Financial reporting

Sir David Tweedie, the former chairman of the International Accounting Standards Board, has been appointed chairman of the Board of Trustees of the International Valuation Standards Council.

(Bloomberg) Camera and medical equipment maker Olympus Corp.’s former chairman Tsuyoshi Kikukawa pleaded guilty to covering up losses at the Japanese camera maker in an accounting fraud case that sparked criticism of ineffective corporate governance in Japan.

David Burns has joined BDO Capital Advisors LLC, the investment banking unit of BDO USA LLP, as managing director.

Edward Rigby has joined the tax services practice at ParenteBeard LLC as principal. Rigby will work out of the firm’s Clark, N.J. office.

The N.J. firm expands its offerings into a new niche with the acquisition of McGonigle & Co.

Randy Robason has been selected to lead Grant Thornton LLP’s International Tax practice.

A bill requiring federal agencies to place new controls on government charge cards and enforce more stringent penalties for violations by federal employees is on its way to President Obama for his signature, following final passage by Congress over the weekend.

Recent network memberships, awards, new Web sites and more

Recent promotions, new hires and more

Todd Boslau was recently promoted to partner at Top 100 Firm ParenteBeard LLC.

The CPA test is one of the most difficult professional credential examinations where the average passing rate is one of the lowest in any professional qualification test.

The Financial Accounting Foundation’s board of trustees appointed former NASBA chairman Billy Atkinson as chairman of the new Private Company Council, and named the other members of the new council, which will be able to recommend and vote on changes to accounting standards for privately held companies.

Granite Consulting Inc. has issued a call for submissions for its upcoming “Top 10 Rising Stars in Internal Audit” list to recognize high-performing members of the internal audit profession.

Mario Patone moved up as partner at the Top 100 Firm ParenteBeard LLC.

Top 100 accounting and business consulting firm Moss Adams announced Chris Schmidt as its next chairman and chief executive officer and Dick Fohn as president and chief operating officer in a planned transition that will take effect in the first half of 2013.

Intuit has confirmed that its QuickBooks Online has gone global through multi-language and multi-currency features that will allow businesses and accounting firms in any country to utilize the product.

Working Mother released its list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For, and a number of large accounting firms ranked within the Top Ten.

The Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission has released an exposure draft of its Internal Control over External Financial Reporting: Compendium of Approaches and Examples.

Feeley & Driscoll PC recently added Christopher Previte and Erik Lynch as its newest shareholders.

At the very tail end of August, I went to scenic Rosemont, Ill., to catch the annual Midwest Accounting Jamboree, one of the biggest trade shows on the calendar, and I thought I’d share a few observations.