MPA ’08 Sunhee Kim to Join IASB as Technical Associate

Sunhee Kim, MPA ’08, has been appointed by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) as a technical associate. She will begin the prestigious two-year appointment at the IASB’s London office in October 2008.

The IASB is the private sector independent body responsible for developing a single set of high quality international financial reporting standards (IFRS), used by more than 100 countries throughout the world.

In her role as technical associate, Kim will report to the director of technical activities  and will carry out research and analysis and provide technical administrative support for the IASB, the International Financial Reporting Interpretations Committee, and the Standards Advisory Council.

For Kim, the new position is a dream come true. “I have always wanted to work in standard setting because of its interdisciplinary nature. You get to meet with lots of interested constituents from many different backgrounds,” she says. Next year Korea will adopt IFRS, and Kim is especially excited about assisting in Korea's smooth transition to the new standards using her mother tongue.

Professor William Kinney says Kim will be a great addition to the IASB staff. “In my capstone auditing course, Sunhee asked many questions. I learned to hesitate before answering because her questions addressed complex relationships in global accounting and governance that required thoughtful answers. The IASB and the public will benefit from her inquisitive nature,” he says

IASB staff members hail from more than 25 countries, and Kim’s fellow technical associates come from Hong Kong, Poland, Germany and the United States. Kim will join fellow McCombs graduate Carol Wong, BBA ’04, who began work as an IASB technical associate last year.