Episode 14: Young Leaders, Global Impact: CAW at One Young World

In November 2025, the global spotlight will shine on Munich, Germany, as over 2,000 young leaders from more than 190 countries come together for the One Young World Summit—a global forum dedicated to driving social impact and sustainable change. Once again, Chartered Accountants Worldwide (CAW) will be at the heart of this global conversation, sending a diverse and inspiring delegation of young professionals who exemplify what it means to lead with purpose.

A Global Gathering for Change

From 3–6 November, delegates will participate in four transformative days of speeches, panels, and workshops—all centred on five urgent global challenges:

• Education Access
• Circular Economy
• Responsible Technology Development
• Anti-Hate Initiatives
• Peace and Security

Through dialogue, collaboration, and innovation, these emerging leaders will help shape global solutions to the issues that matter most.

Meet the Chartered Accountants Worldwide Delegation

The 2025 CAW delegation represents not only geographical diversity but also the incredible range of impact Chartered Accountants are making worldwide.

• Khethiwe Sibanyoni (South Africa) – Audit trainee at Deloitte and founder of Khethi’s Foundation, dedicated to supporting survivors of gender-based violence. Her work has earned national recognition and corporate partnership with Deloitte Africa.
• Christiaan Coetzee (South Africa) – Creator of The Audit Toolbar, an Excel-based solution revolutionizing audit workflows, used by over 300 firms globally. Winner of SAICA’s Top 35 Under 35 (2024).
• Sitali Chiuyu (Zambia) – Head of Internal Audit at Kapasa Makasa University and founder of a financial institution promoting entrepreneurship and financial inclusion.
• Rebecca Casey (Australia/New Zealand) – Senior Risk Manager with a decade of experience in risk culture and governance, representing CA ANZ.
• Jaspreet Rayat (England & Wales) – Chartered Accountant and Council Member of ICAEW, championing social mobility and leading the Student Council.
• Laura Mason (Scotland) – Finance and data specialist driving public sector innovation, renewable energy projects, and mental health tech initiatives.
• Sophie Sweeney (Ireland) – Lecturer and researcher at the University of Galway, and Chartered Star 2025, exploring fiscal citizenship and inclusive accounting education.
• Saad Bin Asim Zubairi (Pakistan) – Bahrain-based professional with nine years of Big Four experience, advocating for ethical AI and emerging technology governance.

Each delegate represents a new generation of accountants redefining the profession—not as mere number crunchers, but as ethical changemakers applying financial insight to solve real-world problems.

Beyond the Balance Sheet

At One Young World, the CAW delegation will not only engage with global peers but also challenge and collaborate with world leaders, returning home as ambassadors for change. They’ll bring back insights, networks, and renewed energy to strengthen their ongoing initiatives—whether that’s empowering communities, driving digital transformation, or advancing sustainability.

For Chartered Accountants Worldwide, participation in the summit is about more than attendance—it’s an investment in the future of ethical leadership. It’s a reminder that the skills accountants bring to the table—integrity, analytical thinking, and accountability—are exactly what the world needs in times of uncertainty and change.

Looking Ahead

As Munich once again welcomes the One Young World community, the message is clear: leadership grounded in ethics and collaboration can create global ripples of positive impact.

Follow the Chart

Transcript

Welcome to Chartered Accountants Global Update, your audio connection to the global community of over 1.8 million trusted professionals. And today we're taking you to Munich, Germany, where something quite special is happening this November.

From the 3rd to the 6th of November, over 2,000 young leaders from more than 190 countries will gather for the One Young World Summit. And for the second time, Munich will play host to this extraordinary event. But what makes this particularly exciting for us is that Chartered Accountants Worldwide is once again sending a delegation—continuing a tradition that now spans over a decade.

For those unfamiliar with One Young World, think of it as a global platform where the brightest young talent comes together to tackle some of the world's most pressing challenges. This isn't just another conference. Delegates participate in four transformative days of speeches, panels, networking, and workshops—all focused on accelerating social impact.

This year's summit will address five pivotal challenges identified through consultations with 1,500 young leaders from 150 countries. The themes? Education access, circular economy, responsible technology development, anti-hate initiatives, and peace and security. Quite a weighty agenda, but one that perfectly showcases how chartered accountants are leading change well beyond traditional financial roles.

