FORUM OF FIRMS

LIKE MANY ORGANIZATIONS, THE RETURN TO THE 'NEW NORMAL' HAS CONTINUED TO INFLUENCE THE WORK PROGRAM OF THE FORUM OF FIRMS (FORUM, FOF) FOR 2023 KEY THEMES HAVE BEEN: HYBRID: ALL GLOBAL FOF MEETINGS WERE PROVIDED 'HYBRID' IN 2023 COMMENCING WITH OUR MARCH 28-31 MEETING IN PARIS, THEN JUNE 27-28 IN NEW YORK WITH OUR FINAL GLOBAL FOF MEETING OCTOBER 31 NOVEMBER 3 IN LONDON. A FULL VIRTUAL 'TAC ONLY' (TAC = THE BOARD OF THE FOF) MEETING DEALING WITH TAC NOMINATIONS TO THE INTERNATIONAL AUDITING & ASSURANCE STANDARDS BOARD (IAASB) AND INTERNATIONAL ETHICS STANDARDS BOARD FOR ACCOUNTANTS (IESBA) OCCURRED ON FEBRUARY 1. FOF COMMUNITY: WE CONTINUED FURTHER STRENGTHENING THE 'FOF COMMUNITY' AS ALLUDED TO ABOVE THIS WAS SUPPORTED HOLDING THREE GLOBAL MEETINGS INVOLVING THE ENTIRE FOF MEMBERSHIP (INCLUDING OFFERING A VIRTUAL ATTENDANCE OPTION) EACH MEETING DESIGNED TO FURTHER COLLECTIVE ENGAGEMENT AMONGST MEMBERSHIP AND IMPORTANTLY WITH STAKEHOLDERS FROM ACROSS THE CORPORATE REPORTING ECO-SYSTEM IN SUPPORT OF AUDIT QUALITY. SUPPORTING INTERNATIONAL STANDARD SETTING: THE FORUM CONTINUED TO SUPPORT STANDARD SETTING BY NOMINATING CANDIDATES TO THE IAASB AND IESBA RESPONSIVE TO THE SKILLS, EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE BEING REQUESTED. THE FOF HAS A STRUCTURED VETTING PROCESS DESIGNED TO ASSIST PREPARING ALL CANDIDATES. PARTICULAR EMPHASIS IS GIVEN TO FURTHER EMBEDDING IN CANDIDATES THE PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE OF THE PUBLIC INTEREST IN STANDARD SETTING, BRINGING AN EMPATHETIC GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE, STRONG TECHNICAL SKILLS AND SUPPORTING CONSENSUS BUILDING. RELEVANT AGENDAS: A PRIORITY WAS CONTINUING TO ENSURE ALL FOF MEETING AGENDAS WERE 'RELEVANT' UNDERPINNED BY COMPREHENSIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH STAKEHOLDERS FROM ACROSS THE CORPORATE REPORTING ECO-SYSTEM IN SUPPORT OF AUDIT QUALITY. IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ALL AGENDAS AND RESOURCES/TOOLS, SIGNIFICANT CONSIDERATION IS GIVEN TO ENSURING THE ISSUES AND CHALLENGES BEING EXPERIENCED BY BOTH LARGE AND SMALLER MEMBER FOF MEMBERS FIRMS ARE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION. COLLABORATION ON TOOLS DEVELOPMENT: CONTINUED INVESTMENT AND COLLABORATION PARTICULARLY WITH THE INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF ACCOUNTANTS (IFAC) IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF TOOLS IN SUPPORT OF AUDIT QUALITY (SEE MORE UNDER 4B). COUNTRY/REGIONAL AUDIT QUALITY MEETINGS/EVENTS: THIS KEY ACTIVITY FOR THE FOF WAS NOT ABLE TO BE PROGRESSED DURING THE PANDEMIC. THESE ACTIVITIES DIFFER TO GLOBAL MEETINGS AS THE AGENDA IS CUSTOMIZED FOR AUDIT QUALITY RELATED TOPICS OF MOST RELEVANCE FOR FOF PRACTITIONERS IN THAT COUNTRY/REGION. POST PANDEMIC WE RE-COMMENCED WITH AN EVENT IN NOVEMBER 2022 AND THEN FOR 2023 FURTHER EXPANDED WITH AN AUDIT QUALITY EVENT IN SAO PAULO IN MAY 8 (DEVELOPED SPECIFICALLY FOR FOF AUDIT PRACTITIONERS FROM THE FOF OPERATING IN THE LATIN AMERCIA REGION) AND A FURTHER AUDIT QUALITY EVENT IN MUMBAI ON NOVEMBER 30 (DEVELOPED SPECIFICALLY FOR AUDIT PRACTITIONERS OPERATING IN INDIA) FOF MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE: THE FOF MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE HAS HAD AN ACTIVE YEAR PROGRESSING SEVERAL MEMBERSHIP CANDIDATES THROUGH THE FOF'S EXTENSIVE MEMBERSHIP DUE PROCESS (DUE PROCESS CAN RANGE FROM 6 MONTHS TO SEVERAL YEARS). FOF MEMBERSHIP FOR 2023 IS 34 (2023: 33). FOF 101: 2023 SAW A CONTINUATION OF OUR HOSTING AN INTERNAL TUTORIAL SESSION CALLED THE FOF 101. TYPICALLY HELD ANNUALLY OR AS NEEDED, THE FOF 101 IS A DEEP DIVE TO ENABLE ALL FOF MEMBERS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE GOVERNANCE AND OPERATION OF THE FOF WITH A VIEW THAT INCREASED UNDERSTANDING HELPS TO SUPPORT IMPROVED TRANSPARENCY AND THEREFORE PARTICIPATION AND ENGAGEMENT IN FOF ACTIVITIES. FOF GOVERNANCE FIT FOR PURPOSE: IN 2023, THE FOF UNDERTOOK OUR CONSTITUTIONALLY MANDATED TRI-ANNUAL REVIEW OF FOF VOTING RIGHTS AND REPRESENTATION ON THE TAC. AFTER MUCH HEALTHY DISCUSSION AND CONSIDERATION, THE FOF VOTED TO MAINTAIN THE STATUS QUO.

