CPA Australia in New Zealand today announced the reappointment of two highly regarded members to senior leadership positions and the addition of three new members following the annual council elections last Wednesday.

Finance Director of global engineering consultancy Beca, Mark Stinson, succeeds David Searle in the role of Divisional President. Mark's elected deputy will be Rod Marvin, CFO of Rayonier.

Both Mark and Rod are existing senior council members and their election highlights the high level of regard in which they are held by their fellow CPA members as well as their peers in the wider profession.

As 2012 Divisional President, Mark Stinson noted that, "In the challenging economic times we now face, Certified Practicing Accountants are even more sought after as they are uniquely equipped to foster sustainable business growth and accountability for the benefit of businesses, governments and our broader communities. It is indeed an honour to be part of a rapidly growing global professional organisation with such a strong focus on thought leadership and on supporting its members to fulfil their roles and ambitions."

Three new faces have also been elected onto the New Zealand council board of CPA - Chandan Ohri, Bridgette Pretty and Anil Narayan.

Chandan Ohri

KPMG risk advisory services partner, Chandan Ohri, has overall responsibility for the delivery of KPMG's IT advisory services to public and private sector clients. Ohri utilises two decades of experience across a range of clients in New Zealand, Australia, South Korea and India to focus on effective governance and brings the technology issue to the executive and board as an actionable and decision making topic.

Ohri aims to extract value from high-level strategy, quickly discerns risks, prioritises key initiatives and maximises return on investment. He has strong exposure to IT consulting, process optimisation and operational risk management across multiple industry segments such as banking and finance, insurance, utility, retail, telecom, manufacturing, media and entertainment. Outside of work Ohri is a family man interested in fishing, cricket and reading.

Bridgette Pretty

Leading chartered accountant, Bridgette Pretty, has recently started Nelson accounting practice BDC Financial Services Ltd following an extensive career in finance across the hospitality, manufacturing and commercial industries, though her working life began in the family hospitality business.

Pretty's experience in the family business with her accounting background allows her the understanding of providing business solutions that are people friendly and comprehensive; the same vision her accounting firm BDC operates with.

Anil Narayan

AUT University Senior Accounting lecturer, Anil Narayan, is an active member of the academic accounting and finance community with a Masters in Economics, Post-Graduate Diploma in Advanced Accounting, Bachelor of Arts majoring in Accounting and a Diploma in Business Studies. Additional study Narayan has undertaken includes a Doctorate in Philosophy. Narayan is currently involved with on-going research projects seeking to further develop the accounting profession.