Professional Accountancy Organisations

PAOs are the focal point for professional accountants guiding them in upholding ethical standards and application of global best practice in accounting and finance.
In order to continue to carry out this function and remain a force in the profession PAOs must continuously improve and evolve in order to bring value to their members and students and achieve their operational objectives.
Whether the objective is to become a member of a global body, expand beyond geographical borders, deliver greater value to members or even become a virtual PAO, we bring our expertise and experience to support PAOs on these journeys, building agile governance structures, robust strategies and responsive monitoring and evaluation frameworks, using the latest tools available including IFAC Strategic Planning Toolkit.

Most PAOs aspire to become members of IFAC which can raise their profile, increase membership, bring greater influence in their jurisdiction with the regulator, highlight the country's accountancy profession's successes and challenges and bring its voice to the global stage.
We support our partners in fulfilling the IFAC PAO programme requirements instilled in the Statements of Membership Obligations (SMOs). It could be developing a comprehensive Investigation and Discipline framework and processes, or providing support on establishing a quality assurance function and implementing ISQM, or ensuring that the PAO is best place to support international standard adoption in their jurisdiction. We apply IFAC requirements, best practice and tools, like the and CAPA Maturity Model, and extensive practical experience to bring tailored and contextualised solutions.

Ensuring that only competent and professional accountants are engaged in the economy is the primary responsibility of a PAO. This can be ensured through quality initial and continuous professional development programmes which are aligned to International Education Standards (IES).
We work with PAOs to develop qualification and certification frameworks that are internationally recognised and answer to specific country needs by assessing their compliance to IES, recommending next steps to alignment and recognition and developing the supporting infrastructure around the qualification program to ensure its continuing relevance.

PAOs can act as regulatory bodies in their own right or as a partner to the Ministry of Finance ensuring that the accounting profession responds to public demands for transparency and accountability, and addresses the current and anticipates the future concerns of the profession.
We help PAOs and MoFs formulate key principles and policies for governing the profession and help design pathways for smooth evolution of the regulatory environment towards best practice in the given country context.