Promoting Professional accountants in business to increase the influence of the French accounting profession

The International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) has set an ambitious goal: to triple the number of professional accountants worldwide, with a vision that half of them are working in business. This diverse talent pool represents a significant strategic asset that enhances the profession's influence.

In order to meet this international challenge, Cécile de Saint Michel , President of the Conseil national de l'ordre des experts-comptables (CNOEC, French Professional Accountants Organization), invited Professional accountants in business (PAIB) to identify ways to elevate their status and expand the influence of the entire accounting profession.

The ECE, le réseau actif de l'expert-comptable en entreprise (French Association of PAIBs) responded to this call by formulating concrete proposals.

How can we shift into a higher gear?

The Quebec accounting profession is a pioneer in this area, bringing a diverse skill set that strengthens the accounting field by encouraging collaboration and exchange. The Ordre des CPA du Québec is therefore at the heart of decision-making for every legislative and regulatory change. This influence stems from the unification of the profession in 2012, which led to the omnipresence of chartered accountants in the economy. Unification has given the profession unparalleled credibility, strengthening its ability to shape legislation. How can these good practices be adopted in France?

During the 78th Congress of the Order in 2023, At the 78th Congress of the Order in 2023, Bruno Le Maire , Minister of the Economy and Finance, underscored the establishment of the PAIB status in 2019 as an initial step towards greater recognition. He also advocated for further steps to formalize the essential role that professional accountants play in the French economy. However, despite efforts to increase their numbers and visibility, less than 2% of French PAIBs are currently registered on the Roll of the Order of Chartered Accountants. This lags behind international standards, leaving the French accounting profession trailing other nations.

To reverse this trend, communication on all the opportunities in the profession, regardless of the modes of practice, is necessary. Future professional accountants often view roles within companies as stepping stones toward a broader business career. But communication focused solely on the attractiveness of accounting practice discourages them and encourages them to opt for more accommodating distance learning courses offered by international professional accounting organizations. The presentation of the two modes, in practice and in business, can reassure these future professional accountants and give them time to develop the entrepreneurial skills essential to run an accounting practice.

It is equally important to dispel the idea that professional accountants in business are competitors to their counterparts in practice. In reality, a large proportion of them hold positions within management bodies, which positions them as promoters of accounting firms.

Finally, professional accountants in business, who do not have prerogatives to practise accounting, expect advantage for their registration on the Register of Conseil national de l'ordre des experts-comptables .

9 concrete proposals to drive impact

ECE has made the following proposals available to the CNOEC and will ensure their follow-up:

1. Delegate the animation of the community of Professional accountants in business registered on the Roll to ECE. It would be the association’s responsibility to provide additional benefits for PAIB registration on the Roll, fostering a stronger sense of belonging within the accounting profession.
2. To provide the community of professional accountants in business (ECE) with human and financial resources comparable to those enjoyed by other French associations of the profession (FIDEF , Femmes Experts-Comptables , L'Académie des Sciences et Techniques Comptables et Financières , Association Experts-Comptables et Mandats Publics ). This allowance could represent, for example, a third of the amount of the contributions of the 180 registered Professional accountants in business, i.e. 18,000 euros. They would then automatically become members of ECE.
3. Create a database of graduates of chartered accountancy in companies by cross-referencing the lists of graduates in the Official Journal with those of contributors to the Old-Age Insurance Fund for Chartered Accountants ( CAVEC ). This database will make it possible to identify the more than 10,000 graduates in companies. We estimate that 10% of them would be likely to register on the Roll.
4. Put online the list of 180 Professional accountants in business currently hidden in the CNOEC's online directory, as already published in the paper version of the directory and/or magazine of certain Regional professional accounting organisations (CROEC). This measure will facilitate their recognition by third parties such as human resources departments and recruiters.
5. Recommend that Professional accountants in business devote at least 60 hours every three years to their continuing professional development, including at least 10 hours per year to maintain their competence. This provision is a guarantee of maintaining competence that had been studied in the context of the PACTE law. This could simply be specified in the Code of Ethics of Professional accountants in business adopted by ECE members.
6. Develop continuing professional training courses adapted to professional accountants in business, based on the training courses already offered by the Training Centre for the Accounting Profession (CFPC ) and the Regional Training Institutes (IRF) attached to the CROEC, and by supplementing them if necessary.
7. Offer PAIBs reimbursement of registration fees for the National Congress and certain training sessions organized by the French Training Center for the Accounting Profession (CFPC) and the Regional Training Institutes (IRF), in exchange for their annual membership fee of 300 euros.
8. Expand communication around the profession’s appeal by highlighting the contributions of all members rather than only those in accounting practice. This could include the reintroduction of the "company" prize awarded by ECE at the Diploma of Chartered Accountancy (DEC) award ceremony and a more regular involvement of the PAIBs in the meetings of the partners and regional coordination.
9. Reference ECE website on the CNOEC website at the bottom of the cover page in the "Around the profession" section in the same way as the satellites of the accounting profession.

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These proposals open a second stage of recognition for Professional accountants in business, offer attractive advantages, bring together a multitude of profiles to diversify skills and strengthen the attractiveness of the profession through wider communication on the practice in private and public sectors.

In response to these proposals, Cécile de Saint-Michel expressed overall support for their implementation, reaffirming her commitment to supporting

the PAIB community, whose essential, complementary role enhances the resilience and reputation of the accounting profession as a whole.

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Source : Free translation from "Accro?tre l'influence de la profession comptable en valorisant l'Expert-comptable en entreprise " released by les Affiches Parisiennes on September 2nd, 2024.