Bill Birkett Memorial Lecture

About the lecture series

The Birkett Memorial Lecture series celebrates the life, achievements, and visionary insights of the late Professor Bill Birkett, by showcasing the latest thought leadership from distinguished academics and industry leaders.

Attending this lecture offers an exceptional opportunity for professional growth. The series not only fosters invaluable networking by bringing together a large and diverse audience, but also serves as a special occasion for family and friends of the latest Professor Birkett. It's a chance to reconnect, celebrate, and reflect on his many remarkable accomplishments.

About Professor Birkett

Professor Bill Birkett began his academic career at UNSW in 1962. Over the course of over 40 years, until his untimely passing in 2004, Professor Birkett established himself as a pioneering and highly experienced scholar in accounting. Professor Birkett published extensively in areas such as Australian company failures, activity-based costing, value creating and risk management in financial services, and strategic resource management.

Professor Birkett’s passion was to advancing the latest thinking in accounting practice. In his time, and in additional to serving in a number of leadership roles in the UNSW Business School, Professor Birkett played an significantly influential role in the development of the accounting profession. Most notably, Professor Birkett established the Australian Centre of Management Accounting Development (ACMAD), which at its height was a national network for the exchange of discussion and development of new accounting ideas. Professor Birkett also influenced through his service in a number of professional leadership roles, including with CPA Australia and the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC).  

Bill was a visionary and an innovative scholar, and his pioneering spirit lives on through this lecture series. 

Past lectures

  • 2024: Special 20th Anniversary Event
    Driving Business Sustainability: Professor Robert Kaplan and E-Liability Accounting
    Keynote speaker: Professor Robert S Kaplan, Harvard Business School
    Speaker: David Fallon, General Manager of Energy Transition, Chevron Australia
    Moderator: Elysse Morgan, Head of Client Solutions - Australia and New Zealand, Stafford Capital Partners
    View webpage
    View presentation
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  • Reference materials
    Robert Kaplan and Karthik Ramanna, “ Accounting for Climate Change ,” Harvard Business Review 99, no. 6, 2021.
    Robert Kaplan, Karthik Ramanna, and Marc Roston, “ Accounting for Carbon Offsets ,” Harvard Business Review 101, no. 4, 2023.
    Robert S. Kaplan and Karthik Ramanna, “ Disclosing Downstream Emissions ,” Harvard Business Review 102, no. 4, July-Aug 2024 (download)
    The first draft of the new carbon accounting proto-standard: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4957358
  • 2023: Anna Lee, Chief Executive Officer, Flybuys
    Reshaping Accounting’s Value Proposition. Is it Time?
    View webpage
  • 2022: Alison Kitchen, National Chairman of KPMG Australia
    Beyond the Financials – the Role of the Profession in Accounting for ESG Impact
    View webpage
  • 2021: Steve Bingham, EY Partner and Asia Pacific Technology Consulting Leader; UNSW Alumnus
    Digital Transformation and Technology: Implications for the Future of the Accounting Profession.
    View recording
    *Password:CPAAustralia2021
  • 2019: Rachel Grimes, Westpac Group 
    Embracing accounting’s technological disruption: It’s as easy as ABCDE.
  • 2018: Mark Uncles, UNSW Sydney
    Transforming Accounting Education – are we ready for the ride?
  • 2017: Baljit Sidhu, UNSW Sydney
    How accountants can contribute to society and act as agents for transformational change.
  • 2016: Ray Ball, The University of Chicago
    International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) After a Decade.
  • 2015: Roger Simnett, UNSW Sydney
    Integrated Reporting and Assurance: Trends and evidence of benefit.
  • 2014: Clinton Free, UNSW Sydney
    The Fraud Triangle – a critical analysis.
  • 2013: Peter Roebuck, UNSW Sydney
    Competency Frameworks: A Way Forward For Internal Audit And Practice.
  • 2012: Professor Shannon Anderson, University of California
  • 2011: Professor Norio Sawabe, Kyoto University
  • 2010: Professor Philip Brown, University of New South Wales and University of Western Australia
  • 2009: Professor Roger Simnett, University of New South Wales
  • 2008: Professor Kim Langfield Smith, Monash University
  • 2007: Professor Jan Mouritsen, Copenhagen Business School
  • 2006: Professor Wai Fong Chua, University of New South Wales
  • 2005: Professor Rob Chenhall, Monash University and James Cook University