What attracted you to the accountancy profession?
Businesses are built on decisions. Numbers don’t build businesses, but they reveal whether those decisions are right or wrong. Understanding Accounting and Finance is what allows business leaders to make that distinction. I grew up in a business environment, so I recognised that from an early age. To me, accounting was never an end in itself. I saw it as one of the strongest foundations for understanding how businesses operate, why some consistently outperform others and how better decisions create long-term value. That belief shaped both my education and my career. I deliberately combined Economics, Human Resource Management and Accounting because I wanted to understand businesses from different perspectives: markets, people and financial performance. Working in audit in the UK reinforced that conviction. I realised that financial statements do far more than report performance – they explain the consequences of management decisions. For me, that is what makes the profession intellectually rewarding. It provides one of the clearest windows into how organisations really function – not simply how they report performance but why they achieve it.
How has the profession evolved over the past decade?
The profession has become far more than a technical profession. Technical excellence remains essential, but it is no longer enough. Businesses operate in a far more complex environment than they did a decade ago. Regulation has increased, technology has accelerated, and clients expect advisers who understand the commercial implications of every decision – not simply the accounting treatment. The role of the accountant is therefore evolving from reporting information to interpreting it. The ability to connect financial performance with strategy, governance, risk and long-term value creation has become increasingly important. That, in my view, has been the defining evolution of our profession.
Have clients’ demands changed?
Absolutely. Clients no longer buy information. They buy confidence. Most businesses today have access to data, but what they often lack is clarity. They want someone who can simplify complexity, explain the implications of decisions and help them navigate uncertainty. Today, businesses operate in a far more interconnected environment. A tax decision affects legal risk. A people decision affects productivity. A regulatory decision affects strategy. A technology decision affects governance. That is why clients increasingly look for advisers who understand the whole business rather than one technical discipline. Our multidisciplinary approach allows us to bring together expertise across audit, tax, financial reporting, financial controlling, internal audit, risk management, licensing, corporate finance, technology, legal, AML, HR and advisory services. Looking at a business from multiple perspectives enables us to identify risks, opportunities and strategic solutions that may not be visible when each discipline operates in isolation. That is where real value is created for the client.
What are the main challenges facing the accountancy profession today?
The greatest challenge facing our profession is not change. Change is inevitable. The greatest challenge is resisting it. Clients have changed. Markets have changed. Regulation has changed. Technology has changed. Yet many organisations continue to rely on structures, processes and ways of thinking that belonged to a different business environment. Standing still is no longer a neutral choice. It gradually erodes relevance. Technical excellence should never be compromised, but technical excellence alone will not define the leading firms of the future. The firms that will lead the next decade are those prepared to challenge long-held assumptions, build cultures that embrace continuous improvement, and adapt as quickly as the businesses they advise.
What advice would you give to young people who are thinking about studying Accounting & Finance and/or entering the profession?
Don’t study accounting because you want to become an accountant! Study it because you want to understand business. Many young professionals aspire to build businesses of their own, so accounting and finance provide one of the strongest foundations for almost any business career, whether you become an entrepreneur, a CEO, an investor or adviser. My advice is simple: build technical competence first but invest equally in economics, strategy, critical thinking, communication and leadership. Businesses are rarely transformed by technical knowledge alone. They are transformed by better decisions.
Technology and, especially, Artificial Intelligence, is playing an increasingly important role in every area, including the accountancy profession. How has your firm adapted to this new reality?
Artificial Intelligence is changing the tools we use, but it is not changing the principles of the profession. It allows professionals to automate repetitive work, analyse larger volumes of information and improve efficiency. That creates an opportunity to spend more time where clients need us most: exercising judgement, assessing risk and helping management make better decisions. Technology will continue to evolve, but professional judgement will remain irreplaceable. Our approach has been straightforward: embrace technology where it creates value and remain human where judgement matters. We have integrated Artificial Intelligence into areas where it improves efficiency, supports research and enhances the quality of our work.
At the same time, we recognise that technology is only one part of the equation. Judgement remains the differentiator. Our competitive advantage has never been technology alone. It has been our ability to combine multidisciplinary expertise with a strategic understanding of our clients’ businesses. Technology may improve how we work. Understanding businesses will always define the value we create.
Riana Treppides, FCCA (Fellow Chartered Certified Accountant), holds a BSc in Economics and an MSc in Human Resource Management from UK universities. She began her career in audit in the United Kingdom before joining Treppides, one of Cyprus’ leading independent business advisory groups with over 40 years of experience, where she is a shareholder, a Board Member (since 2010) and former CHRO. With a multidisciplinary background spanning economics, accounting and human capital, she brings an independent perspective to business strategy, governance, human capital and organisational culture.
Contact details:
Address: Treppides Tower, Kafkasou 9, Aglantzia, CY 2112, Nicosia, Cyprus
e-mail: riana@treppides.com and info@treppides.com
Tel: 22678944 | Website: www.treppides.com
