Mrs. Lynda Gimena Estupiñán Peñaloza joined the IFAC's PAIB Advisory Group in January 2025. She was nominated by the National Institute of Public Accountants of Colombia (INCP). Mrs. Estupiñan currently works as a regional accounting leader for Medtronic, facilitating technical knowledge for professionals at a regional and global level.

Prior to this role, she worked as an auditor and consultant at Deloitte for almost 17 years and was appointed to represent Latin America to develop content and methodology for auditors globally.

Mrs. Estupiñan received a Bachelor’s degree as a Public Accountant from the Santo Tomas University, as well as a master’s degree in administration with an Emphasis in Finance.

Florian Chatagny became the Technical Advisor to Claudia Beier in January 2025. He was nominated by the Swiss Federal Finance Administration (FFA) with the support of the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Finance.

Mr. Chatagny is head of the unit financial statistics since 2019 and is responsible for the compilation and dissemination of public finance statistics for Switzerland both at the national and international level. He is also responsible to produce empirical analyses as well as forecasts for the Swiss public finances. Among others, Florian Chatagny is head of the national joint working group on Government Finance Statistics. He and his team also represent Switzerland in various international working groups in the field of Government financial statistics such as the Eurostat’s Working group on the excessive deficit procedure or the IMF Task force on Fiscal Analysis and GFS Communication.

Prior to joining the Swiss Federal Finance Administration, Mr. Chatagny worked as an executive research fellow for the Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich mostly performing empirical research and policy analysis in the fields of fiscal policy, macroeconomic forecasting and empirical public finance.

Mr. Chatagny holds a PhD in economics and a PhD in public administration from the Universities of Lausanne (CH) and Rennes 1 (F). He is a research fellow of the Federal Institute of Technology (ETH).

Rui Peres Jorge joined IESBA in January 2025 as Director of Strategic Communications, leading and advising on initiatives to enhance the Board’s reputation and engagement. He focuses on promoting the relevance of IESBA’s standards as critical tools for advancing ethical practices in firms worldwide.

Mr. Peres Jorge previously served as Economics Advisor and Head of Communications at the Ministry of Finance in Portugal. Before he served at the Portuguese Securities Market Commission as Advisor to the Board of Directors and Head of Strategic Analysis and Communications.

He began his career as a journalist, specializing in macroeconomics and financial economics. He reported on the global financial crisis and international institutions like the IMF, ECB, and European Commission and is a published author on the topic. His awards and professional training opportunities included engagements in Washington, D.C., and New York in collaboration with the Committee of Concerned Journalists, the Columbia Journalism School, and the Financial Times.

Mr. Peres Jorge holds a master’s degree in Monetary and Financial Economics from the University of Lisbon, and a postgraduate qualification in Public Accounting. He holds certifications in High Impact Leadership from INSEAD and in Strategic Communications in Society - Power, Ethics and Practice from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

Mirela Păunescu become a member of IPAE in 2025 and is an Associate Professor at the Bucharest University of Economic Studies (ASE), specializing in accounting, audit, and taxation. With over 20 years of academic and professional experience, she has made significant contributions to the field, both through research and practical engagement. Her scholarly work focuses on key areas such as accounting, auditing, and tax regulation, enriching the academic literature with valuable insights. Mirela earned an MBA the Bentley University (US) and a PhD in accounting in Romania.

Beyond academia, Mirela is an active member of the Body of Expert and Licensed Accountants of Romania (CECCAR), demonstrating her deep commitment to the Romanian accounting profession. Her influence extends to the governance of financial supervisory bodies, where she has played a key role in shaping regulatory frameworks. Over the years, she has contributed to legislative development, education, and professional publications, actively participating in the transposition of European legislation into Romania's taxation, auditing, and accounting standards.

As an educator, Mirela is passionate about inspiring and empowering students and professionals to embrace the accounting profession with enthusiasm and adaptability. She believes in the continuous evolution of expertise, encouraging individuals to stay engaged and relevant at every stage of their careers.

Mr. Manil Jayesinghe joined the International Panel on Accountancy Education in Jan 2025 and was nominated by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka.

He currently serves on many public listed companies as an independent Director and a governing board member of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. He also chairs the accounting standards committee of Sri Lanka and of the South Asian Federation of Accountants.

He was the past president of the Institute of Chartered accountants of Sri Lanka and also served on the International Accountancy Education Standards Board ( IFAC). He served as the country managing partner of Ernst & Young Sri Lanka and Maldives in 2021/23.

He is a Fellow member of the Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka, Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (UK), Certified Management Accountants of Sri Lanka and a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy.

Dr. Escobar was nominated to be part of IPAE by the National Institute of Public Accountants of Colombia in 2024 and was selected as a member in September 2024. She begins her participation in IPAE in January 2025.

Dr. Escobar is the current Dean of the Faculty of Public Accounting at the Universidad Externado de Colombia (South America). She has been academic and research director, undergraduate and graduate coordinator and research professor for more than 20 years. She also has more than 20 years of experience in international non-profit entities in which she worked in the accounting and financial area.

