Bruce Cartwright, former PwC partner and head of corporate restructuring, Scotland, has been appointed as the new chief executive of Edinburgh-based ICAS, the global professional body for chartered accountants.

Cartwright, who has been working as executive director of policy leadership at ICAS for the last six months, said: “I am hugely privileged to become the chief executive of the world’s first professional body of chartered accountants and look forward to building on the successes of recent years to deliver on our vision of making ICAS the leading global professional community.”

ICAS President Brian Souter said: “Bruce’s appointment is a strong signal of the continuing ambition of ICAS to build on our established reputation both globally and in our historic heartlands in Scotland.”

Cartwright will assume the role of chief executive as of March 23, 2018, and succeeds Anton Colella who is leaving after almost 11 years at the helm of ICAS to take up a new role as global CEO of international accountancy network Moore Stephens International.

ICAS membership has grown significantly in the last 10 years and the Institute now represents more than 21,000 chartered accountants in more than 100 countries.

Cartwright said: “The global accountancy profession faces an unprecedented period of potential disruption.

“As chief executive of ICAS, my role is to ensure that we remain as relevant and leading in the future as we have been in the past …

“As a CA, ICAS is close to my heart.

“I intend to focus upon our partnerships within the global accountancy profession, grow the membership, and build on the strength of our communities wherever our members are in the world.”