Staff

Mr. Channa Wijesinghe is a graduate of Monash University and holds an MBA from Deakin University. Channa has also completed the Advanced Management Program of Melbourne University. He is Fellow member of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, CPA Australia and the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators. Channa joined the APESB in January 2007 and was the founding Technical Director and subsequently appointed as the CEO in 2016. He manages the implementation of the Board’s strategy, national and international stakeholder engagement, operations and technical work program. He functions as the Chair of the Board’s taskforces and has overseen the issue of APESB’s suite of 21 pronouncements for the Australian accounting profession. Channa also represents APESB at the IESBA National Standards Setters Group. Prior to joining the APESB, Channa worked for a decade with EY and Deloitte and was an Audit Director at Deloitte, Melbourne. He also spent several years in energy companies including two years with AGL Energy and was a member of the AGL IFRS project team. From 1 January 2022, Channa became a Board Member of the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA). He is currently on the Tax Planning and Related Services, and Sustainability Task Forces. Channa was appointed to the IESBA Planning Committee from 1 January 2023.

Ms Jacinta Hanrahan holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Ballarat. She is a member of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand. She has ten years' experience with PricewaterhouseCoopers; initially in the Assurance and Advisory Services Division and then as a Manager in the Accounting and Consulting Services Division. She has also worked in industry for eight years gaining experience in the not-for-profit, education, tourism and hospitality sectors. Jacinta joined the APESB in October 2015 and is involved in the standard setting and operational activities of the APESB.

Ms Ann Chang joined the APESB in May 2023 and is involved in assisting the standard setting and operational activities of the APESB. Ann holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting and Finance) degree from University of Melbourne, and she is a member of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand. Prior to joining to APESB, Ann worked with CPA Australia for four years in monitoring public practitioners’ compliance with the accounting professional and ethical standards. She also has eight years’ audit experience with both Deloitte Melbourne and Shanghai, specialising in financial services industry, as well as two years of corporate accounting experience in a global fund management company.

Mr Jim Lui joined the APESB in April 2024 and is involved in assisting the standard setting and operational activities of the APESB. Jim holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Professional Accountancy from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and he is a member of CPA Australia, fellow member of The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (UK) and Chartered Financial Analyst (USA). Prior to joining to APESB, Jim has worked in several securities firms in Hong Kong for over 19 years and was responsible for corporate finance and sponsoring initial public offerings transactions. Early in his career, he also has four years’ audit experience with KPMG in Hong Kong.

Ms Disna Dharmasekara joined the APESB in April 2023 and is involved in assisting the standard setting and operational activities of the APESB. Disna is a member of Chartered Accountants Sri Lanka and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Colombo. Prior to joining to APESB, Disna worked with KPMG Jamaica for over four years as a Senior Tax Consultant. She also has five years of audit and tax experience at KPMG Sri Lanka.