She is a member of the board of directors of the Association of Public Accounting Faculties of Colombia and she is the president of the national education committee of the technical council of public accounting. She has published books and articles in relation to accounting education.

She has a professional degree in public accounting, a master's degree in education with an emphasis on management and evaluation and a doctorate in social studies from the Universidad Externado de Colombia. Programs in which she earned honors scholarships for her academic excellence.

Geoffrey has over 25 years of experience in industry, consulting, and academia. He is dedicated to advancing organizational sustainability through strategic, financial, governance, social, and environmental perspectives. He is also passionate about advancing the accounting and finance profession through education, training and research.

Currently, Geoffrey serves as the Chairman of the Audit and Risk Committee at St. Francis Community Hospital. He has held notable leadership roles, including past Chairmanship of the Strathmore University Credit Union (Mzima Savings and Credit Cooperative) and non-executive directorship at the Universities Investment Company (Mzima Investment Company). He has also served as a board member for various organizations and held pivotal academic leadership positions at Strathmore University, such as Director of the School of Accounting and the School of Finance and Applied Economics. Geoffrey has also worked as a Credit Controller and Financial Reporting Accountant.

Geoffrey has an extensive consultancy and training portfolio, encompassing Corporate Governance, Sustainability, Finance for Non-Finance Professionals, International Accounting Standards, Auditing and Public Standards, Risk Management, and Public and Personal Financial Management. As a member of faculty at Strathmore University Business School, he facilitates sessions on Financial and Managerial Accounting, Financial Management, International Finance, Project Finance, Investment Analysis, Financial and Business Analysis, and Risk Management to professional course students, undergraduate students and graduate students He also supervises and grades research in these areas up to post graduate level.

In the professional sphere, Geoffrey actively contributes to the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK) as a member of the Professional Standards Committee and a trainer with its Technical Services Division. He is also a judge for the Financial Reporting Excellence Awards, focusing on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and Integrated Reporting. Previously, he was a member of the Education and Research Committee at the Institute of Chartered Investment Financial Analysts (ICIFA) and the Kenya Advisory Council of ACCA. He has served as a volunteer grader with the CFA® Institute. He has played a pivotal role in shaping accounting and finance curricula through his involvement with the Kenya Accountants and Secretaries National Examinations Board (KASNEB) and development of curricula at Strathmore. Recently, he was appointed to the Accountancy Learning and Development Advisory Group of the Pan African Federation of Accountants (PAFA).

Geoffrey is a Fellow of ICPAK and ACCA and an active member of CFA® Institute, CFA® Society East Africa, and ICIFA. He has a PhD in Accounting and Finance from Strathmore University, where his research was on integrated reporting.

Jennifer Eberman joined the IPAE in 2025, nominated by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited. She is a distinguished leader in accounting and assurance education with over two decades of experience.

As a Director and Assurance and Reporting Lead for Audit & Assurance Learning at Deloitte, Jennifer oversees the strategic direction and development of the global learning curriculum for Assurance, IFRS, and Sustainability, directly enabling Deloitte's international network of Audit and Assurance practitioners. Previously, she served as Senior Manager at Deloitte & Touche LLP, where she led the development of IFRS, ASPE, and PSAS learning content. She also held the role of Associate Director of Education at CPA Ontario, managing the CPA exam process, and was the National UFE Director & Senior Manager at KPMG LLP, directing the technical preparatory program for CPA students across Canada.

Jennifer has been actively involved in professional organizations such as CPA Canada and has contributed to various boards and committees, including the Girl Guides of Canada and the Ottawa Humane Society. Her expertise in learning design, facilitation, and project management, combined with her commitment to professional excellence, makes her a valuable asset to the IPAE.

Jennifer holds multiple professional designations, including CPA, CA, CIA, and CPA (Illinois). She also has a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Acadia University.

Dr. Qi Zhang became member of International Panel on Accountancy Education in December 2024, nominated by the Chinese Institute of Certified Public Accountants (CICPA).

Dr. Zhang is a full Professor and the Dean at the School of Accountancy and the Head of finance office of Zhongnan University of Economics and Law (People's Republic of China).

Dr. Zhang is chairman of the Government Accounting Professional Committee of the Accounting Society of China. He also serves as a member of the Consultative Advisor Group for the International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board, a consulting expert for China's Ministry of Finance (MoF)'s Government Accounting Standards Committee.

Dr. Zhang was awarded by Chang Jiang Scholars Program of China in 2023, and has been honored as a National Advanced Accounting Worker in 2022, National Academic Accounting Leading Talent Project in 2016, and was selected for the Ministry of Finance (MoF)'s Distinguished Accounting Expert Project in 2023. His main achievements were published in the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Economic modelling, Journal of Accounting and Public Policy and other top journals.

Dr. Zhang earned Bachelor degree, Master degree and PhD in accounting at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law and is a member of CICPA.