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Networking is neither an art nor a science. It is a process, and Kingsley Aikins has spent a career proving it. In the second part of his conversation with Sinead Donovan, the founder of Diaspora Matters explains why 305 million people now live outside the country they were born in, how 120 countries have built strategies to engage them, and what the philanthropist Chuck Feeney meant when he said there is no roof rack on the hearse. Kingsley also names the hidden cost of COVID for the profession: our networks shrank to an inner ring of family and close colleagues, while the outer ring of weak ties, where opportunity actually lives, quietly fell away. He sets out the five consequences he sees inside the firms that call him in, and offers genuinely practical tactics for walking into a room where you know nobody. In this episode: - Why a diaspora is now a national asset rather than a lost one - Andrew Carnegie, Chuck Feeney and the case for giving while you live - The honest role of self interest in every professional relationship - The five things firms lost when networks contracted - Why early in your career you are paid for what you do, and later for who you are - Name badges, ones and twos, and standing near the bar This is part two of a two part conversation. Part one closed season 4. Difference Makers Discuss is brought to you by Chartered Accountants Worldwide. Chartered Accountants Worldwide https://charteredaccountantsworldwide.com LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/chartered-accountants-worldwide YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@CharteredWW Instagram https://www.instagram.com/charteredww1

Season 4 of Difference Makers Discuss took us from Sydney to London, from Olympic tracks to the maize fields of Mozambique, from online exam halls in South Africa to audit rooms in Zambia. In this special episode, host Sinead Donovan brings the best of those six conversations together in one place. You will hear Kingsley Aikins on how a 12 person dinner club in Sydney became the largest Irish business network in any city in the world, and how one letter to a stranger led to a 21 year working relationship. Aster Thackery describes arriving in London pregnant, during a pandemic, knowing nobody, and building a community that now connects around 2,000 parents. Manuel Rodrigues explains how Escolha do Povo has drawn tens of thousands of small scale farmers in Tete Province into a working microeconomy, and the commercial insight behind it. Caitriona Jennings shares what really happened on the day she ran the 2012 Olympic marathon. Nick Riemer sets out one of the most nuanced arguments we have heard on where AI belongs in assessment. And Liswaniso Namatama makes the case that audit is, at its core, a deeply human profession. Kingsley returns at the close with the thought that ties it all together. Hard skills get you on the ladder. Soft skills get you up the ladder. And the things that count but cannot be counted tend to get discounted. Whether you have heard every episode of Season 4 or you are joining us for the first time, there is something here that will stay with you. Season 5 of Difference Makers Discuss premieres on Thursday 1 October. In this episode Why one letter, one lunch and one conversation can redirect a whole careerThe difference between wanting a village and being willing to be a villagerHow poultry changed farmer income in Tete Province from once a year to every 35 daysWhat Caitriona learned from finishing a race she could barely runWhere AI genuinely helps in assessment, and where a human has to make the callWhy professional judgment in audit still needs a person in the roomThe soft skills nobody grades at university, and why they matter mostGuests in this episode Kingsley Aikins, Aster Thackery, Manuel Rodrigues, Caitriona Jennings, Nick Riemer and Liswaniso Namatama. Host Sinead Donovan Chapters 00:00 Welcome to a special episode01:11 Kingsley Aikins on building the Lansdowne Club in Sydney04:14 Aster Thackery on turning a coffee meetup into a community of 2,00011:03 Manuel Rodrigues on building a microeconomy in Tete Province16:44 Caitriona Jennings on the 2012 Olympic marathon23:30 Nick Riemer on using AI in assessment without losing human judgment30:22 Liswaniso Namatama on why audit is a human profession35:14 Kingsley Aikins on the skills that count but cannot be counted38:26 Closing reflectionsListen to the full episodes Every Season 4 conversation is available in full wherever you get your podcasts. Know a difference maker? If you know someone who should be on the show, a difference maker in the world of finance and beyond, get in touch with the team at Chartered Accountants Worldwide. Find out more at www.charteredaccountantsworldwide.com

