Episode 19: Ethics, AI & The Rise of Resilience

If you think ethics standards and well-being research sound dry, think again. The latest episode of Chartered Accountants Global Update packs the punch of a TED Talk, the immediacy of a news briefing, and the heart of a conversation we all need right now.

This episode delivers two powerful stories that hit at the core of the profession in 2025: how we build trust in a world of AI and climate claims, and how we rebuild ourselves in a culture that rewards burnout.

1. Ethics Isn’t Boring — It’s a Superpower

In conversation with Sinead Donovan, Carla Vijian of the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants proves that ethics is anything but abstract.

Her career spans Malaysia, New Zealand, Sydney, London, and now New York — but it’s her audit mindset that ties it all together. When the rest of us read headlines, Carla sees the incentives, the assumptions, the risks and the unseen forces that really shape global events.

Whether it’s the Northern Lights carbon-capture project or debt-for-policy swaps, she highlights the same truth: without strong ethics standards, big innovations become big question marks.

And when it comes to AI? Carla puts it sharply:

We don’t trust AI — we use it. Just like we don’t trust an Excel formula without checking it.

Her “Three C’s” for future accountants — Curiosity, Courage, Consistency — are worth printing out and sticking on a wall.

2. The Resilience Revolution Is Here

The second half of the episode previews an essential follow-up discussion with Brad Hook and Declan Scott — and it couldn’t come at a better time.

CAW’s research earlier this year showed Chartered Accountants are kind, curious, creative… and exhausted.

We’re multitasking ourselves into hypervigilance.
Our boundaries between work and life have dissolved.
And sleep? For many, it’s a crisis hiding in plain sight.

One statistic hits hard:

Adults can stay focused for just 47 seconds before getting distracted.

Brad and Declan dig into why this is happening — and more importantly, what we can do about it. Their solutions aren’t corporate wellness clichés. They’re evidence-based habits that change how teams work:

• Monotasking to restore deep focus
• Friday Flow zones for creativity and long-term thinking
• Sleep as a leadership skill
• Presence as a quiet superpower in a noisy world

It’s practical. It’s human. It’s uncomfortably honest.

Why You Should Listen

This episode captures something rare: the crossroads the profession is standing at — between innovation and integrity, between high performance and human sustainability.

It’s not fear-mongering. It’s not fluffy inspiration.
It’s truth, told by people who care deeply about the work we do and the world we shape.

Transcript

00:00:00,140 --> 00:00:55,080 [Host]
Hello. Welcome to the Chartered Accountants Global Update, bringing you the insights and conversations shaping our profession worldwide. Today, we're diving into two compelling stories that go to the heart of what it means to be a chartered accountant in 2025. First, we'll explore the remarkable career journey of Carla Vigyan, a principal at the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants, and member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, who's redefining what ethics means in an age of AI and climate finance. Then we'll preview an important conversation about resilience and well-being in our profession, because the data shows we're brilliant at caring for others but perhaps not so good at caring for ourselves. [upbeat music] 

00:00:55,080 --> 00:06:24,196 [Host]
Let's start with ethics. When you think about ethics standards, you might imagine dry policy documents or abstract principles. But when Sinead O'Donovan sat down with Carla Vigyan for the latest Difference Makers Discuss episode, what emerged was something far more dynamic, a real-world view of ethics as the foundation of trust in an increasingly complex global economy. Carla's journey itself is fascinating. From Malaysia to New Zealand on a life-changing scholarship, then through audit roles in Sydney and London with Deloitte before landing in New York at IESBA. But what really stood out was how she connects her audit training to her current work setting global ethics standards. She put it brilliantly. Audit gave her what she calls the underrated gift of changing how you read events. Take something like the Russia–China Power of Siberia pipeline deal. Most of us read the headline and move on. But Carla's audit mind immediately asks, "Who's funding it? What are the incentives? What assumptions were built in? What are the risks?" And here's where it gets really interesting. Carla shared two examples that show why ethics standards matter right now, not in some abstract future, but today. First, Norway's Northern Lights project, which has just reached a milestone in storing carbon dioxide underground. Incredible technology, but Carla's question is, how do we know the claims are accurate? How do we give investors and the public confidence in those numbers? Without clear ethics standards, we're left with vague claims that nobody can verify. Second, she talked about debt-for-policy swaps, instruments where governments refinance debt and redirect savings into conservation or reconstruction. Sounds positive on paper, but who's setting the goals? Who's monitoring whether savings are actually delivered? How transparent are the fees when these structures are private and not standardized? This is where billions of dollars of taxpayer and investor money are being redirected, and ethics standards are what stand between innovation that builds trust and innovation that erodes it. Now, you might be thinking, "What about AI?" Carla addressed that too, and her perspective is refreshingly clear. She referenced Geoffrey Hinton, the so-called godfather of AI, who's warned that AI could make a few people much richer while making others poorer. The technology isn't neutral. If companies use AI to maximize profit without accountability, society bears the cost. IESBA has issued guidelines for professional accountants using technology, but Carla emphasized these aren't prescriptive rules. They're principle-based frameworks that force us to think about risks and create self-awareness before we take action. And here's something important she said. We don't trust AI. AI is a tool we employ for specific functions. Just like we don't blindly trust an Excel formula without checking it, we shouldn't place full reliance on AI without verifying the integrity of the data and the reliability of the output. Carla wrapped up the conversation with three anchors for the next generation, what Sinead cleverly repackaged as the three C's. Curiosity as a discipline. Not just interest, but a habit of questioning and refusing to accept the status quo. Courage over convenience. Making the difficult calls and standing by them, even when no one's looking. And consistency, or as Carla calls it, purpose with patience. Real progress takes time. You never finish a marathon in a single stride. You show up, repeat, endure, and keep going. And yes, she's a marathon runner. Last year, she completed the New York Marathon, and that discipline clearly shapes her leadership philosophy. The full conversation is available now on the Chartered Accountants Worldwide website. Trust me, it's worth your time. Now, let's talk about something closer to home, our own well-being. [upbeat music] On November 20th at 6:00 PM, Difference Makers Discuss returns with Brad Hook and Declan Scott for a crucial follow-up conversation about resilience in our profession. And this one matters, because it's not just about individual wellness. It's about the sustainability of how we work. Back in January, CAW released groundbreaking research from nearly 700 chartered accountants worldwide. The findings were both encouraging and concerning.[music plays] On one hand, our profession scored remarkably high on kindness, curiosity, and creativity, qualities people don't often associate with chartered accountants, but absolutely should. On the other hand, we're struggling badly 

