The CPA Secretariat’s Finance Department provides operational, strategic and value-adding financial and business support services to the Association. We organise and manage the financial activities for the Members and ensure governance and regulatory compliance requirements are met. We ensure, amongst others, that effective financial accountability, equitability, value for money/best value considerations are taken into account in the provision of our services.

In summary, we provide the following key accounting and business support services to our Members and the Association’s wider stakeholders:

Corporate Strategy Planning

• Engage with, and support the implementation of the Association’s activities
• Engage in the Association’s conversations about its vision and the most efficient and effective ways to achieve its strategic objectives
• Active involvement in the Association’s plans and programmes to ensure its services continue to be relevant to its Members

CPA Member Services

• Evaluate and advise on the Association’s Branch fee-setting policy
• Strive to achieve at least a 95% Branch fee recovery rate each year
• Provide strong support for the provision of services to the Members that are fair and consistently delivered
• Ensure the promotion of financial transparency, accountability and detailed reporting to all our Members and wider stakeholders
• Process and manage expense claims from Members, suppliers and other stakeholders fairly, efficiently, promptly, and consistently

Value Creation Accounting

• Develop and manage the agreed financial strategy to ensure the maintenance, growth and secure financial future for the Association
• Stewardship of organisational performance framework, align key performance indicators to outcomes, and reporting on these
• Instigate and implement the agreed initiatives to achieve cost control and bottom line/surplus enhancements
• Evaluate and find meaningful insights into financial data, and explain the trends/consequences we see in the data to our Members
• Confirm what the trends mean for the future of our Association and initiate proposals on the appropriate courses, so we can move confidently into the future
• Continually challenge prevailing assumptions which undermine our operational effectiveness and find ways to renew these on an ongoing basis
• Adopt a “possibility thinking” approach to our work, and embrace a consultative problem-solving process.

Business Advisory and Support

• Act as internal business advisers to the Trustees and the Secretariat Management Team
• Build bridges and maintain a strong partnership with the Secretariat’s other operational centres to improve organisational effectiveness
• Develop and implement annual and short-term financial plans and projections
• Monitor performance against set targets and report on deviations which are outside of the agreed tolerance limits
• Appraise all CPA projects and services to ensure they represent ‘best value’ for the Members
• Provide regular and timely business support services to the Members, Trustees and Secretariat staff
• Effective management of the treasury and investment management activities

Financial Governance and Risk Management

• Exercise financial discipline over operational activities in accordance with the Trustees’ decisions
• Develop, agree and apply financial policies and regulations in a fair and consistent manner
• Ensure compliance with statutory/best practice financial governance, accounting and financial reporting standards’ requirements
• Manage financial and administrative risks to which the Association is exposed

For further information about the CPA's Financial Department please contact us via hq.sec@cpahq.org or email the team (see contacts below).