Professor Karin Barac has been appointed as Deputy Dean: Research and Postgraduate Studies in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, with effect from 1 September 2019.

Prof Barac joined the University of Pretoria, as Head of the Department of Auditing, in July 2012. She is a Chartered Accountant and holds a doctorate in Accounting. She has been involved in leadership roles at various universities and served in governance structures of several organisations in the private sector including the ABSA Divisional Board and the Audit Committee of the Auditor-General of South Africa. She has a high standing in the accountancy profession and is currently serving on education related committees at the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) and the Independent Regulatory Board of Auditors in South Africa (IRBA) and on a policy related committee of the Institute of Internal Auditors.

Prof Barac has published several journal articles in her discipline. She has been acknowledged for her work by receiving journal best paper awards and research prizes. Her research focuses on professional competence, internal and external audit quality and education. She is a C-rated researcher by the South African National Research Foundation (NRF). Prof Barac has further led various research teams in South Africa and elsewhere, including the CA2025 research team tasked with developing the new competency frameworks for SAICA and IRBA. These competency frameworks will also be used by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Zimbabwe (ICAZ) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Namibia (ICAN).

We welcome Prof Barac in her new capacity as Deputy Dean and look forward to her contribution in taking the Faculty’s research profile to the next level.