Do you need to take your accounting and finance profession world? Changing into a member of CPA Australia within the Philippines could possibly be your ticket to creating a big effect on the world stage.
After dwelling 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 Observe Director at a world accounting and consulting agency, KNAV.
It’s one other step ahead in a profitable profession that was complemented together with 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 12 months.
“Working abroad provides you a world perspective, cross-cultural consciousness, stronger communication abilities, and general 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 straight related to a world accounting observe.”
Pathway to success
Being eager to boost her CPA Philippines license with an internationally recognised 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 by the Member Pathway Settlement, with advantages and potential exemptions for BOA licence holders and PICPA members.
Given her worldwide focus, Sherry discovered this system’s capstone topic World Technique and Management significantly fascinating.
“It’s very insightful, because it supplies govt oversight and strategic path on present and rising applied sciences and enterprise fashions, which I discover extremely efficient in my position,” she says.
To anybody hesitant about embarking on the CPA Program, she emphases that with fast-paced modifications on the planet immediately, advances in know-how and disruption of conventional methods of doing enterprise, steady studying is extra necessary than ever for profession improvement.
“The talents realized from the CPA Program present the inspiration to cowl not solely accounting and monetary reporting, but in addition strategic administration, governance, and management,” she says.
Your keys to raised studying
“After I was in Singapore, CPA Australia’s member providers supplied entry to not solely technical and comfortable abilities studying, however networking alternatives by occasions corresponding to wine-tasting classes to common conversations about accounting points or job alternatives. CPA Australia membership is extra than simply an accounting affiliation – it’s a neighborhood of like-minded people who simply occur to be CPAs.”
CPA Australia affords full-time and self-paced on-line examine with a variety of guided studying instruments to help individuals. Nevertheless, juggling work pressures whereas finishing this system – particularly relating to sitting CPA Australia exams – requires self-discipline.
Sherry carried out exceptionally properly in this system however says there’s no secret to her success.
“Being ready for any examination is essential, so planning your research and understanding, reasonably than simply memorising, is a important issue.
“I like studying books and may end a novel in a single sitting. I assumed self-paced on-line examine could be no totally different, however I used to be so flawed!
“It took a whole lot of self-discipline, allocating no less than two hours a day – principally in the course of 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 just a few days off for examine depart, which helped scale back work pressures earlier than examination day.”
Globally recognised designation
Certainly, she believes employers place a excessive worth on those that achieves CPA standing from worldwide affiliations like CPA Australia and that it provides jobseekers a aggressive edge.
“The CPA Program and membership of CPA Australia is an efficient begin to creating a world profession whereas working within the Philippines and gaining accounting expertise,” she says. “It has actually helped to set me other than different regionally certified candidates.”
In different phrases, it’s a fantastic complement to the prevailing 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 worthwhile networking alternatives will enable 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 internationalised, the accounting and auditing mindset is being globalised.
“Enterprise transactions as soon as recorded by paper journals or columnar have now developed to the cloud and banking purposes will be achieved from our telephones. With that, auditing has grow to be extra analytical and due to this fact consumer engagement extra necessary.”
As such, she says that it helps to be a member of a globally recognised accounting establishment that provides the educational instruments essential to efficiently function in a world setting.
“In a method, I really feel the title ‘CPA Australia’ creates a misnomer by 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 recognised CPA designation with greater than 170,000 members in over 100 nations and areas.
These concerned about endeavor the CPA Program can study extra about it by attending one in all CPA Australia’s upcoming ‘Grow to be a CPA’ data classes.
