News

Kreston Global members reunited for first time in three years

October 29, 2022

The conference, which has been virtual in recent years because of the global pandemic, welcomed delegates from 65 different countries. 130 of the delegates were attending for the first time, reflecting the growth in Kreston membership over the last three years.

The main focus of the conference was “Kreston Futures”, looking at the attraction, retention, and development of talent within the industry. There were also keynote sessions relating to sustainability, showcasing case studies from across the network, as well as sessions on the challenges and opportunities associated with building an employer brand and many breakout sessions for our specialist global service lines.

The keynote speech was delivered by Mariana Ferrari, internationally renowned business thought leader and President of the DooIt Group, who discussed the importance of influential leadership skills for challenging times.

Also speaking at the conference were representatives from member firms including Andrew Gragnani from MHM (Meyer Hoffman McCann) in the US, Sergey Atamas from Kreston Ukraine, Laurent Le Pajolec from EXCO A2A Polska, Poland, Theo Theodoulou from Kreston ITH in Cyprus, Elena Ramirez Marin and Carla Torras Marti of Kreston Iberaudit, Spain, Shibu Abraham and Sudhir Kumar of Kreston Menon, UAE,  Emily Baldwin and Andrew Griggs of Kreston Reeves, Heidi Thompson and Caroline Cleary of Duncan & Toplis and Paul Seymour of Bishop Fleming, all based in the UK.   The conference featured an impact plan for the global network to help firms begin and continue their own sustainability journeys, as part of the network’s strategic vision. The plan included an ESG advisory committee, headed by board director Andrew Griggs from member firm Kreston Reeves, to identify and lead the network’s ESG activities, as well as bursaries for sustainability qualifications, and development of key partnerships with carbon and agroforestry consultancies.

The conference also included Kreston Global’s Annual General Meeting for members at which Sudhir Kumar, Senior Partner at UAE firm Kreston Menon, was announced as a new Board Director. He is one of six EMEA region Directors; two of whom, Hanns-Georg Schell (Kreston BANSBACH, Germany) and Adrian Reynolds (Duncan & Toplis, UK) were re-elected.
The conference concluded with a day trip to Finca Los Jarales, where delegates were able to network and discuss ideas that had come out of the sessions in the previous days.

Liza Robbins Chief Executive at Kreston Global said:

“I would like to thank all those involved in the hugely successful 2022 Kreston Global Conference, particularly Kreston Iberaudit for hosting. The last few days have been a superb opportunity for collaboration and connection, two of the most important elements of the Kreston Global ethos, thanks to an enormous increase in the number of delegates participating this year.

“I am very grateful to all representatives from across the network for their engagement in our discussions which, this year, focussed on some of the key issues shaping the international accountancy sector. The speakers’ diversity of experience and expertise provided a unique insight into how our industry is developing around the world. The ideas and actions we have come away with will undoubtedly be hugely beneficial not only to member firms but to their clients as well.”