Thirty-six Chartered Accountants across Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom received Fellowships from Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ) President Jane Stanton. 

Ms Stanton visited Asia and the United Kingdom to meet with partner organisations to foster and strengthen relationships, and recognise those Chartered Accountants who are leading the way. 

Chartered Accountant Fellowships are awarded for outstanding career achievements and contributions to the profession through business and community endeavors while maintaining the highest standards of integrity and judgement. Seven recipients were from Malaysia, seven from Singapore, eighteen from the United Kingdom and five from Hong Kong. 

Ms Stanton said that the Chartered Accountants’ designation is internationally recognised for its commitment to building sustainable prosperity for clients and communities while maintaining the highest ethical standards, and is becoming increasingly important across Asia and the UK as businesses face unprecedented levels of uncertainty.

“With diversity and disruption a new global norm, the accounting profession is also evolving fast,” said Ms Stanton.  

“The traditional view of the profession – as an analytical and black-and-white role – is transforming into a profession of the future – as sense makers, growth accelerators, critical thinkers and digitally savvy.

“Small to medium sized businesses are telling us that Chartered Accountants are playing a key role in their success – serving as trusted advisors who predict risks and identify growth opportunities.

“We know that shifting employment arrangements, demographic changes, technological advancements and globalisation are drastically altering the operating environment, but we also know that the most agile businesses are the healthiest and the most sustainable. 

“Our recent Future[inc] report, Future of Business, found that 55 per cent of businesses who reported being above average in terms of agility were also experiencing above average revenue growth. Of those that rated themselves below average in terms of agility, only 16 per cent said they were growing faster than average.

“Across Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom, there are nearly 7,500 Chartered Accountants with experience across the changing context of every commercial, community and government sector. 

“Our ethical standards and values, financial proficiency, industry and business management expertise and future focused mindset means our profession is ideally placed to guide businesses through the age of uncertainty,” said Ms Stanton.