Awarded by regional councils, local committees and regional managers, meet the 13 Chartered Accountants who are driving the profession forward with their skill and passion.
Suzzanah Sanderson CA
Australian Capital Territory
A strong voice and point of support for the next generation, Suzzanah mentors students as they transition from high school to university, as well as first year students studying in commerce and accounting. She regularly organises networking and professional development events and works to actively promote the CA profession to future students.
Currently a Director in the Professional Services and Relationships Group at the Australian National Audit Office, Suzzanah serves as Chair of the ACT YCA Panel, representing her fellow young CAs with a voice on key issues of interest. .
Hayden Asper CA
New South Wales
As Chair of the Newcastle and Hunter Valley Regional Committee, Hayden is directly involved and dedicated to helping out in his local area. He is currently a Senior Manager at insolvency firm Jirsch Sutherland but manages to fit in planning, organising and speaking at a number of member events into his busy schedule.
An active member of the NSW Regional Country Chairs Group, Hayden has been a key voice for members in the Hunter region. Hayden also uses his skills to give back to the community, previously acting in the roles of both chair and treasurer of the Newcastle Bean Counters Ball Board and a committee member of six years, to coordinate the annual charity event for accountants across Newcastle and the Hunter Valley.
In addition, Hayden is the treasurer and incoming chair of the Advocacy Law Alliance, which provides free advocacy services to disabled people across NSW and two community legal centres in the Mid-North Coast.
Fiona Brazier CA
Queensland
A passionate representative of members in practice, Fiona is a keen advocate for the profession.
Serving as Chair of the Queensland YCA Panel, a member of the Global YCA Panel and a YCA representative at the Queensland Regional Council, Fiona brings her passion to support young member issues, especially those in practice.
When she’s not working as a Senior Manager for Tax Services at RSM, Fiona provides her expertise as a mentor and dedicates her spare time to multiple volunteering programs in her local community.
Fiona has been instrumental in recommending initiatives and events specifically tailored to young members and continues to be a regular host and speaker at member seminars and conferences.
Olivia Lynch CA
South Australia
Olivia has been an active voice of young CAs in her local community and now has a more global goal on her horizon. Olivia regularly works with young members and students and is actively involved in community events to create awareness for not-for-profit organisations.
As part of the CA ANZ Illuminate challenge in 2019, she worked with high school students across South Australia to workshop their ideas for solutions to sustainability challenges set out by the UN’s Future Earth Initiative.
Her role as Chair of the SA YCA Panel has also meant she has guided and mentored other panel members and spoken as a representative to voice key goals and objectives.
Currently a Senior Associate at CohnReznick in New York, Olivia is passionate about representing CAs wherever and whenever possible.
David Kewley CA
Tasmania
David is an experienced professional in practice, with over a decade’s worth of experience working with small businesses in Tasmania. Founder and Managing Director of DK Accounting and Advisory, he completed the CA Program in 2013 and serves on multiple not-for-profit boards.
In 2017, he was a semi-finalist for the Tasmanian Young Achievers award and a finalist for the 2019 Volunteering Tasmania award.
David has been extensively involved in mentoring, taking part in the CA ANZ Mentor Exchange Program since 2021, as well as a range other mentoring opportunities with university and high school students.
Passionate about giving back to the community, David also volunteers his professional skills to serve as treasurer of multiple not-for-profit organisations including Palliative Care Tasmania.
Katrina Pansacola CA
Western Australia
As a member of the WA YCA Panel between 2018-2022, Katrina became Chair in 2020 during the pandemic and lockdown period.
Despite the many disruptions and changes to planned activity, Katrina was able to keep the momentum of the panel going, keeping enthusiasm and morale high among panel members as well as overseeing a number of volunteering initiatives at the same time to maintain the involvement of young CAs.
Katrina currently works as a Senior Analyst at Deloitte, but also speaks voluntarily with tertiary and secondary student on the value of the CA designation, drawing on her own experiences to encourage them into the profession.
Stephen Du CA
Hong Kong
A key representative and pioneer for fellow young CAs, Stephen is leading the way in Hong Kong.
Stephen is a Regional Planning Manager at HSBC and Co-Chair of the Hong Kong Young CA subcommittee. He has been an active resource, driving and coordinating young CA events in Hong Kong even before the formal setup of a YCA committee.
