the crucial position Chartered Accountants hold in many facets of society.
“Our members are not just finance professionals, they are ethical leaders, critical thinkers and stewards of long-term value,” she says.
“We provide leadership across the public and private sector, bringing experience, trusted expertise and the highest standards to all aspects of our work.”
Trusted guardians at times of change
This pivotal societal role is especially important at times of change and disruption, McCreedy says.
“The economic and political world we operate in today has become increasingly complex, combining geopolitical schisms, market volatility, rapid technological advancements and fundamental changes in our stakeholders’ needs.
“Sustained increases in the cost of doing business, coupled with increasing geopolitical uncertainty in recent months, present challenges for business across the island of Ireland.”
Against the background of so much change, opportunity and challenge, the Institute’s newly launched Strategy27 offers a clear roadmap to guide members of Chartered Accountants Ireland.
“The pace of transformation both for the organisation and the profession we represent is matched only by the scale of opportunity ahead, and we must meet this change with integrity, insight and purpose,” McCreedy says.
Setting out how Chartered Accountants Ireland will lead the profession in the years ahead, and based on extensive consultation with stakeholders on what the future holds, Strategy27 is built around five key pillars:
• Attracting and educating the next generation;
• Upholding trust in the profession;
• Providing relevant and future-focused member support;
• Being a strong and effective voice; and
• Helping members to navigate change.
“The strategy recognises several changing needs in our operating environment,” McCreedy explains.
“The regulatory environment we operate in has become more complex, and the cost of doing business more expensive.
“Non-financial reporting means organisations are having to account more broadly for their overall impact, as well as the value they create.”
Attracting the next generation
Particularly close to McCreedy’s heart is the need to attract and educate the next generation to a profession that can deliver so many professional and personal rewards.
“My Chartered Accountancy qualification has provided me with a truly fabulous career. It has enabled me to progress and develop, travel the world, meet other members and network,” she says.
“Still, we can no longer take it as a given that school leavers and graduates will gravitate towards the profession, and Stategy27 recognises the need to inspire the next generation.”
Prior to assuming the role of PSNI Chief Operating Officer, McCreedy held senior roles with the Northern Ireland Audit Office, Northern Health and Social Care Trust and KPMG.
Her own start in the profession and a prestigious career in public service was not via the traditional route, however.
Having studied business at college, McCreedy opted to forego university so she could instead jumpstart her career as a Chartered Accountant under a training contract with KPMG in Belfast.
“I was driven; impatient to get started and find out how the ‘real world’ worked, but I also wanted the right foundation to build a successful career. Chartered Accountancy gave me that,” she says.
“I was familiar with working and studying/training together and found being able to apply what I was learning in my work was very beneficial. This has continued to benefit me as my career has progressed.”
Highlighting flexible training routes
The Institute will shortly unveil a refreshed brand identity as part of its first student recruitment campaign under the amalgamated structure, aimed at showcasing the diverse and flexible pathways into the profession.
In her role as President of the Institute, one of McCreedy’s central priorities will be to promote these pathways to the next generation.
“I want to get the message out to the professionals of tomorrow that university is not the only route to becoming a Chartered Accountant and building a fulfilling career,” she says.
“If you are bright and ambitious, you can start your studies directly out of school and get your career off the ground straightaway. If you are already working, you can opt for the flexible route to qualifying as a Chartered Accountant, studying for your exams while continuing to work.
“I don’t know of many other well-paying professional careers that offer the same level of flexible entry, with the same potential to progress and succeed.”
Chartered Accountants Ireland is also leading the way on progressive education for both students and members.
“The Institute launched a new learning platform last year, introducing adaptive learning to students for the first time,” McCreedy says.
“Ours is the first professional accounting body to roll out full adaptive learning modules and one of the first educational institutes across any industry globally.”
Chartered Accountants Ireland is also investing in virtual reality (VR) technology to educate students in new and innovative ways.
In partnership with Sia Partners, the Institute has developed a ground-breaking VR simulation to equip junior and trainee auditors with Professional Scepticism (PS) skills.
The VR simulation puts learners into the role of a junior auditor conducting an external audit, allowing them to practice PS in realistic scenarios, mirroring the complexities of real-world audit environments.
“Our priority, ultimately, is to ensure that students are equipped with the skills they need for the profession of the future, and that we deliver education that is naturally engaging to younger generations of digital natives in an increasingly technology-driven world,” McCreedy says.
