New York | Barry Melancon, dubbed “the most important man in accounting” for his 30-year leadership of its professional body in the US, has sent a stern warning to his successors that they should not compromise standards in an effort to attract more people to the profession.

Mr Melancon is retiring this month as the longest-serving chief executive of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, overseeing a profession that has been transformed by new technology and private equity investment but finds itself in the throes of a recruitment crisis.

Financial Times