Strategic Leadership Intensive Program
Professional Skills Mini Stack 1
This Master Level Intensive program offers a combination of online learning and an in-person immersive, workshop-style experience designed for those who thrive on face-to-face interaction, networking, and meaningful connections with peers.
As part of the IFAC recognised, Global Certificate of Public Accounting, this professional skills mini-stack 1 program is designed to take accounting professionals to the next stage in their professional development. The program equips you with the tools to think beyond business as usual. Through a practical and rigorous workshop, participants will explore and develop strategic solutions to complex multidimensional problems.
Through a dynamic mix of online learning and interactive workshops, participants engage in real-world problem-solving, scenario planning, and strategy development as part of a complex real-world case study.
What other Members say about the Intensive Program
“I think it's great experience to have in person.”
“The pre-work was advantageous as it put you in the right "head-space" for the workshop and set the level of academic rigour required for the course.”
“The program was well-structured and the trainers were very experienced. The program is really suited to non tertiary qualified members to take the next step in their careers. It was also nice to meet some more interstate members.”
“Great for business moving forward, particularly for dealing with teams and clients.”
Key details / schedule
Two-day workshop: 9am to 5pm
Perth — Thursday 6th August and Friday 7th August 2026
Brisbane — Tuesday 18th August and Wednesday 19th August 2026
Sydney — Tuesday 22nd September and Wednesday 23rd September 2026
Location details of venues to be announced.
Workshop focus areas
- Communicate for influence – Develop communication strategies to persuade and lead effectively.
- Identifying & understanding problem types – Learn to recognise and categorise strategic challenges.
- Solving different types of problems – Apply critical thinking to develop effective solutions.
- Helping others understand problems – Enhance your ability to guide teams through complex issues.
- Managing teams – Strengthen leadership skills to build high-performing teams.
Prior to the workshop
Before attending the workshop, you will complete a series of online activities designed to prepare you for the session. These modules include essential pre-reading materials and a short assessment to reinforce key concepts. Please allow 15 – 20 hours for this work. This pre-work ensures you arrive at the workshop with a solid foundation, ready to engage in discussions and practical applications.
During the workshop
Participants will collaborate in small teams to tackle a strategic challenge, using scenario planning to map out alternative futures, generate innovative solutions, and present their insights. With a focus on high-contact hours and personalised support, this intensive workshop experience is designed to stretch your thinking and equip you with practical strategies to drive success in your practice.
Assessment
Assessment includes a blend of online responses, interviews, and video analysis of workshop participation. Most assessments are conducted during the workshop, however, written assessments must be submitted within 2 weeks of completion of the workshop. Please allow 15 – 20 hours for these assessments.
What you’ll gain
- 5 Global Certificate of Public Accounting Microcredentials – This intensive program includes:
- Problem Solving 1: Identifying & Understanding Problem Types
- Problem Solving 2: Solving Different Types of Problems
- Problem Solving 3: Helping Others Solve Problems
- Team Work 1: Managing Teams
- Communications 2: Communicate for Influence
- Collaborative network – Connect with like-minded professionals, share insights, and build lasting relationships.
- Real-world solutions – Walk away with actionable techniques to drive growth and innovation in your practice.
FastTrack Pathway
For FIPAs and MIPAs with more than 5 years’ senior relevant experience, who would like to obtain the award of the Global Certificate of Public Accounting (GCPA) from the IPA, they must enrol with their latest CV, with an indication that they would like to undertake a GCPA interview as a final step AFTER successfully completing the microcredentials and the workshop assessments. An IPA GCPA graduation conferring ceremony will be held during the 2026 National Congress.
CPD hours award for this Master Level Strategic Leadership Intensive Program
On successful completion of all 5 microcredentials – 40 CPD hours PLUS successful completion of the 2-day workshop – 18 hours = a total of 58 CPD hours.
Who should attend?
This workshop is ideal for practice owners, partners, and senior professionals looking to sharpen their strategic thinking, enhance problem-solving capabilities, and develop innovative approaches to running a successful practice. It is designed for those who want to move beyond day-to-day operations and build a future-ready business.
About the Facilitator
Dr Robert Kay is the Managing Director of Incept Labs and a founding Director of RiPLTec.
His career has moved continuously between industry and academia. He was formerly the Head of Strategic Innovation at Westpac Banking Corporation; a Senior Lecturer in Information Systems and Organisational Development at the University of Technology, Sydney, and a research analyst at Bovis Lend Lease. Establishing Incept Labs in 2008, Robert has been commissioned to undertake multiple studies of senior leaders, covering topics of organisational resilience, innovation, and corporate governance. The largest of these involved interviews with Chairs of 100 organisations around Australia for the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Ultimately, however, his passion is in education. His early research focused on experiential curriculum design for the development of 21st Century learning and he has been involved in numerous evaluations of school transformation and professional development programs across South Australia, Victoria, the Northern Territory and Malaysia, including multiple studies of Indigenous education. This work has coincided with extensive research on the development of scalable soft skill assessment methods, in partnership with the UN Economic Social Commission Asia Pacific (UNESCAP) and Monash University that is ongoing.
Robert holds a first class honours in curriculum development and worldview change, whilst his PhD involved the application of biological systems theory to improving learning and resilience in organisations.
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