As a founding member, he has shown leadership and dedication in engaging with young members, even exploring partnerships with other young professionals in Hong Kong.
Stephen has demonstrated his passion by organising and speaking at multiple high profile events, including a seminar on Australian Properties and Market Forecast and the YCA panel session on start-up entrepreneurship.
Liza Tan CA
Malaysia
Mental wellbeing, environmental sustainability and advocating a professional spirit among young generations is what Liza would name as her top priorities.
A Director at Deloitte, Liza has ten years of public accounting experience and has won multiple awards as honorary auditor as well as for her outstanding performance in practice.
Liza has been actively involved in various sustainability initiatives, raising awareness for Sadguru’s Save Soil movement and the Isa Foundation’s Earth Buddy program to promote the importance of healthy soil. She has also worked with the Young Professional Committee of MIA to moderate a panel discussion on ‘Accountants for Future: Towards Clean Malaysia’.
Her positive impact on the community extends to her work with OhanaJo Malaysia, where she hosted a session on community meditation to promote the importance of mental wellbeing.
Kayur Patel CA
Auckland
Passionate about helping people and organisations do things better, Kayur aims to drive technology transformation and cultivate the best people experience.
Kayur has been with PwC for six years and is currently Senior Manager of Transformation where he has helped transform the way PwC offices in over 25 countries work.
He also lectures in Information Systems and Business Analytics at the University of Auckland, shaping the minds of the next generation.
As a committee member for the Auckland Emerging Leaders Group, Kayur’s input on CA pathways, academia and reframing the accounting career proposition are always insightful and he is instrumental in ensuring the current and future member experience is always at front of mind.
He is passionate about making real connections with members and students and is generous with his time, mentoring over 40 students every year and being involved in presenting at conferences, running workshops and helping students prepare for the workforce.
Caleb Firth CA
Hamilton
A trusted advisor and skilled finance manager, Caleb is committed to helping those around him.
Graduating as Top Bachelor of Business Student in 2011, Caleb now offers his accounting skills to his local not-for-profit organisations, assisting the finance subcommittees with financial matters and providing recommendations to the Board. He is also involved in the governance and strategic direction for some of the foundations he works for.
Having been in his current role as Finance Manager at Activate Faith Community Trust since 2013, Caleb is passionate about empowering organisations to reach their objectives.
Kate Pope CA
South Island
Driving leadership with her CA skills, Kate has been heavily involved in a number of community events in South Island to promote the profession.
As President of the Invercargill Young Professionals, she has been instrumental in rebuilding its governance structure, introducing better policies and procedures, and earning the trust of the community to build sponsorships and a robust professional network.
Her role as a leader within her Rotary Club means she also supports her local youth and raises funds for the Southland Charity Hospital. Kate is currently employed at Malloch McClean Chartered Accountants and is Chair of the South Island YCA Panel.
Anita van der Loo CA
Lower North Island
Born and raised in rural South Otago, Anita is a local powerhouse. Starting out as a Graduate at PwC, she has now worked her way to a Director in the Corporate Tax team and has also been admitted to the New Zealand High Court as a barrister and solicitor.
With a natural strength for coaching her junior team members, Anita has become a mentor for many. Anita is a member of PwC’s Manukura Māori Business team and, until recently, was part of the culture group for her team.
Anita is actively learning more te Reo Māori, about te Ao Māori and her whakapapa and she has previously served as a Student representative for the National Māori Accountants Network to advise on relevant issue and topics for tertiary students.
She is currently part of the New Zealand Regional Council and continues to volunteer to help local kiwi kids through lunch making and reading programs.
Cameron Haines CA
Singapore
Proactive and genuinely passionate about helping others, Cameron strives to help young CAs in Singapore. Cameron takes initiative to guide young CAs on how to network better and increase their engagement with great industry insights and partners.
Taking every chance he can to promote the CA qualification to young professionals, Cameron has been a speaker and presenter at various events. An active member of the YCA committee in Singapore, he has been heavily involved in organising timely events that focus on key issues such as sustainability and digital technology.
He has had extensive experience at Grant Thornton as Senior Accountant and Manager and now works as a Finance Manager.