The ICAS public voice – the corporate ecosystem post-covid September 23, 2021 As we begin to emerge from Covid-19, a key strand in the public policy work undertaken by ICAS relates to reforming the corporate ecosystem. From a public interest perspective, our role is to share insights, shaped and informed by the views of ICAS Members, into the many complex issues and decisions involved in developing high-quality [...]
FRC calls for businesses to better report longer-term viability for investors September 22, 2021 The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has called for businesses to better report their longer-term viability and liquidity to investors – particularly during times of economic uncertainty. It forms part of the financial watchdog’s findings in a review of companies’ viability and concern disclosures amid the Covid-19 pandemic, which has pushed heightened levels of market [...]
BDO hires record number of new trainees to its audit team September 15, 2021 Accounting firm BDO has announced that it has hired over 450 new trainees into its audit team this year, as the so-called ‘challenger’ firm bolsters its auditing arm. BDO said it had brought on more than 600 new trainees across departments since the start of 2021 – more than it has ever done before. Most [...]
EY to spend $2bn on improving audits after Wirecard scandal September 9, 2021 EY will invest around $2bn (£1.4bn) over three years to improve the quality of its audits after the high-profile collapse of payments company Wirecard, according to the Financial Times who first reported the news. The funding is part of a larger, and record, $10bn investment plan, announced by EY yesterday, to finance staff training and [...]
KPMG boss intervenes in dispute with FRC over poor auditing standards September 7, 2021 The global head of KPMG has written to the UK’s Financial Reporting Council (FRC) over the its threats to publish further criticism of the auditor’s repeated failings, the Financial Times first reported. Bill Thomas, KPMG’s global chair and chief executive, entered the increasingly public dispute between the big four auditor and the FRC, after executives [...]
Dozens of UK’s biggest investment houses fall short of new ESG standard September 6, 2021 Some of the UK’s biggest names in investment have failed to meet a new ESG standard for investing for savers and pensioners, including Schroders, Morgan Stanley and Rothschild. In a new list published by The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) today, asset managers, pension schemes and insurers who successfully met a revised UK stewardship code were [...]
KPMG and ex-partner accused of misconduct in FRC’s investigation into Carillion audit September 1, 2021 KPMG, ex-partner Peter Meehan and current and former staff at the Big Four accountant are alleged to provided false and misleading information to a City watchdog investigating its audit of collapsed construction giant Carillion. The allegations are part of a Formal Complaint issued this morning by the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) in connection with the [...]
FRC to ‘strengthen’ audit governance code to tackle Big Four accounting scandals August 26, 2021 The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has today announced proposals to update and “strengthen” its Audit Firm Governance Code and establish “operational separation” at the Big Four firms. The proposed changes are aimed at clarifying the role of partnership boards in holding management to account, said the UK accounting watchdog in a statement. A key proposal [...]
EY handed fine for botched Stagecoach audit August 25, 2021 The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has landed EY and its Audit Engagement Partner, Mark Harvey with £2.3m in fines. The FRC said that an EY audit of StageCoach, an international travel company, “did not satisfy the audit reporting requirements” for the 2016-2017 financial year. Claudia Mortimore, the Deputy Executive Counsel to the FRC said: “the [...]
Female FTSE 100 directors earn 73 per cent less than male counterparts August 23, 2021 A recent investigation has found that female FTSE 100 directors on average earn 73 per cent less than their male counterparts. Research by New Street Consulting Group found that the average pay for female directors stands at £237,000, compared to £875,900 for male directors. The data reveals that the gender pay gap at the top [...]