Someone asks to “work from another country for a few weeks” and it feels like an easy yes. Then the questions start: does a visitor visa change tax status, when do workdays become taxable, and could a single remote worker accidentally create a permanent establishment abroad? We sit down with Carla Wilson, the Chairperson of the Chartered Accountants Worldwide UAE Committee, international tax specialist Hugo Van Zyl and HR leader Sarah Brooks to get brutally practical about cross-border remote working, especially for organisations employing UAE-based staff who want flexibility without triggering hidden compliance costs. We talk through the real mechanics of tax residency and double tax treaties, including why the 183-day threshold is not a universal safe harbour and how source rules can tax income from day one in some jurisdictions. Hugo explains how dual residency can arise and how treaty tie-breakers like permanent home, centre of vital interests, and habitual home are applied in the real world. From the employer side, we dig into permanent establishment risk and what actually happens when you cross the line: registration, filings, potential VAT thresholds, withholding duties, and wider risk management considerations. Sarah brings the people and policy lens: what happens to UAE payroll, WPS, visas, and end-of-service gratuity when someone works abroad, and why “approved on WhatsApp” is not a process. We also cover governance: who owns the decision, what a clear approval framework should include, and how to handle edge cases like maternity leave where “presence” and “exercising employment” can become a critical nuance. If you manage global mobility, HR governance, payroll compliance, or corporate tax risk, you will leave with a sharper checklist and a clearer line between supportive flexibility and unmanaged exposure. Subscribe, share this with your leadership team, and leave a review with the country you find hardest to manage for remote working.

Your career is not a solo sport, and pretending it is can quietly stall your progress. We’re joined by Kingsley Aikins, widely known for his work on professional networking and relationship building, to talk about what networking really looks like when it’s done with decency, curiosity, and intent. Kingsley shares the stories that shaped his outlook, from rugby and the “five people you spend time with” idea, to landing in Sydney knowing nobody and helping create the Lansdowne Club, now one of the largest Irish business networks anywhere. We dig into the moment many of us recognise: thinking networking is sleazy or fake, then realising that other people hold the keys to jobs, clients, promotions, and opportunities. Hard skills may get you on the ladder, but soft skills get you up the ladder. We also get practical. Kingsley breaks networking down into a repeatable process (research, cultivation, solicitation, stewardship) and explains why introverts can be better networkers than extroverts. We talk about loneliness in a screen-first world, the layers of a modern network (personal, strategic, operational, online), and why your LinkedIn profile and personal brand matter whether you like those terms or not. If you want clearer connections, stronger career resilience, and a smarter way to show your value without self-promotion, press play. Subscribe, share this with someone building their network, and leave us a review with the one relationship skill you’re working on.

A Chartered Accountant from New Zealand ends up advising global investors on Italy’s value proposition, and somehow that’s only the start. We sit down with Aster Thackery to trace the real career mechanics behind a “non-linear” path: why her Chartered Accountancy qualification travelled further than a law degree, how London changed her access to international business, and what foreign direct investment (FDI) looks like when you’re the person translating finance, tax incentives, and opportunity into plain language for decision-makers.  We also get honest about culture and identity. Aster shares how being mixed shaped her early questions of belonging, then became a strength in a global city where cultural awareness is a serious professional skill. From working styles in New Zealand and Ireland to the hierarchy and nuance she encountered with Italian colleagues, she explains what she learned the hard way and why The Culture Map is a must-read for cross-cultural communication, leadership, and “reading the room” without guesswork.  Then the conversation turns local, and surprisingly moving: how a simple Greenwich coffee meet-up during Covid grew into a community of around 2,000 parents, a free village fair, and a sold-out International Women’s Day family morning tea. We talk social impact, social enterprise structure, and the line that sticks: people want a village, but they don’t always want to be a villager. If you care about community building, networking, time management, and building a meaningful career without perfectionism, you’ll take plenty from this one.  If this sparked something for you, please subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave us a review. What part of Aster’s story feels most relevant to your own path?

A global summit can feel like a once-off highlight, but for Liswaniso Namatama it becomes a turning point. I’m joined by the Lusaka-based chartered accountant and auditor to talk about what changes when you walk into a room of 2,000 young leaders and realise every person has a story of impact. The biggest lesson he brings home is disarmingly simple: you don’t need to wait for the “right time” to start making a difference. We dig into how those One Young World connections turn into a lasting network of chartered accountants across countries and cultures, and how that community mindset helps spark action back in Zambia. Liswaniso shares how meeting fellow accountant Dorica Chanda leads to Young Dream Radiators, a foundation focused on mentorship and outreach programmes for less fortunate communities. The goal is to show up consistently, build hope through real conversations, and give young people role models they can actually reach. Then we get practical about the auditing profession. Liswaniso challenges the cliché that audit is only box ticking or fault finding, and explains what auditors really do: understand businesses, assess risk, apply professional judgement, and help organisations improve how they operate. We also tackle AI in audit, where automation speeds up analysis, but trust, interpretation, and human-to-human communication still decide whether findings land and changes happen. If you’re exploring an accounting career, working in audit, or wondering how professional skills can drive social impact, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share it with a friend in finance, and leave a review with one thing you want people to understand about audit.

