Summary
Join us for CPA Australia Belonging Day 2026 – Connection Through Stories, an engaging and interactive event designed to foster meaningful professional connections, authentic conversations, and a stronger sense of belonging within the CPA community.
The evening opens with a keynote from Prof Nicholas McGuigan FCPA, who will share his professional journey through the lens of belonging, the challenges he's encountered, and the tools, networks, and support systems that have shaped his career.
Moving beyond the traditional panel discussion format, the rest of the event creates space for real conversations through storytelling, mentorship, and facilitated networking. Attendees will hear from table hosts representing:
- Emerging Leaders Network
- Public Sector and Not-For-Profit Committee
- Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Committee
- Victorian Corporate Committee
- Innovation and Technology Committee
These committee representatives will act as table hosts, mentors, and storytellers, sharing their personal career journeys, professional challenges, experiences of inclusion and exclusion, and insights into creating workplaces and professional communities where people genuinely feel they belong.
Attendees will rotate through structured networking rounds, allowing participants to engage with multiple professionals and perspectives throughout the evening. Each table conversation will focus on reflective discussion topics including professional identity, leadership, workplace inclusion, mentorship, and career development.
This event is designed to encourage:
- authentic connection and relationship-building
- peer-to-peer learning and mentorship
- inclusive leadership conversations
- professional reflection and career insight sharing
- greater engagement across students, emerging leaders, and experienced professionals
Learning Outcomes:
- Identify the key barriers and enablers to belonging in professional career journeys, drawing on real-world experiences shared through the keynote and facilitated discussions.
- Apply practical strategies and tools for fostering inclusive workplace cultures within your own professional environments.
- Evaluate the role that professional networks and support systems play in career progression and workplace belonging, and how these can be strengthened within your own organisations.
CPD: 1 hour
Speaker
Take a look at our speaker scheduled for this event.
Professor Nick McGuigan, CA FCPA
Nick McGuigan is a Fellow of CPA Australia. He holds joint positions as Professor of Accounting and Director of Equity, Diversity and Social Inclusion at Monash University, Australia and Professor of Accounting at Rostock University, Germany. Nick is directly involved in applied research, focusing on the enhancement of educational programs of accountants and business professionals.
His research interests are in equity & diversity, integrative thinking, creativity and behavioural change, where he is a sought-after international speaker. Nick is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK) holds an Australian National Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning, an Australian Business Deans Council Award for Learning Innovation and is the recipient of the prestigious Aspen Institute Global ‘Ideas Worth Teaching’ Award (New York).
Fees
Below is all of the pricing information for the event.
AUD pricing is inclusive of GST.
Member fee: $30.00 AUD
Non-Member fee: $40.00 AUD
Venue / Location