Limerick's Philip Maher elected chair of top accountancy body

THE Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) has appointed Limerick’s Philip Maher as its new chairman for 2021.

ACCA, which has 13,000 professionally qualified accountants and 13,000 student members in this country, elected Mr Maher, who is with Mazars in Henry Street, at its virtual AGM.

Speaking upon his election, he urged businesses in Limerick and Munster to implement robust green processes and practices, to ensure they can compete nationally for government and public sector procurement projects.

He added post-pandemic public sector purchasing would continue to be a key catalyst for economic recovery.

But, he stressed that small firms need to be ready with a central focus on environmental criteria in future capital investment projects.

“The issue of climate change is one with which we are all familiar, however, post-pandemic we will start to see it having a more tangible and direct influence across all aspects of our personal and business lives. SMEs should consider it an opportunity to gain a competitive advantage not only provincially, nationally but also internationally as government procurement and corporate demands change to reflect society’s needs and expectations,” he said.

“Across many global economies, government spending is going to be a catalyst for a renewable recovery. Those companies that have robust and comprehensive green practices in place will be the ones that are well placed to succeed.  As Chair of ACCA Ireland, sustainability will be my core focus as I work closely with ACCA members in supporting the work that they are doing to inform, educate and support change within business practices ensuring they can prosper sustainably,” Mr Maher added.