On 12th March i.e was Tuesday I attended the CFO Conference by Institute of Charter Accountants ( ICAP), which is one of the best experiences of my life. I have received an invitation to that conference well perks of being a blogger. First of all, I want to sincerely appreciate ICAP for organizing this event, the event itself a huge success, the houseful and the line up of the speakers was tremendous and I was very much excited to hear them.
ICAP PAIB Committee has a strong link with IFAC PAIB Committee. As an acknowledgement of active participation and contribution, Council Member and Past President, ICAP, Mr. Yacoob Suttar served as Deputy Chair of IFAC’s PAIB Committee for two years. Mr. Khalilullah Shaikh, Chairman ICAP PAIB Committee is currently representing the Institute as a member at IFAC PAIB Committee.
It was nine years ago when the Professional Accountants in Business (PAIB) Committee of ICAP took the initiative of reaching out to Institute’s members in the industry to provide them with a platform where they can discuss, debate and seek pragmatic solutions for emerging business and finance issues. Total 18 CFO Conferences have been held all across the country with the participation of over 9,000 participants, business leaders and finance professionals.
The CFO Conference 2019:
5 Steps to Greatness is a focused approach which aims to create an experience for the participants through which they understand and interact with speakers who have excelled in their fields and are renowned and are examples of individuals who have gone through the path to becoming great professionals. These 5 Steps are summarized below
- Using one’s passion towards work and excel in it
- How to develop leadership and team making characteristics and excellent practices.
- Learning about new methods and ways which is going to help them have a better understanding of competition and developing habits of how to stay ahead of it.
- To keep themselves updated with the current technological trends and its disruptive nature, how to adapt it and use it to one’s advantage,
- The final step for greatness will going to focus on how to become a role model for organizations, peers and teams, what characteristics and responsibilities are needed to becoming a role model.
CFO Conference Legacy 2010- 2019:
ICAP CFO Conferences has completed its 10 years and it has evolved through time to become the flagship event of the Institute. It serves as a platform for Chartered Accountants and the larger business and finance fraternity to stay updated with global trends and enrich their professional network. Here is a glimpse of the Conference Legacy.
- 2010: Rising CFO
- 2011: Scaling New Heights, Facing New Challenges
- 2012: CFOs- Driving Sustainable Organizational Success
- 2013: CFO-Meeting Future Challenges
- 2014: From Conformance to leadership -Evolving Role of CFO
- 2015: Sustaining Excellence -Shifting Gears
- 2016: Defining New Frontiers, it’s a VUCA world -Adapt -Innovate-Excel
- 2017: Shaping the future, connecting the dots Learn-Leverage-Lead
- 2018: Evolving Mental Models; Sustaining Competitive Edge – Reflect, Transform, Lead
Mr. Jafar Hussain, FC President Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan welcomed the guests came from abroad and audience.
“It is important to excel at what you do, but it is even more important to learn how to become great. For greatness will lead you to places, and allow you to evolve with changing times. With advancements in technology and the plethora of digital platforms, the accounting profession is evolving, and we need to be ready to embrace upcoming developments and incorporate them into our professional and personal lives.”
This year’s Conference 5 Steps to Greatness is Rising to Your True Potential; CFO & Beyond it is a collection of essential progression which is needed to unleash the inner potential and helps to gain an ultimate position. These 5 steps beginning with Fueling the Passion, Leadership and Team Building followed by Embracing Tech Trends and Moving Ahead of the Competition and finally Becoming a Role Model, are designed in such a way to equip professionals with all the necessary knowledge which is needed to stand out from the rest.
For becoming a role model in this era of change comes with a huge responsibility. When a single post on social media platforms, an opinion, a positive thought, click with the right audience, you can become an influencer. However, the responsibility of being an influencer is one that should not be taken lightly. Today’s professionals need to learn to the key to becoming great and these five steps are designed for them to lead them to greatness. One of the essential steps includes embracing new technologies which are imperative in the growth of the career.
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan has always been a flag bearer for change and hopes that young chartered accountants will inherit the same passion of their mentors and they will take it a step further in bringing positive change. ICAP has always pursued professional recognition for its members, which served as the primary objective behind the establishment of the Professional Accountants in Business (PAIB) Committee. It brings together professional accountants employed in various business sectors, and industries, and has continued to do so since its establishment. I commend the hard work put forth by the PAIB members and everybody else involved in conducting the event.”
Mr. Khalilullah Sheikh, FCA, Chairman, PAIB Committee & Council Member Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan thanked the audience on active participation throughout the day and also extends his warm regards to all the speakers who presented their session in a proper way.
He further elaborated, that the path to progress is one which is continuously evolving, and it requires each individual to make concentrated efforts in this evolution to keep themselves aligned with progression.
This greatness is however not disruptive, However it is interlinked with a series of steps which need to be experienced in order to achieve it. In order to redefine oneself in their professional as well as personal life and to recognize one’s true potential one must possess the drive to pursue their passion, they must have the mind to experience and discover the leadership and team building qualities in them to push themselves and their support system in the right direction, they need to be quick to adapt to the evolving nature of technological trends, they should possess the right information needed to move ahead of the competition with breakthrough ideas and financial prowess, and lastly they should serve as an exemplary figure for the organization and most importantly for their team members to be recognized as a role model in their professional and personal capacity and he also suggested that this conference is for young business leaders.
One of the favourite session was of Dr Umer Saif, who delivered his talk about “Digital Disruption” which was full of personal experiences and examples of the brands who didn’t do well with the passage of the time and they vanished from the surface of the business. Also, other speakers including Alan Johnson, President of the United Bank Limited Ms. Sima Kamil, TEDx speaker Mr. Danny Khursigara spoke brilliantly and all the topics and content of the session were amazing. It was really worth attending the event on a working day.
Last but not least Anwar Maqsood session was the energizing part for the audience. It was incredible than all. Since the lighter part is also important after gaining so much knowledge and information.
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP), was established under The Chartered Accountants Ordinance, 1961, it is a prestigious self-regulatory body of professional accountants in Pakistan. It represents accountants employed in public practice, business and industry, and the public and private sectors.
ICAP Professionals are spread all across the globe and highly valued due to their professional competence, integrity, and passion for professional excellence. Initially, on the Institute’s establishment, there were few accountants; however, today the number has risen to 10000, out of which more than 70 % are employed in the industry.
It seems a progressive journey as far for ICAP and its members. They will together learn and excel while coping with the current challenges. The services of ICAP is commendable towards the enlightening of young and aspiring business and financial leaders and betterment of co-operating sector. Organizing CFO standard events show how much they are committed to the cause of the committee by providing high-quality events to their members.
