CPA Australia and the Institute for Human Resource Professionals (IHRP) in Singapore have signed a memorandum of understanding to deepen cooperation between the finance and human resources professions, in a development that reflects the growing expectation that senior professionals in both disciplines must understand each other's domains to operate effectively at organisational level.

The Accountant Online reported that the MoU was signed at CPA Australia's Singapore office by Asheley Jones, chief learning and innovation officer at CPA Australia, and Karina Kuok, director and head of assessments and insights at IHRP. The agreement will see both organisations develop People Manager learning programmes for senior finance executives, as well as Financial Acumen programmes for HR professionals.

Aslam Sardar, CEO of IHRP, said the partnership responds to the convergence of HR and business strategy at the organisational level. He said: "As the lines between people strategy and business strategy continue to converge, HR and finance professionals must develop a deeper appreciation of each other's disciplines to drive sustainable organisational success. Through this collaboration, we look forward to advancing professional development pathways that build financial acumen among HR practitioners, strengthen people leadership capabilities among finance leaders, and recognise critical competencies through robust skills and role badging frameworks."

Jones said finance professionals are increasingly expected to contribute beyond their technical function. She said: "Finance professionals today need more than technical expertise. They are increasingly expected to lead people, influence decisions and contribute across the business. This partnership will help CPA Australia support members in building those capabilities, combining strong financial expertise with people leadership and commercial understanding."

Carmen Wee, board director at CPA Australia, said the impact of the collaboration would extend beyond individual career development. She said: "When two professions this influential decide to move together, the impact doesn't just add up, it multiplies. This is the kind of collaboration that changes careers, shapes organisations and raises the bar for what professional excellence looks like."

For HR practitioners, the CPA Australia and IHRP agreement formalises a direction of travel that many organisations are already experiencing informally: the expectation that HR and finance will work more closely together on workforce planning, cost modelling, and people investment decisions.