RICHARD Gillan, managing partner of Grant Thornton in Belfast, has been elected chair of Chartered Accountants Ulster Society at its 112th annual general meeting.
He succeeds Niall Harkin at the helm of the organisation, which represents 4,600 local chartered accountants and is a district society of Chartered Accountants Ireland, the largest and oldest professional accountancy body in Ireland.
Mr Gillan said: “What the business community and Northern Ireland needs now is strong leadership in this period of huge uncertainty. And with the challenges facing our country and our economy, the skills of our profession are needed more than ever.
“As chartered accountants, whether we work in practice, in business, in the public sector or the voluntary sector, we have a vital role to play in the year ahead. Our members will be at the forefront of helping local businesses to deal with the reality of Brexit.
“Our members are hugely frustrated by the democratic deficit at Stormont. We will continue to engage with the local political parties in the hope that we can help them to find a way to work together and to display the leadership which is needed.
“We will do what we can to move Northern Ireland forward, to be a strong advocate for business and to be a strong voice for the chartered accountancy profession.”
Mr Gillan - who owned and managed a manufacturing business and then an outsourcing company before joining Grant Thornton in 2014 - said he would seek to encourage a new generation to the profession by showcasing the value of chartered accountancy skills and training and by highlighting the varied career paths offered by the qualification.