FURTHER TO LINE 4A, SOME NOTABLE DELIVERABLES ARE AS FOLLOWS: FOF COMMUNITY: IN 2023, THE FOF HELD 3 HYBRID GLOBAL MEETINGS INVOLVING THE ENTIRE FOF MEMBERSHIP AS FOLLOWS: MARCH 28-31 PARIS (4 DAYS) JUNE 27-28 - NEW YORK (2 DAYS) OCTOBER 31 NOVEMBER 3 LONDON (4 DAYS) COLLABORATION WITH IFAC IN SUPPORT OF AUDIT QUALITY PRACTICAL RESOURCES: IN COLLABORATION WITH IFAC, KEY DELIVERABLES IN 2023 INCLUDED THE DEVELOPMENT OF FOCUSED USER FRIENDLY 'PRACTICAL' RESOURCES AND TOOLS TO ASSIST NAVIGATING OR SUPPORTING THE REAL PRACTICAL FINANCIAL REPORTING AND AUDIT QUALITY CHALLENGES. THESE RESOURCES CONTINUE TO BE AVAILABLE ON THE IFAC WEBSITE INCLUDING:O IFAC MATERIALS SUPPORTING ADOPTION & IMPLEMENTATION OF THE IAASB'S INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS ON QUALITY MANAGEMENT (ISQM)O IFAC'S SMALL BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY CHECKLISTO THE FOF IDENTIFYING INSPIRING INDIVIDUALS FROM WITHIN OUR MEMBERSHIP FOR INTERVIEW/PROFILE - AS PART OF IFAC'S "CHANGEMAKER SERIES" (PROMOTING DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION IN THE ACCOUNTANCY PROFESSION)OTHER COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS BY THE FOF WITH IFAC INCLUDED:O SEVERAL MEMBERS OF FOF WERE INTERVIEWED BY IFAC SUPPORTING THE REVIEW OF IFAC'S STATEMENT OF MEMBERSHIP OBLIGATIONS 1 IN THE CONTEXT OF ISQMO THE FOF FOR MANY YEARS HAS SUPPORTED IFAC WHERE REQUESTED IN PROVIDING PANELISTS/SPEAKERS FOR IFAC PANELS/ACTIVITIES ETC IN SUPPORT OF AUDIT QUALITY.O THE FOF FOR MANY YEARS HAS HAD A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE CONSULTATIVE ADVISORY GROUP OF THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC SECTOR ACCOUNTING STANDARDS BOARD (IPSASB)O THE FOF HAS PUT FORWARD A REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE IPSASB'S NEWLY ESTABLISHED SUSTAINABILITY REFERENCE GROUPO FOF Q1 2024 MEETING TO BE HELD ADJACENT TO A PLANNED FOF EVENT ON THE INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ON SUSTAINABILITY ASSURANCE (ISSA) 5000 SINGAPORE OFFERING A PACKAGE OF POWERFUL PACKAGE (FOF + IFAC) OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN SUPPORT OF AUDIT QUALITY FOR FOF MEMBERSO FOF ACTIVELY PLANNING WITH IFAC IN 2024 FOR A MULTI-DAY LATAM EVENT (MAY 7, 8 AND 9) OFFERING A POWERFUL PACKAGE (FOF + IFAC) OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTO FOF Q4 2024 MEETING IN PARIS TO BE ALIGNED WITH THE IFAC COUNCIL MEETING THIS WILL BE A FIRST BETWEEN THE FOF AND IFAC FOR THE FORUM OF FIRMS THIS IS ALL IN SUPPORT OF AUDIT QUALITYTHE IMPORTANCE OF COLLABORATION WILL CONTINUE BEING A PRIORITY THROUGHOUT 2024.