A rural village where income arrives once a year is hard to transform, unless you change the rhythm of cash, supply, and trust. That is what Manuel Rodrigues has been building through EDP Mozambique: a practical, for profit system that links tens of thousands of small scale farmers growing maize and soya to real buyers, then reinvests that supply into poultry so families can earn again and again rather than waiting for harvest season. We talk through how the model works on the ground: crop aggregation, processing, and a route to market that now includes 11 retail stores across central and northern Mozambique. Manuel explains why adding a hatchery and producing chicken feed from local maize and soya becomes the “flywheel” that creates a microeconomy, improves food security, and increases protein availability in communities where it is often scarce. You will also hear what vertical integration looks like next, from producing fertilised eggs with community partners to plans for an abattoir that can protect farmer margins and open access to the formal sector, including grocery, hospitality and restaurants. The conversation does not dodge the hard parts. We discuss unethical behaviour such as seed loans not repaid, why clear consequences matter, and how sustainability changes when international donor funding is cut. Manuel also shares how chartered accountancy skills, from controls and costing to negotiation, help keep a complex operation accountable at scale. Subscribe for more stories at the intersection of social enterprise, sustainable agriculture and impact investing, share this with someone who cares about inclusive growth, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

A 100-mile world record time sounds like something from another planet, until you hear how Caitríona Jennings actually built it: not with superhero secrets, but with structured habits, a trained mindset, and the same calm problem-solving you’d expect from a top Chartered Accountant. Caitríona is an Irish Olympian who moved from triathlon into marathon running, qualified for the 2012 Olympics while working full-time in PwC, and later pushed into ultrarunning to set a stunning 100-mile record of 12:37:04.  We dig into the real work behind endurance performance: time management while studying and training, removing friction through weekend planning, and staying injury-aware. Caitríona opens up about the Olympic marathon that went wrong, why finishing still mattered, and how that experience shaped her resilience. We also explore practical sports psychology tools like positive self-talk, intercepting negative thoughts, and visualisation so your brain treats pressure as familiar.  Then we switch lanes into career growth and aviation finance. Caitríona explains how she pivoted from tax into a commercial role on an aviation leasing trading desk, buying and selling aircraft that are on lease to airlines. It’s a clear example of how the Chartered Accountancy skillset travels: analysing financial statements, understanding risk, communicating with customers, and making calculated moves without being reckless. If you care about leadership, performance under pressure, and building a career with range, you’ll take notes.  Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s chasing a big goal, and leave us a review with your biggest takeaway: what habit helps you stay steady when things stop going to plan?

Online exams are meant to make learning easier, but most proctoring tools still assume perfect Wi‑Fi, constant power, and a pricey laptop. That leaves too many students behind. We sit down with Nick Riemer, a South African chartered accountant and co-founder of Invigilator App, to unpack how an offline-capable, low-data approach to remote invigilation can protect academic integrity while widening access to education.  We talk about the real costs of traditional assessment: venues, staffing, printing, logistics, and the knock-on costs students pay in travel and accommodation. Nick explains how credible online assessments can cut fixed costs, help institutions accept more learners, and make studying possible from wherever you are, without reducing the value of the final qualification. We also explore how the business scaled from a South Africa-first focus to global roll-outs, including work across the UK, Australia, and beyond, guided by the principle of proving product-market fit before expanding.  AI is the other big thread, and we go beyond headlines. Nick breaks down how on-device AI can reduce massive uploads by focusing attention on the moments that matter, while still keeping a human academic as the final decision-maker to avoid false flags and protect due process. We also get into responsible use of tools like ChatGPT: when closed-book exams still matter, when AI can be allowed, and how assessment design should reward real critical thinking rather than copy-paste answers. We close with a candid look at entrepreneurship, profitability, and why chartered accountancy skills can be a serious advantage when building trust with investors.  If you care about inclusive education technology, ethical AI in education, and the future of assessments, listen now. Subscribe, share with a friend in education or edtech, and leave a review with your take: should AI be welcomed into learning, or tightly limited?

