Where Business Leaders Begin: BRINGING OUR BRAND TO LIFE
A new brand identity is spotlighting the long-held role of Chartered Accountants as Trusted Business Leaders, positively impacting the economy and society while serving the public interest with professionalism and integrity
Chartered Accountants Ireland represents more than 40,000 members across 100 countries and supports over 8,600 students on their professional journey.
Following its amalgamation with CPA Ireland in 2024, the Institute launched a new brand identity in 2025 – an important milestone that reflects our shared heritage, our expanded community and our ambitions for the future of the profession. Developed in conjunction with Strategy27, the new brand is rooted in the values that have defined Chartered Accountants for generations: accountability, forward-looking, excellence and openness.
At the same time, it reflects the evolving role of Chartered Accountants in a changing business landscape. At the heart of the brand is a simple but powerful promise: Trusted Business Leadership.
This promise captures the unique contribution Chartered Accountants make every day: positively impacting business, the economy and society while serving the public interest with professionalism and integrity. It also gives members a clear and confident platform for explaining the value of the profession to employers, clients, colleagues and future Chartered Accountants.
The symbol is an integral part of our identity. We refer to it as our North Star: a positive and expressive element that reflects the directional arrows of a compass.
It brings together the qualities of being open and friendly, while also structured and organised, and represents our four brand values as well as being a symbol of direction and leadership.
An insight-led approach
The brand development was the culmination of a multi-year programme of research, strategy and engagement.
Input from students, members, employers, educators, business leaders and prospects helped shape the new identity, ensuring it remains authentic to the profession while resonating with future generations.
These insights informed everything from messaging and visual identity to marketing channels and campaign development.
The result is a modern, relevant brand that reflects the breadth of the Institute’s role and strengthens awareness of Chartered Accountancy among key audiences.
It also reflects insights from the latest member research, completed in June of this year. The findings show that “Trusted” remains the strongest brand association, increasing significantly by 13 percent compared with 2025.
Professional, highly respected and trustworthy remain the attributes most strongly associated with the qualification.
Awareness of our brand identity has increased to 58 percent, meaning close to three-in-five members are now aware of it, while messaging remains the strongest identity element.
A key pillar of this work is the Institute’s annual student recruitment and brand awareness campaign. Its objectives are to:
• Increase demand for ACA training opportunities.
• Challenge outdated perceptions that the ACA qualification is exclusively linked to audit or practice.
• Highlight the breadth of career opportunities available to Chartered Accountants.
• Position Chartered Accountancy as the starting point for future business leaders.
In June 2026, the Institute launched its latest integrated campaign under the banner, “Where Business Leaders Begin”.
The campaign brings the brand promise of “Trusted Business Leadership” to life through the real experiences of members and students. Freestanding digital display ad in Terminal 2 at Dublin Airport featuring Feargal O’Rourke FCA, FCPA Research consistently shows that authentic stories resonate strongly with prospective students and career influencers, helping to build both trust and consideration.
By showcasing diverse career paths and leadership journeys, the campaign demonstrates how the ACA qualification opens doors across business, finance, technology, entrepreneurship, sustainability, strategy and beyond.
It also marks a strategic shift towards showcasing the Institute’s relevance to the business community: bringing the “Business” in “Trusted Business Leadership” to life and strengthening our role in advocating on behalf of business through our advocacy and voice activity.
A two-phase campaign
The campaign was delivered in two phases, supported by events, employer engagement and business development activity.
Across both phases, the creative features real members, illustrating the impact Chartered Accountants make in organisations and communities every day.
Phase one: business-to-business (from June 2026)
The first phase focuses on employers and business audiences, highlighting the value Chartered Accountants bring to organisations and the benefits of developing future talent through ACA training. Activity is live across radio, press, digital audio, out-of-home advertising and LinkedIn, and features Institute members Feargal O’Rourke FCA, FCPA, Chairman, IDA Ireland, and Caroline Sherry, FCA, FCPA, CFO, Hostelworld.
Phase two: business-to-consumer (from July 2026)
Supporting the next generation
The campaign reflects our ambition to grow and diversify the profession while reinforcing the value of the ACA qualification. It also recognises the critical role members play in attracting the next generation of Chartered Accountants.
Every conversation matters. Whether speaking with students exploring career options, engaging with employers considering training programmes, sharing personal career experiences, or supporting younger colleagues, members remain some of the profession’s strongest ambassadors.
As a community, we can all help increase awareness of the opportunities available through Chartered Accountancy and inspire future business leaders to begin their journey with us.
To learn more, visit our student and employer hubs. You can also access brand resources and promoting the profession resources to support the campaign. We encourage members to use these resources to share the campaign with their networks and help inspire the next generation of Chartered Accountants and business leaders.