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.

Ms Rachael Tiong joined the APESB in June 2021 and is involved in assisting the standard setting and operational activities of the APESB. Prior to joining APESB, Rachael has worked in audit roles with mid-tier accounting firms and worked in both large private and listed companies as group financial accountant. She is a member of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand since 2012 and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Auckland.

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.

Ms Shannon Heng joined the APESB in June 2022 and is involved in assisting the technical team with projects, as well as undertaking administrative duties. She is currently a third year student at Monash University studying a double degree in Bachelor of Laws (Honours)/Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting).