ICAS: Navigating Ethical Challenges in Business

Edinburgh

ICAS: Navigating Ethical Challenges in Business
University of Edinburgh Business School’s Business Series

In today’s complex and ever-changing world, the importance of business ethics has never been greater. Join ICAS as they explore the vital role Chartered Accountants play in championing ethical business practices.

DATE: Tuesday 4 March 2025
TIME:18:00–20:00
LOCATION: University of Edinburgh Business School, Auditorium, 29 Buccleuch Place, EH8 9JS

Ethical practices are the foundation of sustainable success, fostering trust, transparency and long-term growth. In this interactive session, Bruce Cartwright CA and James Barbour CA, ICAS, will delve into the ethical challenges businesses are facing in society today.

This public event is open to University of Edinburgh students, alumni and staff, CAs and members of the business community.  This is a great opportunity to ask questions and gain valuable advice on dealing with ethical challenges, while making connections that could help you further your career aspirations.

Don’t miss out – come along for an inspiring evening of dialogue, knowledge sharing and networking.

Chair – Dr Catherine Martin CA, Vice-Principal Corporate Services, University of Edinburgh

Participants

Bruce Cartwright CA is the Chief Executive Officer of ICAS, having joined ICAS in May 2017 as Executive Director, Policy Leadership and becoming CEO in March 2018. Formerly a Restructuring Partner at PwC, Bruce brings 30 years’ experience from his time the Big Four firm.

As Head of PwC’s Scottish Corporate Restructuring practice from 2001-2016, Bruce  led the team on a number of high-profile solvent and insolvent corporate restructures in Scotland and internationally.

Bruce, a University of Edinburgh Business School alum, 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.

Bruce is an experienced ICAS committee member, having chaired the Insolvency Committee, Technical Policy Board, and Oversight Committee in relation to Scottish Independence, and sat on a further three committees. He is also a former member of the ICAS Council. More recently, he was appointed Chair of the Global Accounting Alliance (GAA).

James Barbour CA, is Director, Policy Leadership, at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS), where he oversees the work on various areas including Audit and Assurance, Ethics and Corporate and Financial Reporting. He is also responsible for the ICAS Ethics Board and is the lead on all matters connected with The Power of One initiative. James qualified as a CA in 1996 and worked in general practice (primarily audit) with one of Scotland’s largest independent firms before joining ICAS in 1999.

James is a member of the UK Endorsement Board’s Accounting Firms & Institutes Advisory Group (AFIAG) He is also a member of Accountancy Europe (AE)’s Audit and Assurance Policy Group, Professional Ethics and Competencies Working Group, and is the ICAS representative at the AE Members’ Assembly. He is a recent former technical adviser to a UK Board member on the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) and the technical adviser on ethics to the Global Accounting Alliance (GAA).

James regularly represents ICAS at meetings with standard-setting bodies, government bodies, regulators, and others concerning various business and technical issues, such as audit and assurance, corporate reporting, and ethics. He is also an Honorary Professor in the Adam Smith Business School at the University of Glasgow.

UEBS academic host – Professor Christine Cooper, University of Edinburgh Business School

Business Series: Navigating Ethical Challenges in Business Tickets