JOINT MEDIA RELEASE

Chartered Accountants Worldwide (CAW) has confirmed that Ainslie van Onselen, CEO of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ), has been reappointed as Chair for a further two-year term. The decision was unanimously supported by the CAW Board.

Ainslie made history in November 2023 as the first woman and the first representative from CA ANZ to hold the position of Chair. Her renewed term reflects the Board’s confidence in her leadership and the significant progress achieved under her tenure.

As Chair, Ainslie will continue to champion the role of Chartered Accountants in a rapidly evolving global economy - advocating for innovation, embracing advancements in sustainability, AI and technology, and ensuring a strong pipeline of future talent entering the profession.

Ainslie van Onselen said:

“I am delighted to be reappointed as Chair of Chartered Accountants Worldwide. It has been a privilege to work alongside our 15 member institutes, and I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved collectively over the past two years.

“Together, we have strengthened our global voice, advanced the profession’s leadership in sustainability and highlighted the role of Chartered Accountants as trusted leaders in an increasingly complex world.

“I look forward to continuing this journey by building on our shared commitment to trust, integrity, and inspiring the next generation to see Chartered Accountancy as a dynamic, purposeful and future-focused profession.

“This is an exciting time for us, and I remain confident that by working together, we will continue to drive meaningful progress for our members and for the communities they serve.”

Chartered Accountants Worldwide brings together the members of fifteen leading Chartered Accountancy institutes to create a community of more than 1.8 million Chartered Accountants and students in more than 190 countries.

The organisation is committed to promoting the prestige of Chartered Accountants and the value they can offer to organisations. Through its member institutes, Chartered Accountants Worldwide supports, develops, and promotes the role of Chartered Accountants as trust leaders in finance, accountancy, and business globally.

About Ainslie van Onselen:

Ainslie van Onselen has been the Chief Executive Officer of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ) since May 2020. Ainslie brings more than two decades of experience as a corporate law partner, non-executive director and senior executive at Westpac, one of Australia’s largest banks. Her leadership at CA ANZ and Chartered Accountants Worldwide is defined by a strong commitment to ethics, inclusion and public interest advocacy. 

A passionate advocate for the profession’s role in shaping a sustainable and inclusive future, Ainslie has driven CA ANZ’s inclusion and diversity programs and is a prominent advocate for strong global sustainability and environmental, social and corporate governance standards.

With a mix of strategy, governance and transformation skills, Ainslie has also steered CA ANZ through significant digital and data transformation centred on building a world class experience for CA ANZ’s 140,000 members, while reinforcing the profession’s role in upholding trust and integrity through developing a strengthened Professional Conduct Framework and Going Further roadmap with 14 actions to enhancing trust and accountability in the profession.

Ainslie is a Commissioner of Legal Aid New South Wales, a non-executive director of the Global Accounting Alliance, and Chair of Kambala Girls School in Sydney. She is a member of Chief Executive Women and is a recipient of the Australian Financial Review’s Women of Influence award.

A mother of two, Ainslie grew up in regional Western Australia, was educated at her local public school, and remains deeply connected to community values.