3 Ways Accountants Change the World for the Better

Here’s a fun fact: Chartered Accountants actually swear an oath (kind of like a doctor) to act in the public interest, to behave courageously and with integrity. While all accountants have your back, some go above and beyond, championing great causes that literally help to save the world.

Accountants help businesses go green – and we’re not talking money

Accountants act as business detectives, looking across organisations big and small tracking the entire journey of their products, from sourcing the materials, to manufacturing, to ending up at a shelf (or straight to your doorstep if you’re more of an online shopping person).

These days, lots of people want to know they’re buying from companies with solid environmental creds and are making a difference in areas like cutting waste going to landfill, using renewable energy or making their stuff from recycled resources.

So, it’s a total win-win situation. Organisations get more efficient and score major point with the public, while the environment becomes a better place.

Some accountants team up with governments and NGOs (non-governmental organisations) to do projects like environmental forensic accounting – where they basically follow the money trail to bust polluters, poachers and dodgy companies.

Chartered Accountant Amanda Gore did just that, starting her own organisation called the Centre for Global Advancement, she’s been all over the map - from Namibia fighting deforestation, to the Ivory Coast busting wildlife smuggling and beyond. Who said accounting’s boring? By finding evidence of activities like money laundering or corruption, local governments have a better shot of taking down the bad guys. Pretty cool, huh?

Accountants can even change a nation’s culture

Accountants work at all kinds of organisations, including ones that place purpose over profits. In these kinds of organisations, an accountant’s gig is to help them crush their mission, while being sustainable, efficient and responsibly. They need to make every dollar count towards making a huge impact.

Nicki Nichol, CEO of the New Zealand Olympic Committee, is also a Chartered Accountant on a mission to combat gender inequality in sport. Her work involves boosting women’s involvement in New Zealand sport from the grassroots up, coaching, and encouraging athletes to become leaders themselves.

Accountants know how to master a strategy and see it through, from making changes to a company’s sustainability practices to shaking up the sports scene in an entire country!

Accountants help keep our economy running

We get it – hearing the word ‘economy’ might make your eyes glaze over a bit,but hear us out. Accountants are all about investigating how businesses tick to help them run smoother and better.

When an accountant jumps into a business, they team up to set realistic goals for growth and cook up strategies to make them happen. More growth equals more cash flow, which could mean more jobs, leading to more spending out in the world – and the cycle keeps going!

But wait, there is more! When it comes to sustainability, accountants are like superheroes, they can make a positive impact just about anywhere – from cutting down poverty and pollution, pushing for fairness and transparency, and even fighting for gender pay equality.

So if you’re on the hunt for a career that really makes a difference, why not give accounting a shot? If you’re after a little more detail on what accountants really do all day, plus all the awesome jobs, perks and benefits in store, make sure you check out our Academy Business Class!