CEO and Founder of AAPB
Prior to founding AAPB, Sharyn Grant ran a successful Business Practitioner Service, assisting businesses with bookkeeping, record management, financial analysis, business management, strategic marketing and communication to help grow her client's business and cashflow.
In 2002, due to client demand, Sharyn decided to expand her business. However after performing extensive research for her business, she identified a larger problem involving the growth of bookkeepers, business owners and accountants. For more details visit advocacy.
Sharyn recognised the problem was more important than her business and would require Federal and State Government support to resolve the problems. She changed her focus from growing her own business to building a national not-for-profit association that would develop, support and implement a community solution.
In 2004, Sharyn convinced friends, colleagues and industry leaders to support her in founding the Australian Association of Professional Bookkeepers (AAPB). Sharyn was successful in raising significant funding to research and develop an end-to-end solution for the Financial Services Industry which included the introduction of new government legislation involving education and governance for bookkeepers, accountants and recognised professional associations.
Sharyn's vision was to introduce new Federal Government legislation to facilitate business growth. AAPB advocacy resulted in education specific to BAS and provide bookkeepers with a nationally recognised qualification; a legislated Code of Professional Conduct defining the roles and responsibilities of bookkeepers, accountants and professional associations; new rights to protect business owners against bookkeepers and accountants mistakes, an independent national registration process to monitor and protect the community as well as provide mediation and communication between accountants-bookkeepers-clients and an avenue for greater accountability by software companies who provide accounting software.
In 2005, Sharyn was appointed as CEO by an independent AAPB Ltd Board of Directors to implement the AAPB vision to improving the Bookkeeping Industry. Sharyn has been successful in opening communication channels between AAPB and Federal and State Ministers; Federal and State Departments, professional associations, universities, corporations and industry providers.
Her work has directly resulted in the introduction of a new recognised bookkeepers qualification (Certificate IV in Financial Services Bookkeeping), the introduction of Tax Agents Services Act 2009 Regime, the development of the on-line AAPB Education Program and development of a end-to-end quality management system involving Government, Tax Agents, BAS Agents and Business Owners.
Master in Entreprenuership and Innovation (MEI)
Post Graduate in Communication (Grad Cert Communication)
Bachelor of Adult Education (B. Ed Voc Ed)
Australian Instituate of Company Directors Certificate (AICD)
Certificate in ISO QA Auditor (UK Bywater)
Certificate in Stress Management & Counselling (AIPC)
Diploma in Secretarial and Business (NZ)
Awarded Queens Badge (St John's Grand Prior)
Industry award for World's Best Practice