Accountancy body Icas names new chief executive

Bruce Cartwright, the former head of corporate restructuring for Big Four accountant PwC in Scotland, has been appointed as the new chief executive of professional body Icas.

Bruce Cartwright has been appointed as the new chief executive of Icas. Picture: Contributed

Cartwright has been working as the executive director of policy leadership at the accountancy body for the past six months.

He will assume the role of chief executive as of 23 March next year and succeeds Anton Colella who is leaving after almost 11 years at the helm of Icas, which has more than 20,000 members globally.

Cartwright said: “I am hugely privileged to become the chief executive of the world’s first professional body of chartered accountants and look forward to building on the successes of recent years to deliver on our vision of making Icas the leading global professional community.”

He added: “The global accountancy profession faces an unprecedented period of potential disruption. As chief executive of Icas, my role is to ensure that we remain as relevant and leading in the future as we have been in the past.”

Cartwright qualified as a chartered accountant in 1989. Following an initial period in the assurance practice he spent the vast majority of his professional career in PwC’s restructuring team.

Primarily working across the UK, he also worked in Malaysia, central Europe and Denmark. Secondments to Royal Bank of Scotland and Carnaud Metal Box were undertaken during his time at the accountancy giant.

He has worked across a diverse range of industries including the insurance and property sectors, manufacturing and agri-businesses.

Cartwright was a member of the Icas council from 2008 to 2014. He is an experienced committee member, having chaired the insolvency committee, technical committee and played a leading role in key Icas initiatives in recent years.

“As a chartered accountant, Icas is close to my heart,” Cartwright added. “I intend to focus upon our partnerships within the global accountancy profession, grow the membership and build on the strength of our communities wherever our members are in the world.”

Icas president Sir Brian Souter, the co-founder and chair of Perth-based transport operator Stagecoach, said: “Bruce’s appointment is a strong signal of the continuing ambition of Icas to build on our established reputation both globally and in our historic heartlands in Scotland.”