CEO of Scottish accountancy firm appointed ICAS president

Sandy Manson CA has been appointed President of ICAS, the global professional body for Chartered Accountants, succeeding Sir Brian Souter CA.

Mr Manson is chief executive of Scotland’s largest independent accountancy and business advisory firm, Johnston Carmichael.

Commenting on his appointment, he said: “It is an honour and privilege to be appointed President of ICAS.

“I am extremely proud to take the helm at the world’s first accountancy body, founded by my predecessors more than 160 years ago.

“A key focus for me during my term in office will be to work to increase the level of public trust in business and to strive to promote the values and further enhance the reputation of our profession.

“We have a critical role to play in building public trust. ICAS and our 21,000 Chartered Accountants need to lead the way.

“I also very much look forward to working with ICAS’ new CEO, Bruce Cartwright, on this and the other opportunities and challenges the profession and wider business community face.”

Bruce Cartwright CA, ICAS Chief Executive said: “Sandy has spent his working life in the accountancy profession and has over a decade of experience as CEO of Johnston Carmichael.

“His talent as a business leader and his standing within the profession will be of great value to ICAS and our members over the course of the year.”

Under Mr Manson’s leadership, Johnston Carmichael has grown its fee income from £20m to £44m and its headcount from 300 to 700 through a combination of organic growth and acquisition.

He became managing partner of Johnston Carmichael’s Aberdeen office in 1995 and chief executive in 2007. He studied accountancy and economics at the University of Edinburgh and graduated with distinction.

Supporting Mr Manson in his role as President are: Mike McKeon CA, non-executive director of National Express, who has been appointed deputy president of ICAS; and Catherine Burnet CA, senior partner for KPMG in Scotland, who has been appointed vce president of ICAS.

Mr McKeon has previously held positions as Chief Financial Officer at Severn Trent plc and Novar plc as well as senior roles at Rolls-Royce, CarnaudMetalbox, Elf Atochem and Price Waterhouse. He is also Chair of the ICAS Brexit Advisory Group.

Ms Burnet’s career at KPMG spans more than 20 years. She joined the ‘Big 4’ firm in 1994 and became a partner in 2009, holding roles in Edinburgh, London and the United States as part of a two-year secondment.