So let's meet this year's Chartered Accountants Worldwide delegation. What strikes me immediately is the diversity—not just geographically, but in the breadth of impact these young professionals are making.

Starting in South Africa, we have Khethiwe Sibanyoni, who's balancing her role as an audit trainee at Deloitte with her work as founder of Khethi's Foundation. Khethiwe's journey into gender-based violence activism began during her primary school years, and during the 2020 lockdown, she launched a campaign that evolved into a partnership with the Kolisi Foundation. She's been recognized as one of News24's 30 Young Mandelas of the Future, and just this year, Deloitte Africa partnered with her foundation, donating over R100,000 in comfort and dignity bags for GBV victims.

Then there's Christiaan Coetzee, also from South Africa, who's transforming audit workflows with The Audit Toolbar—an Excel-based tool now used by more than 300 firms and 3,000 auditors worldwide. Christiaan was named the overall winner of South African Institute of Chartered Accountants's Top 35 Under 35 in 2024, and he's become a leading voice on how technology, data, and people are shaping the future of our profession.

From Zambia, Sitali Chiuyu heads the Internal Audit Department at Kapasa Makasa University while also running a small financial institution focused on entrepreneurship and financial inclusion. He was recently recognized as the Best Graduating Student in the CA Zambia program.

And from The Chartered Accountants Australian And New Zealand we have Rebecca Casey, a Senior Risk Manager with over a decade in financial services, focusing on risk culture and governance. Jaspreet Rayat, is flying the flag for the Institute of Chartered Accountants England and Wales. She is a Chartered Accountant and Council Member, is passionate about social mobility—having progressed from an apprenticeship at a small accounting firm to larger international work, and now serving as Chair of the  Student Institute of Chartered Accountants England and Wales Council.

Laura Mason is representing the Institute of Chartered Accountants Scotland - her work bridges finance, data, and public service. She's shaped multi-billion-pound procurement projects, including allocating £10 million for offshore wind in the Celtic Sea. Beyond that, she's co-developing chatbots to improve mental health care access for recent arrivals in the UK and has spoken at the UN Ocean Conference on marine sustainability.

From Chartered Accountants Ireland, Sophie Sweeney is a Lecturer at the University of Galway, combining her roles as Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax Adviser with research into the lived experience of taxation and fiscal citizenship. She was named Chartered Accountants Ireland's Chartered Star 2025 for her leadership in embedding inclusive, practice-based learning.

And finally, representing the Institute of Chartered Accountants Pakistan we have Saad Bin Asim Zubairi, who lives and works in Bahrain and brings over nine years of Big Four experience, with particular interest in the ethical use of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.

What connects all these delegates? They're proof that being a chartered accountant today means so much more than traditional number-crunching. These are professionals using their financial acumen and ethical training as tools for public good—whether that's combating gender-based violence, improving access to education, advancing climate solutions, or promoting financial inclusion.

At One Young World, they'll join peers from every sector and country to debate, collaborate, and forge connections that could last a lifetime. They'll hear from world leaders and influential figures, but more importantly, they'll have the opportunity to challenge those leaders, share their own platforms, and return to their communities with renewed motivation and a global network of 18,700-plus young leaders to draw upon.

For Chartered Accountants Worldwide, sending this delegation is about more than just attendance. It's about investing in the next generation of ethical leaders—professionals who understand that technical expertise must go hand-in-hand with social responsibility and innovation.

Munich last hosted the summit in 2021, and it's fitting that it returns there in 2025. The city has become a global hub for innovation and technology, making it the perfect backdrop for conversations about responsible technology development, circular economies, and sustainable futures.

So while our delegates will be in Munich this November, their impact will ripple far beyond those four days. They'll return as One Young World Ambassadors, equipped with new tools, perspectives, and connections to accelerate their existing initiatives or launch entirely new ventures.

We'll be following their journey and can't wait to hear about the insights and connections they bring back. If you want to learn more about our delegation or the One Young World Summit, head to charteredaccountantsworldwide.com.

That's all for this episode of Chartered Accountants Global Update. Until next time, wherever you are in the world, stay connected, stay informed, and stay inspired.