Start with what you’re good at and point it at a real problem—that’s the thread running through our conversation with Laura Mason, a chartered accountant who turns financial modelling and data analytics into public value. From multi‑billion‑pound transport contracts to net zero initiatives and social innovation tools, Laura shows how rigorous finance can deliver human outcomes people feel every day. We dig into the mechanics of value for money and why procurement design matters as much as policy. Laura explains how funding models can prioritise reliability and access across transport networks, and why energy efficiency is more than climate talk—it’s a direct cost strategy. She shares hard numbers on reskilling for AI, illustrating how upskilling saves money, protects jobs, and preserves institutional knowledge. Along the way, we explore her work mentoring unemployed women, building a multilingual council‑services chatbot for new UK arrivals, and developing a mental health triage assistant that shortens wait times. What ties it all together is a mindset shift: profit can amplify purpose when leaders build credible business cases for doing good. We talk about courageous leadership—using your platform to speak for others—and how to communicate impact in terms that boards and budget holders can back. Laura lays out a practical playbook for public services: start small, test with users, quantify results, and scale through collaboration. Ethical AI, inclusive innovation, and transparent decision‑making aren’t slogans; they are tools to make public systems more responsive and resilient. If you believe performance and purpose can move together, this conversation offers proof and a plan. Subscribe, share with a colleague who works in public services, and leave a review with the one change you’d champion at your organisation.

Ready to discover how a chartered accountant turns risk literacy into a founder’s edge? We sit down with Christiaan Coetzee—CEO and co‑founder of Audit Toolbar and SAICA Top 35 Under 35 overall winner—to unpack the mindset shifts and practical levers that help small firms run with the giants. Christiaan shares how starting articles straight out of high school gave him a front-row seat to hundreds of businesses, and why governance, financial fluency, and rapid risk assessment can be superpowers when you’re building something new. We dive into the surprising centre of gravity in audit work: Excel. While big platforms chase grand architectures, most auditors still spend the bulk of their time inside spreadsheets. Christiaan’s team built a tool that lives where the work happens, unlocking “insane efficiency gains” and levelling the field for five-person practices competing with enterprise players. The results speak loudly: a rolling 650 years of work saved across Africa every year, letting local firms grow faster, pitch bigger, and serve clients better. The conversation turns on a simple but uncomfortable truth—most of us think too small. Christiaan describes the shock of hearing peers make fearless asks of global leaders and realising he’d been self-rejecting big opportunities. His new default is to pick up the phone, pursue top-tier clients, and let the answer be earned, not imagined. Along the way, he lays out a grounded operating system: protect your work ethic, mentor the next builder in line, and prioritise cash moving hands—funding for impact orgs, revenue for startups. Forecasting tech beyond two years is murky, but staying close to customers and their real levers keeps you ahead where it counts. If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend who’s thinking small, and leave a review telling us the one bold ask you’ll make this week.

For Jas Rayat curiosity lit the first spark: how do businesses actually work, and why does finance feel like the spine that keeps them upright? From that question grew a bold choice—skip the university track, embrace an apprenticeship, and earn a chartered accountancy qualification while gaining real experience. We walk through the turning points of that decision, the early wins of earning while learning, and the confidence that comes from solving real problems long before graduation day would have arrived. The conversation digs into social mobility with clear, practical stakes. Growing up without accountants in our immediate circle meant no ready-made roadmap, so research and outreach became essential tools. That journey now fuels a mission to widen access: explain credible routes like ICAEW apprenticeships, share the hidden curriculum of interviews and workplace codes, and model what it looks like to progress without a traditional degree. Along the way, we explore how early exposure to clients, month-end pressure, and audit realities can build judgement faster than textbooks, and why that compounding experience pays off when peers are just starting out. A visit to One Young World in Munich adds urgency and perspective. Bob Geldof’s line—grit makes the pearl—anchors the reality that effort, not ideal conditions, creates breakthroughs. Maria Ressa’s stand for information integrity shows what courage looks like under pressure, and why clarity and truth are non-negotiable for lasting change. We translate those lessons into steps you can take today: start before you feel ready, ask your network for small, specific help, look for apprenticeships tied to recognised bodies, and treat action as the teacher that confidence follows. If you’re weighing apprenticeship vs university, seeking a career reset, or driven to open doors for others, this story offers a grounded blueprint. Subscribe for more purpose-led career journeys, share this with someone on the fence about their next step, and leave a review with the first action you’ll take this week.

