Stopping the brain drain of young talent from the West of England to London is among the priorities of the newly appointed regional president of ICAEW, the professional organisation for chartered accountants.
Rick Sturge, pictured, has said he will work closely with regional members of ICAEW during his 12 months in office to raise the profile of the opportunities in business and finance across the West of England and to encourage more young people to take up careers in the region rather than head to the capital.
Mr Sturge said: “We need to up the game in the business and finance profession to show that the West of England is more than a match for London when it comes to attracting the best people. As finance is one of the top contributors to the regional economy, it is vital to the future prosperity of the region.”
Mr Sturge, who is vice president of sales and marketing for the business process outsourcing specialists Firstsource and has previously worked at executive level in PwC, Accenture, IBM and Serco, also wants the profession to have a wider impact outside the sector by doing more in their local communities.
“As a profession we have significant influence and capability when it comes to economic wellbeing, skills development, career opportunities and giving something back to our communities,” he said.
“For example, across the UK our members support 1.5m businesses and our members around the world work with many more. That’s more than the other major business organisations in the UK combined.
“This gives us the means to make a real difference economically and socially. We can support the next generation when they leave school or university – from shaping careers advice to providing work experience – and we can help create an environment which is conducive to business growth by influencing Government policy.
“We can also draw on our expertise to help charities and not-for-profit organisations, providing advice and guidance on a range of areas including, negotiating on office lease terms, accessing finance and general financial efficiencies.”
Mr Sturge takes over the regional ICAEW President role from Ed Corrigan, principal partner at Bristol accountants Corrigan Associates.