00:06:24,196 --> 00:07:00,076 [Host]
with multitasking that's become hypervigilance, with boundaries between work and life that have completely dissolved, and critically, with sleep. Brad and Declan are coming back because 10 months have passed, and the question is, what's changed? Chartered Accountants Worldwide launched a wellbeing hub with evidenced-based interventions. A new survey is coming in the first quarter of 2026, but more importantly, Brad and Declan want to unpack some uncomfortable truths about how we work. Here's one. 

00:07:00,076 --> 00:08:23,556 [Host]
Multitasking is killing our productivity. Recent research suggests adults can maintain focus for about 47 seconds before becoming distracted. 47 seconds. That's the length of an average social media reel. We're as fragmented as we've ever been, jumping from task to task, leaving mental residue everywhere, never quite completing anything. Declan put it powerfully, "We're in a world of cognitive overwhelm. A wealth of information has created a poverty of attention." And the pressure starts young. From the moment people enter the profession, particularly in public practice, multitasking is drilled into us. Time is money. Do more, switch faster, stay on. But here's the thing. Even the best performers in their study scored only 31% on healthy multitasking behaviors. Not 31% struggling, 31% succeeding. That tells you this isn't a people problem, it's a design problem. So what's the solution? Brad and Declan talk about rhythms of resilience, small practical interventions that make a massive difference, like monotasking, the opposite of multitasking, focusing on one thing at a time. 

00:08:23,556 --> 00:11:27,156 [Host]
Creating flow states, those 90-minute pockets where you're deeply engaged with a clear goal and minimal distractions. McKinsey research shows people in flow are 500% more productive. Teams in flow double their productivity. And crucially, it feels good. It's intrinsically rewarding. Brad suggests starting with Friday flow. Just between 11:00 AM and lunch, create a flow zone for your team to work on important but not urgent tasks. Google Maps and Gmail were invented during flow time at Google. Then there's sleep. Declan discovered his own sleep was disrupted by sleep apnea, waking 15 times an hour without realizing it. He's encouraging everyone to get it checked because sleep is foundational. Leaders who sleep well are perceived as more confident and capable. We can't optimize our way out of needing rest. Just like dairy farmers in Europe adjust milking times by two minutes a day for a month before clocks change so cows stay in rhythm, we need to respect our own biology. And here's something Brad said that really landed. Presence is an underrated skill. How often are we fully engaged? How often do we step back, take a wide-angle view, notice how others are doing, and ask what's truly important right now? These aren't complicated interventions. They're simple, but simple isn't easy, especially when hypervigilance and constant connectivity have become our default mode. Two conversations, two perspectives, but one through line, the profession we love is at an inflection point. Carla Vigian reminds us that ethics isn't abstract. It's the foundation of trust in a world drowning in complexity and claims. And Brad Hook and Declan Scott remind us that our greatest strengths, curiosity, creativity, kindness, can only flourish if we create the conditions for them. And right now, hypervigilance and fragmentation are getting in the way. The good news, these are all learnable skills. Ethics can be practiced. Presence can be cultivated. Rhythms can be established. But it starts with awareness and intention. Catch the full conversation with Carla Vigian now on the Chartered Accountants Worldwide website, and mark your calendar for November 20th at 6:00 PM GMT for Brad and Declan's return to Difference Makers Discuss. These aren't conversations to miss. This has been the Chartered Accountants Global Update. Until next time, stay curious, stay present, and take care of yourselves as well as you take care of others.