This month, our lead interview is with Maria Blanca FCCA, COO for the Hong Kong arm of green solutions start-up Carbonbase. Her career has seen her travel from her birthplace of Puebla in Mexico to France, on to Citibank in Ireland and now Hong Kong, where she is also COO of sustainable project body ImpactNFT Alliance. And she has used the experience of her own career break to co-found WoMentors, reflecting her passion for gender equality and inclusion.
This month saw the start of the Women’s Fifa World Cup. Our analysis shows that despite a spat over broadcasting rights in several countries, this summer’s competition will see the biggest investment yet in the women’s international tournament.
Elsewhere, we focus on the impact that using offshore service centres can have in helping small and medium-sized accountancy practices as they struggle to find the right talent in their home countries. It is an answer to talent shortages that can create good opportunities within the offshore centres as well.
In Europe, there is a push for greater data sharing in the financial services sector. This shake-up will, in theory, create more competition and choice within the banking and fintech sector. We examine the opportunities, as well as the risks, of the move.
Finally, research shows that accounting professionals are optimistic, if still uncertain, about generative AI. While most agree that genAI can enhance their work, seven out of 10 are concerned about the risk to privacy, security and accuracy, which are, let’s face it, the hallmarks of a good accountancy professional.
