Prof Venter has held tenure since 2008. He currently teaches Taxation and Financial Accounting at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels and supervises master’s and doctoral candidates. Prof Venter’s research focuses on the pricing, value relevance and regulation of earnings measures that do not conform to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.

The announcement was made on the eve of the Accounting Research: Diversity within Unity conference, which the IAAER co-sponsored.

In announcing the programme, Charles P Heeter, Managing Director of Deloitte Public Policy Group, said: “This programme aims to bring a broader perspective to local accounting education, which will benefit future accounting professionals that go on to become auditors, preparers of financial statements, budget holders or financial controllers, just to name a few. It provides the link between local and global accounting developments, reflecting the global progression of the profession and business in general. In the long term, it will help raise the quality of accounting, auditing and financial reporting in markets around the world.” Deloitte has a long-standing global commitment to education and skills development.

When asked about how he feels about the programme, Prof Venter said: “In the past, for various reasons, accounting academics in South Africa have not been able to contribute to the academic research literature to the same degree as their colleagues from more developed countries. The Deloitte IAAER Scholarship Programme brings new hope. It will enable me to participate in elite conferences, share research ideas with emerging scholars in positions similar to my own and to be mentored by well-respected leaders in the field.”

According to Prof Venter, historically, South African accounting academics tended to focus on teaching, rather than on research. Prof Venter elaborated that to create a contagious movement towards accounting research in South Africa many small movements are required first. “I believe that I have a responsibility to plough back all the knowledge and experience I gain through the Deloitte IAAER Scholarship to promote a movement towards advancing accounting research in my country. Inevitably, improving the quality of our research will also help to improve the standard of future accounting professionals who one day will hold leading positions in our capital market."