Peter Johnson Appointed as New President of Accounting Technicians Ireland

    DUBLIN, IRELAND, July 29, 2013 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Accounting Technicians Ireland, the leading professional body for accounting technicians on the island of Ireland, has appointed Peter Johnson FCA as its new President for 2013/14. The appointment was officially made at the organisation's 30th Annual General Meeting held in Dublin.

Mr Johnson succeeds Eithne O'Sullivan FIATI as President, who now assumes the position of Immediate Past President and remains on the organisation's three person Officer Group. The other Officer is newly elected Vice President Louise Gorman MIATI.

In his inaugural comments, Johnson said: "I am delighted to be appointed as President and would like to pay tribute to my predecessor Eithne O'Sullivan who undertook superb work during her term to advance the interests of accounting technicians.

"Accounting technicians are trained to the highest standards of financial management and contribute strongly to the achievement of robust governance and financial management procedures in businesses throughout Ireland. They have particular strengths to offer small and medium enterprises where qualified accounting expertise plays an important role for hard pressed management in understanding the underlying and recurring financial trends within their businesses."

Mr. Johnson acknowledged that the employment situation remains difficult for many sectors in Ireland adding that, as a result of this week's agreement brokered by the Irish Government in its EU Presidency role, qualified accounting technicians will not only be able to ply their trade here but also across all EU countries; "Just this week, the Irish Presidency reached political agreement with the European Parliament on legislation to allow professional qualifications to be recognised across the EU."

"Qualified accounting technicians already have very high employment rates in Ireland and this agreement strengthens their hand as they will now be able to have their qualifications recognised across Europe. Along with the introduction of the European Professional Card, accounting technicians will be able to seamlessly apply for jobs anywhere across Europe as their qualifications will be automatically accepted everywhere."

Mr Johnson is a Partner in Hyland Johnson Keane, a leading independent firm of accountants and business advisors based in Cork. He has held this position since 1994 having previously worked with big four firms KPMG and Arthur Andersen and Company.

His professional experience includes all aspects of accounting, taxation, auditing and advising businesses of all sizes in a wide variety of industries. He also writes and lectures extensively in the area of Forensic Accounting and is a founder and Director of James Hyland and Company, a major independent firm of Forensic Accountants in Ireland.

Mr Johnson graduated from Trinity College, Oxford in 1981 and subsequently qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1986. He holds membership with several professional bodies, including Chartered Accountants Ireland, the Irish Tax Institute, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners and the Expert Witness Institute. He also serves as a Council member of Chartered Accountants Ireland.

Accounting Technicians Ireland (formerly IATI) is the leading professional body for Accounting Technicians on the island of Ireland.

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