Start with a simple truth: problems rarely arrive alone. Sitali joins us to show how education, governance, and technology interlock—and how a single career pivot can spark a mission to rebuild trust from the inside out. The journey moves from engineering labs to audit rooms, where ethics meet evidence and small, consistent actions start to change how public institutions serve people. We dig into the daily mechanics of accountability: mapping how funds flow, pressure-testing internal controls, and closing risk gaps before they become scandals. Sitali explains why internal audit is more than compliance—it is a bridge between policy and practice, giving students and staff confidence that resources reach their purpose. We also unpack responsible technology with clear standards for transparency, bias testing, and human oversight so AI enhances public value without eroding rights or trust. Systems thinking ties everything together. Fixing a scholarship process is pointless if procurement is broken; digitising services fails if policy is vague. Sitali shares practical ways to avoid second-order harms, from open metrics and cross-functional reviews to training teams to read patterns instead of isolated incidents. Along the way, global networks and the One Young World community broaden the lens: despite different contexts, many countries wrestle with the same need—fair rules, clear data, and leaders who listen. You’ll hear a grounded vision for the next decade: data-driven governance across Africa, transparent institutions, and technology-enabled tools that put people first. The closing message is simple and actionable—start where you are, use what you have, do what you can—because even a small candle cuts through the dark. If this conversation resonates, follow the show, share it with a colleague who cares about integrity, and leave a review to help more listeners find it.

What if the rigour that keeps companies honest could also save lives? We sit down with social impact activist and aspiring chartered accountant Khethiwe Sibanyoni to unpack how ethics, systems thinking, and real accountability can turn good intentions into measurable change. From Saturday mornings in GBV shelters at age 11 to auditing across oil and gas, pharma, and FMCG, Khethiwe shows how credibility becomes a tool for communities when it is used with care. We map the architecture of Khethiwe’s youth-led foundation across three pillars: detection rooted in research and data, prevention that works with both girls and boys to shift norms before harm occurs, and correction focused on survivor support through 13 Gauteng shelters—prioritising psychosocial care, education, and economic empowerment to end dependency. Khethiwe explains how controls, budgets, and outcome metrics translate from audit checklists to fieldwork, building programmes that endure beyond any single leader. Along the way, we explore setbacks that forged resolve—losing a scholarship, raising tuition in a month, and recommitting to a career anchored in public trust. We talk about meeting a prominent global philanthropist, why team trust is a hallmark of real leadership, and how social investment drives economic performance when paired with clear social impact KPIs. Khethiwe’s message to business is direct: define impact with the same precision you bring to profit. Her message to young changemakers is practical and brave: start with what you have, stay authentic, and fall in love with the problem until the solution reveals itself. Join us for a grounded, hopeful look at responsible corporate citizenship, nonprofit sustainability, and youth-led action against gender-based violence. If this conversation sparks you, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review with the one impact KPI you’d set tomorrow.

If you’ve ever been told to “wait your turn,” this conversation politely declines. We sit down with chartered accountant and risk professional Rebecca Casey to unpack how young leaders move from potential to presence—using expertise, community, and conviction to shape business and society right now. Rebecca charts a clear route from a school enterprise in Sydney to Deloitte, Young CA panels in New South Wales and the UK, and a career leap to London. Along the way she shows why qualifications like the CA are more than letters: they open doors, build networks, and give you the platform to speak plainly on the issues that matter. We get specific on AI governance, data integrity, and ethics—what good looks like, where it breaks, and how to make accountability a daily habit rather than a compliance checkbox. The energy from One Young World threads through the episode as we translate inspiration into action. Rebecca shares a grounded take on the circular economy, from volunteering with a hard-to-recycle plastics programme to making a personal pledge centred on reuse and repair. We connect those grassroots choices to workplace change—procurement standards, lifecycle thinking, and practical steps that reduce waste and build integrity into systems. This is a playbook for focused impact: choose one problem, apply your skills, start small, and show results. If youth are the present, the question becomes simple—what will we build today? Listen for candid insights, actionable ideas, and a refreshing kind of optimism that pairs vision with the first step. If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend who leads from the front, and leave a review so others can find it.