Victoria Adjunct Professor recognised for outstanding service to the accounting profession

1 January 1970

Kevin Simpkins, Adjunct Professor in the School of Accounting and Commercial Law (SACL), received the American Express Outstanding Service to the Profession Award 2011 at New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants’ (NZICA) Leadership Awards Dinner last Wednesday. The award was made for the outstanding contribution he has made to the accounting profession over his entire career on the nomination of peers within the profession.

“For more than two decades Kevin has played a central role in the development of accounting thought in New Zealand, and I am delighted that he has been honoured for his significant contribution,” says Professor Bob Buckle, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of Commerce.

In addition to his role within the School of Accounting and Commercial Law, Mr Simpkins was appointed the inaugural Chair of the External Reporting Board, established as a crown entity on 1 July 2011 to take over responsibility for setting accounting and auditing standards for all New Zealand entities.

He was Technical Director of NZICA during the period of major change in public sector accounting in the early 1990s. He became National Director of Accounting of Ernst & Young in the mid-1990s and then served for over a decade in the Audit Office. From 2002 to 2005 he was Deputy Controller and Auditor-General. Mr Simpkins has been associated with SACL since 2006.

Over the last 25 years, Mr Simpkins has served on numerous national boards and committees. In May 2009, he was also appointed as a member of the Australian Financial Reporting Council. He is a member of the Trans-Tasman Accounting and Auditing Standards Advisory Group to Ministers and has chaired that Group for 2010 and 2011.