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ASA HEXAGON

Six pillars · Three balances · Mutual trust

ASA chose the hexagon as its mark when the firm was founded. To us it is more than a symbol: it is the frame we use to weigh our work. Each corner holds a professional pillar, each pair of pillars forms a balance, and all three balances meet in one purpose: trust.

  1. Independence
  2. Quality & professional behaviour
  3. Integrity
  4. Objectivity
  5. Confidentiality
  6. Competence & due care
  • Balance of credibility: Independence & quality
  • Balance of judgement: Integrity & objectivity
  • Balance of responsibility: Confidentiality & competence and due care

Trust

  • Balance of credibilityIndependence & quality
  • Balance of judgementIntegrity & objectivity
  • Balance of responsibilityConfidentiality & competence and due care

Hover or tap any corner to see its balance.

Balance of credibility — Independence & quality
Independence is not enough without quality, and quality is not enough without independence. Together they give an opinion its credibility. This balance governs the start of every engagement: acceptance and planning.

Balance of judgement — Integrity & objectivity
Integrity is honesty in what we say; objectivity is neutrality in how we weigh what we see. Together they form professional judgement. This balance governs execution and the gathering of evidence.

Balance of responsibility — Confidentiality & competence and due care
Confidentiality is our responsibility to the client for what it entrusts to us; due care is our responsibility to everyone who relies on our work. This balance governs completion, reporting and what follows.

Why a hexagon?

"Hexagon" comes from two Greek words: hex, six, and gōnía, angle. In Arabic, the word rukn means both a corner and the support a structure stands on. So each of our pillars is a corner, and each corner is something we stand on.

The hexagon holds a special place in geometry. It is one of only three regular shapes that cover a surface completely without gaps, with the triangle and the square, but it divides the surface into equal cells with the least total length of wall. The mathematicians of ancient Alexandria noticed this, and it was proved in 1999 as the "honeycomb conjecture". This is why aerospace and other demanding industries use honeycomb structures where maximum strength is needed for minimum weight.

That is what we look for in an audit: a structure with no gaps, and effort placed where it is needed, without waste.

What we learn from the hive

The hexagonal cell is the work of bees, and the hive offers lessons we try to follow:

Guarding the entrance

Guard bees check every arrival before it enters. We begin every engagement by assessing acceptance and independence, before any work starts.

Shared walls

Each cell shares its walls with the six around it; no cell stands alone. Our work rests on a team that consults and reviews one another.

Economy of effort

Bees build with the least wax possible. We direct audit effort to where the real risks are.

No cell is sealed before it is ready

Bees cap a cell only when its contents have matured. We sign an opinion only when the evidence is complete.

The six pillars

Our pillars are the five fundamental principles of the Code of Ethics issued by the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA), plus independence, which every audit engagement requires.

  1. 1

    Independence

    An opinion that is free in fact and in appearance, unaffected by any interest or relationship.

    In our work: we assess independence before accepting every engagement and reassess it in every cycle.

  2. 2

    Quality & professional behaviour

    Complying with laws and standards and avoiding anything that discredits the profession, within a system of quality management under ISQM 1.

    In our work: each engagement receives a level of oversight set by its risks, including, where required, an independent review before the report is issued.

  3. 3

    Integrity

    Being straightforward and honest in every professional relationship: never associated with information we know to be misleading, and never silent where something must be said.

    In our work: what we write in our reports is what the evidence supports, without embellishment or understatement.

  4. 4

    Objectivity

    Not allowing bias, conflicts of interest or undue influence to compromise professional judgement.

    In our work: we weigh corroborating and contradicting evidence together, and document the basis of every significant judgement.

  5. 5

    Confidentiality

    Protecting client information: disclosing it only with authority or where the law or the profession requires, and never using it for personal advantage.

    In our work: client files are kept under defined access controls, and client information is used only for its purpose.

  6. 6

    Competence & due care

    Attaining and maintaining the knowledge and skill required, and acting diligently in line with applicable professional standards.

    In our work: each engagement is assigned to a team qualified for it, and we prepare for new standards before they take effect.

The three balances

The pillars do not work alone. Each pair of opposite pillars forms a balance, each keeping the other from tipping:

Balance of credibility

Independence & quality

Independence is not enough without quality, and quality is not enough without independence. Together they give an opinion its credibility. This balance governs the start of every engagement: acceptance and planning.

Balance of judgement

Integrity & objectivity

Integrity is honesty in what we say; objectivity is neutrality in how we weigh what we see. Together they form professional judgement. This balance governs execution and the gathering of evidence.

Balance of responsibility

Confidentiality & competence and due care

Confidentiality is our responsibility to the client for what it entrusts to us; due care is our responsibility to everyone who relies on our work. This balance governs completion, reporting and what follows.

The three balances rest on a single axis: trust. The client's trust in our work, and the trust of investors, regulators and every user of financial statements in our opinion.

From principle to practice

Principles mean little until they are tested. Our audit methodology is built so that every file passes through the six pillars, from client acceptance to the issued report. A periodic internal review, ASA Hexagon, measures each engagement against the same six sides, identifies where we can improve, and follows up on the actions taken.

Where it began

The hexagon was chosen when the firm was founded in May 2022, and its meaning has grown with us year after year.

References: IESBA International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants, including International Independence Standards; ISQM 1; Thomas C. Hales, "The Honeycomb Conjecture" (1999).