Sachiko Kai was an IAASB Staff Fellow during 2024-2015, seconded from the Japanese Institute of Certified Public Accountants (JICPA). After completing her fellowship and returning to the JICPA full time, Sachiko later became an IAASB member, joining the board in 2019. Read Sachiko's bio here.
What was your ‘day job’ prior to being seconded to IAASB?
I supported the JICPA committees for auditing and assurance standards and researched global regulatory issues in auditing and assurance.
What is your current job?
Technical Director of the Japanese Institute of Certified Public Accountants (JICPA) and an IAASB member.
What were your role(s) and responsibilities on the IAASB team?
As a secondment staff, I was involved in the works of Auditor Reporting Implementation Working Group and Integrated Reporting Working Group.
Which project(s) was your favorite to work on?
I particularly enjoyed working on implementation support for Auditor Reporting. New and revised auditor reporting standards including communication of key audit matters (KAMs) were issued in January 2015, and there was a lot of work to support smooth implementation across the globe. It was challenging but also exciting for the auditing professions to implement KAMs and therefore I was very much enjoyed working to support it.
How did the Staff Fellowship help you professionally?
It helped me gain a lot of diverse experience and knowledge that I would have never even imagined. For example, the experience and knowledge from the work of implementation support for Auditor Reporting hugely helped me when I was subsequently involved in the discussion of introduction of KAMs in Japan. In addition, most of my daily job had related to the auditing standards but the secondment gave me a wonderful opportunity to be involved in the work of the Integrated Reporting Working Group, which now linked to the IAASB’s discussion of sustainable assurance.
What knowledge did you take back to your job/sponsoring organization when the secondment ended?
It was great to learn the process of the development of international standards from the staff perspective. As a technical director of the JICPA, I support work relating to auditing and assurance standards in Japan. Therefore, there were a lot of interaction between my experience as a secondment staff and my daily job at the JICPA. In addition, the experience as a secondment staff gave me not only experience and knowledge but also confident to be a IAASB member.
What was your favorite part about working with the IAASB?
Most importantly, people. They are very hearty and supportive, and welcoming me as a team member. In addition, all team members are highly skilled and very knowledgeable. They always helped me so that I could gain diverse and fruitful experience. I cannot appreciate all team members’ kindness enough!
Do you have advice for someone interested in being a Staff Fellow with the IAASB?
I think it will be a wonderful opportunity and experience in your lifetime.
What’s next in your career?
Currently, I am very much enjoying working as a IAASB member. I would like to engage in the work that links to the public interest in the future, too.