Artificial intelligence and lifelong learning
The lifelong education of qualified members is equally important as emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) highlight the need for continued professional development and upskilling at all career stages.
“AI and machine learning represent so much opportunity for our profession, but will require new and different skills sets, so they can be applied ethically and effectively,” McCreedy says.
“The Institute is committed to supporting and equipping members with opportunities to upskill and leverage new technologies to advance their career and the profession as a whole.”
New research released in April 2025 by Chartered Accountants Worldwide suggests the profession is ready for the AI age.
The CAW report, which surveyed Chartered Accountants Ireland alongside respondents from 13 other Chartered bodies around the world, found that AI is increasingly integrated into business processes and that the profession is actively embracing change.
Eighty five percent of the Chartered Accountants surveyed expressed a willingness to use AI tools, 91 percent of those aged 18–24 said they were already using the technology and 56 percent agreed that incorporating AI made accountancy more attractive as a career choice.
There is consensus in the findings that AI will augment, rather than replace, the Chartered Accountant’s role, with human intelligence remaining at the heart of the profession.
McCreedy sees this as a strong endorsement of the profession’s collectively progressive mindset, adaptability and continued relevance as trusted business leaders in the 21st century.
Critical importance of trusted role
As an experienced senior public sector leader with a dedicated focus on improving public services, McCreedy is keenly aware of the critical importance of this trusted role in many facets of society.
“The world I operate in can be quite complex and, in that environment as in many others, it really matters to be the Chartered Accountant in the room. You are trusted; it is understood that you are skilled and knowledgeable, but also sincere and honest,” she says.
“That professional reputation is extraordinarily valuable. It has continued to hold its value over many years and generations, through ongoing change in technology, the regulatory environment and socio-economic shifts—and it will continue to hold its value into the future.”
Public service, in particular, is important to McCreedy for whom it has provided a strong “sense of purpose” and drive to build a career contributing to the greater good.
Even before she had left KPMG in 2009 to join the Health Service, her focus had shifted to public service in the role of Director of Public Sector Advisory with specific responsibility for the criminal justice and health sectors. Following a two-year stint as Assistant Director of Planning and Performance at the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust, she was appointed Director of the ‘Transforming Your Care’ programme by the Health and Social Care Board.
In 2015, McCreedy became Director of Operations and Deputy Chief Executive for the Northern Health and Social Care Trust.
She joined the Northern Ireland Audit Office in 2017 as Chief Operating Officer, as well as acting as its Local Government Auditor.
McCreedy became the first Chief Operating Officer to be appointed to the PSNI in 2021 with responsibility for leading the organisation through strategic leadership and transformational change.
Combined strength of the all-island economy
Now, as her term as President of Chartered Accountants Ireland begins, McCreedy is eager to support members across the island of Ireland for the greater good of the wider profession.
“Looking back to the earliest days of my career when I was training with KPMG, the Belfast office employed about 150 people and we were like a family, which really resonated with me, but one of our key strengths was that we were part of an all-island practice,” she says.
“As President of Chartered Accountants Ireland, highlighting the potential strength of the all-island economy is important to me.
“Competition has never been greater for the flow of foreign direct investment (FDI) around the world, and with a new US administration, there is an increased chance of disruption to the traditional flow of FDI to Ireland.
“Ireland offers a safe and stable environment for FDI and we, as Chartered Accountants, will be there to lead and support continued investment from overseas.”
McCreedy also highlights the strategic importance of Northern Ireland’s dual market access. “I am immensely proud that the Chain of Office for my Presidency was handed over in Belfast,” she says.
“In the wake of the UK’s exit from the European Union, Northern Ireland finds itself in the enviable position of benefiting from unfettered access to both the UK and EU markets.
“Combined with our skilled workforce and pro-business environment, this is a compelling proposition for investment, and Chartered Accountants have a central role to play in realising this potential.”
Global reach of professional network
Having begun to volunteer with the Ulster Society of Chartered Accountants Ireland at the start of her career, just days after qualifying with KPMG, McCreedy’s focus today remains steadfastly on supporting and championing her fellow members on the island of Ireland and overseas. “Our network is our strength; we have almost 40,000 members around the world,” she says.
“In the year ahead, I want to stay close to our network of District Societies and Chapters overseas; to connect with and support our members, deepen connections and represent their needs, views and priorities across the board.”