Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ) has elected Sarah Petersen FCA (pictured) as chair of its board. Petersen replaces John Palermo FCA as board chair after his five-year tenure in the role. Palermo will remain on the board as a director until Dec. 31, 2026. The change in governance comes as CA ANZ implements its strategy to 2030, which covers ethics, sustainability, artificial intelligence (AI), and member skills development. The themes align with financial reporting, assurance, and regulatory requirements that apply across the insurance sector in Australia and New Zealand.
Petersen has served as a CA ANZ board director and member of the NZICA Regulatory Board since 2020. She has also chaired the People and Remuneration Committee (PARC) since July 2023 and will step down from that position as she becomes chair. In her new role, she will be responsible for leading the board’s oversight of CA ANZ’s strategy and governance. Petersen said her focus would be on continuity of direction and preparation of members for shifts in the operating environment. “My priorities are to continue the strategic momentum created under the leadership of my predecessor John Palermo FCA, maintain ethics and trust in our profession, and equip members for the future with practical capabilities in areas like sustainability and AI. I’m honoured to serve our global community of more than 140,000 members and will work closely with my exceptional board colleagues, councillors, and the executive team to take our plan to 2030 forward,” Petersen said. For insurers, the organisation’s emphasis on sustainability and AI is linked to reporting obligations, product design, capital management, and risk modelling, where professional standards and accounting interpretations influence supervisory outcomes.
CA ANZ chief executive officer Ainslie van Onselen acknowledged Palermo’s contribution as chair and commented on the next phase of the strategy. “On behalf of the executive team and everyone at CA ANZ, I thank John for the integrity, vision, and dedication to our members that underpinned his outstanding board leadership as we championed initiatives that elevated member engagement, reinforced sustainability and innovation, and upheld the highest standards of professional conduct. Whether on the board, in meetings with members, or with other professional accountancy organisations around the world, John’s sound advice, calmness, and warmth was appreciated by all,” van Onselen said.
van Onselen added: “I look forward to working with Sarah, the board, and council to deliver our strategy to 2030. Sarah’s extensive experience across public practice, not-for-profit, government, and property and infrastructure has already enriched our board, and she steps into the chair role with the full support of my executive team and board directors.” Palermo described his experience as chair and the timing of the succession. “It has been a privilege to serve as chair and to work with an outstanding board, executive, and council that strongly represents our member voice. With our new strategy now locked in until 2030, following the achievements of the 2020–2025 strategy, I am delighted to now hand the baton to Sarah, whose leadership, experience, and commitment to our members is second to none. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed being chair and know Sarah will continue to champion our members and the profession with integrity and focus,” he said. Petersen’s appointment marks the first time CA ANZ has a woman simultaneously serving as board chair, alongside van Onselen as CEO and Naomi Walsh FCA as president for 2026.
Petersen has more than 20 years’ experience in finance executive roles in telecommunications and international education consultancy, after beginning her career in public practice at Ernst & Young. She holds several governance positions across not-for-profit, government, and property and infrastructure investment and operations. Her current roles include chair of Far North Holdings Limited, Far North Housing Limited, Northern Housing Limited, and Bay of Islands Marina Limited, and member of the Establishment Board for School Property Agency.
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Palermo has more than 25 years’ experience in public practice and family office advisory, with a focus on corporate transaction execution, strategic business management, and business structuring. He has previously chaired the CA ANZ Public Practice Advisory Committee and the CA ANZ Western Australia Regional Council. His current appointments include director of Palermo Chartered Accountants and Gratia Advisory, chair of the Royal Perth Hospital Research Foundation, director and finance committee member at Catholic Education Western Australia, and council member and chair of the Risk and Governance Committee at Wesley College. He previously served as a non-executive director of Alterra Ltd.
The board changes accompany the earlier announcement of CA ANZ’s 2026 office bearers. The CA ANZ council has confirmed Walsh as president for 2026, Matthew Green FCA as Australian vice president, and Julia Fink FCA as New Zealand vice president. At the President’s Dinner in December 2025, Palermo recognised outgoing 2025 president Grant Ellis FCA. “Grant has led with integrity and vision during a milestone year for our organisation, meeting members all over the world and championing our new strategic direction to 2030. His presidency, vice presidency – and indeed his decades of service to the profession – have been defined by his fierce pride in the CA designation, our ethics, and all the members we serve,” Palermo said.
Palermo added: “Grant has also championed our revised pathways to the CA Program, including CA Foundations and CA Fundamentals, which are enabling our profession to welcome people from diverse backgrounds and career stages. And he has rallied member engagement with our Make Epic Things Happen campaign, positioning Chartered Accountants as future-focused leaders. On behalf of the board, council, and all of our members, I thank Grant for his many years of service and wish him every success for the future.”
Walsh is Academic Lead, Employability, at the College of Business and Economics at the University of Tasmania. She also holds non-executive director roles on several Tasmanian government and other organisation boards, including as chair of audit, risk, and governance committees. Her university role covers business engagement, accounting employment skills, and an internship program for international accounting master’s students. Walsh has served as 2025 CA ANZ vice president Australia, is an ex-officio member of the Tasmanian Regional Council, and is a former member of the CA ANZ Corporate Sector Advisory Committee. She is part of the CA ANZ Female Focus Champions group and has contributed to the CA Program as a facilitator and exam marker.
Green, a partner with Mazars in Brisbane, specialises in financial reporting, audit, and valuations. He advises directors and executives on ASX Listing Rules, corporations legislation, Australian Accounting Standards, and International Financial Reporting Standards. His clients include ASX-listed and privately owned businesses across sectors such as financial services and AFSL holders, information technology, construction, not-for-profits, retail, and services.
Fink is chief financial officer at the Climate Change Commission and a small business owner. She began her accounting career in audit at Deloitte before moving into Deloitte Private. She was later closely involved in the rollout of public benefit entity financial reporting standards for registered charities at the Department of Internal Affairs Charities Services, which led to her appointment as a board member of the External Reporting Board. Fink has engaged with CA ANZ since she was a provisional member, serving on women accountants and not-for-profit special interest group committees in Wellington, the Charities and Not-for-Profit Trans-Tasman Advisory Committee, the Wellington Local Committee, and as a New Zealand councillor. She played a central role in establishing the CA ANZ Charity Reporting Awards and the Charity Law, Accounting, and Regulation Conference.
