Accountant chief calls for straight talking

ACCOUNTANTS must be more "straight talking" when it comes to reporting company accounts, according to the new president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (Icas).

Bodycote chairman Alan Thomson said clarifying the performance and challenges faced by a business would raise shareholder confidence.

Speaking at Icas's AGM in Glasgow yesterday, Thomson said "perennial discontent" with the size of companies' annual reports meant accountants needed to be more "proactive" in solving the problem.