ACOA 2025
SPEAKER PROFILES
Catherine Asemeit
Director, Standards & Technical Services - Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK)
Catherine is a seasoned leader with over 15 years extensive international and domestic experience in various industries including regulatory, financial services, insurance, Not for Profit, banking, audit, and other sectors. She has proven success in leading teams, operations, projects, and initiatives to drive organizational continuity, sustainability and climate change initiatives and long-term success. Catherine has broad functional and technical expertise across sustainability reporting, green finance, strategic planning, regulatory compliance, enterprise risk management, auditing, internal controls, ISO Standards and Quality Management System Reviews, accountancy and audit standards, sustainability reporting, financial reporting, public policy, taxation, and governance. She is innovative and confident in handling new tasks and has successfully led teams in technical assignments and consultancies geared towards full implementation of client -approved deliverables and fulfilment of organisational mandates. Catherine is skilled in the formulation of concise thought leadership towards the development and implementation of technical standards, regulation, and compliance.
In her current role, she is responsible for the provision of leadership, implementation of strategies, policies and procedures in the promotion and enforcement of standards and technical advice to the profession including monitoring and commenting on international standard setters' consultative documents, discussion papers and exposure drafts from International Accounting Standards Board and the Independent Standard Setters Boards and Committees of IFAC. She provides leadership to the Multi Stakeholder Sustainability and Climate Change Reporting Committee under ICPAK which is in charge of developing the adoption roadmap for sustainability reporting in the country.
She leads the Institute in promoting standards of professional competence and practice amongst members of the Institute in Kenya through ensuring the Institute’s voice is heard regarding proposals to customize new standards to factor in local jurisdictional requirements. She oversees the implementation of standards and advises on compliance including implementation of training needs resulting from the International Education Standards (IESs) and from assessment of needs of members and incorporating these to the Institute’s annual Continuous Professional Development calendar.
Catherine supports the Institute’s Professional Standards Committee (PSC) charged with the responsibility of ensuring the Institute’s mandate on promoting standards of professional competence and practice amongst members of the Institute is fully discharged and is also the Chair of the Financial Reporting Award (FiRe Award) Technical Committee which oversees the evaluation of entities on different parameters as per the International Financial Reporting Standards and matrices. Prior to her current role she was the Director of Internal Audit, Risk & Compliance at ICPAK and led the Institute in Controls optimization, risk mitigation initiatives, follow up on all audit matters as well as facilitation of various control improvements emanating from audit and other reviews. She also advised the Institute, members and clients on Governance matters from time to time in line with Corporate Governance requirements. Prior to joining ICPAK she worked as the Head of Risk, Compliance & Strategy in a regional Reinsurance Company; worked at Ernst & Young (Europe & East Africa) among other positions held before.
Catherine is the Audit Committee Chair at The Council of Governors (CoG) in Kenya, a Finance & Administration Committee Member at St John’s Ambulance and a Board Member of Ruiru Technical and Vocational College. She is a member of The Institute of Risk Managers (IRM-UK), Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), Institute of Chartered Investment and Financial Analysts (ICIFA) and a member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK) in good standing. She is currently pursuing her Doctorate Studies and holds an MSc (Finance), Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting), CIA, CPA (K) and CRMP. She was awarded the Top 40 Under 40 Women title in Kenya, the year 2019 for her leadership skills.
