The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) has appointed Clive Bellingham as president for the next year.

Mr Bellingham (pictured) takes over from Indy Singh Hothi, co-founder of Future Arc, and will serve a year in office. He is ICAS’s first international president and he plans to focus on driving sustainability reporting and assurance agenda, audit reform and championing wider access to the accountancy profession from outside the traditional routes to entry.

He joined PwC in Glasgow in 1984 after qualifying as a CA with Bird Simpson & Co in Dundee. He has worked for PwC in Scotland, Saudi Arabia and Switzerland, where he has been resident since 1987.

He retired from his role as a partner at PwC in 2021 and as a member of PwC’s global board for eight years, he contributed to the governance and oversight of a network covering more than 150 countries. He chaired the Clients & Markets Committee for four years and retains a position on the PwC India advisory board.

Supporting him in his role as president are Alison Cornwell, who has been appointed deputy president of ICAS, and Karen Scholes, who has been appointed vice president.

Mr Bellingham said: “How we hold businesses to account for their impact on the environment, its employees, and society is under the spotlight like never before.

“And at a time where sustainability reporting standards are soon to be implemented at a global scale, I feel passionately that chartered accountants are the right people to help the business community navigate and answer these demands.

“I want to focus my presidency on ensuring the profession has the skills and access to future and wider talent to become the innovators and leaders of sustainable business.”

Bruce Cartwright, ICAS chief executive, said: “I have had the pleasure of working with Clive over many years. He brings a wealth of experience to his role and is a strong advocate for diversity, social mobility and trust in the profession.

“Our ICAS Office Bearers, Clive, Alison and Karen, will play a key role with the executive team in implementing our new strategy and building an exciting future for ICAS.”