CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 1 2024 20 As the great Irish playwright Oscar Wilde once said – “Be yourself, everybody else is taken.” For Eamonn Siggins, this notion resonated with the very ways in which he envisioned himself leading others. Fast forward to the present day, Eamonn now oversees the constant development of CPA Ireland’s professional team. In doing so, he ensures that Founded in 1926, with almost one hundred years to its name, The Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Ireland (CPA Ireland) is a professional accountancy body that has always strived for excellence. At its helm is Eamonn Siggins, a man awarded with the title of Professional Accountancy Body CEO of the Year 2023. Leading by example, Eamonn has developed an agile and innovative team that has transformed CPA Ireland into an institute which provides its members with an unrivalled personal and professional service. he remains his authentic self, and gives his colleagues the freedom to be the same. This freedom promotes diversity of thought and an inclusive way of working that reflects the unique values and ethics of the Institute. Integrity is a value above all else that is embedded in the culture of CPA Ireland and is reflected in its engagement with its employees, members, students, and stakeholders. Of course, Eamonn’s leadership style hasn’t always been as it is today. As he has gained more and more experience over the years, he has taken his core values and tirelessly built upon them to be the empathetic leader he is today. A career as an officer in the Irish Defence Forces gave Eamonn discipline, structure, and strong organisational skills. However, he recognised that managing people also requires so-called ‘soft’ skills and he invested heavily in developing what he calls his leadership toolkit, with empathy being one of the most important tools in the kit. In a world where empathy is often lacking, it is a virtue worth rediscovering for anyone wishing to lead a team where people aren’t afraid to make mistakes and who aren’t afraid to ask for help when struggling personally or professionally. In such a culture, organisational goals are more readily achieved. In putting in the work to rediscover his own definition of empathy, Eamonn forged a compassionate leadership style that also demands excellence of effort and performance from his team. He is committed to the notion that it’s simply impossible to be perfect. This is one of his most distinguishing traits – he understands how some colleagues have strengths that he may not, and created a model that allows every individual to contribute to the learning of others. Trying to be perfect is worthless if you aren’t being true to yourself, after all. As a mid-sized professional institute operating in a very competitive market, CPA Ireland has to be innovative and agile. It was the first to leverage virtual reality technology (VR) to create a training programme in the metaverse, as a tribute to the wider team but also reflecting Eamonn’s leadership style. He believes in delegating to those with the skillsets to achieve, whatever level they are at in the organisation. Trusting people, giving them opportunity to take risks and to learn from their mistakes has led to some superb innovations within the Institute. Viewing himself as exceptionally blessed to have worked with some of the industry’s greatest leaders, Eamonn has expressed his commitment to ever improving through the study of leadership theory and practise. With a loyal team under his watch, and an incredible sense of how to connect with them on deeper levels, Eamonn Siggins has found himself proudly overseeing the overarching success of CPA Ireland. We’re certain that, as we venture into the coming years, his leadership style will only continue to flourish in the future. Contact: Eamonn Siggins Company: Certified Public Accountants in Ireland Web Address: www.cpaireland.ie Qualifications, Support, and Accountancy Advancement
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