Experts discuss research and insights in the ACCA Accountants for Business Global Forum Pakistan 2011

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(Free-Press-Release.com) November 21, 2011 -- ACCA Pakistan organised Accountants for Business Global Forum Pakistan 2011in Lahore today, 17 November 2011. The event aimed to surface the challenges facing businesses and in particular the accountancy profession through an exciting mix of three discussions on Risk and Reward – shared perspectives, Maximising People Power – effective talent management in finance and The eProfessional – embracing learning technologies. These innovative discussions were moderated by prominent industry experts.

In his opening remarks, Mr Arif Masud Mirza, Head of ACCA Pakistan commented about the three sessions of the conference saying that businesses should monitor their impact on climate change and also mitigate the risks the organisations face as a result. There needs to be full commitment from companies to identifying and managing all material risks facing them, both in the short term and the long term. These risks must be seen to include risks of an environmental and reputational nature. This needs to be followed up by effective disclosure regulations and enforcement of those regulations by the authorities. He further said that organisations have to be ready for the next generation entering the professional world. Employers have to keep pace with the changing technological advancements in order to attract talent from generation C (born after 1990s). Regarding the e-professional session, he said “ACCA is shifting to e-assessment methodology making its qualification even more accessible”. Mr Arif Mirza also appreciated the sponsors of the event namely ICI Pakistan Ltd, Pepsi-Cola International Ltd, Philip Morris (Pakistan) Ltd, CIPE, Telenor Pakistan Ltd, PTCL and Servis Industries Ltd. He added that these sponsors and partners have not only endorsed the event with their logos, they share the same values that ACCA has.

Mr Muhammad Uzair, director internal audit, Tourism Promotion Services (Pakistan) Ltd opened the discussion on risk and reward – shared perspective. He said that investment culture in Pakistan should change. Instead of making short-term investments, investors should make more informed decisions taking into account the various environmental, social and governance risks faced by businesses. The panellists of this session were Mr Muhammad Farid Alam, CEO, AKD Securities Ltd, Ms Ayla Majid, director, Islamabad Stock Exchange and Mr Zeshan Afzal, executive vice president and group head strategic investments, Arif Habib Corporation Ltd.

The speaker of the session on maximizing people power – effective talent management in finance was Mr Tahir Jawaid, vice president human resource and public affairs, Engro Corporation Ltd. In his address, he said that there is a gap in the perceived importance versus the perceived success of talent management programmes. A majority of the professionals consider access to talent management programmes as important while organisations place it low on their priorities. Mr Shafique Uqaili, group chief human resource, Allied Bank Ltd, Mr Khurram Raza Bakhtayari, deputy manager finance, Packages Ltd, Mr Misbah Burney, finance director, Tetra Pak Pakistan Ltd, Mr Kamran Iqbal Yousafi, partner, KPMG Taseer Hadi & Co. Chartered Accountants were the panellists in this session.



Commencing the discussion on the

e-professional-embracing learning technologies, Ms Jehan Ara, president P@SHA recommended that learning technologies should be a part of a wider, integrated approach to learning and assessment. Companies should invest sufficient resources in planning and design. Moreover, technology must be user-friendly and intuitive”. The panel included Mr Shabbir Yunus Khairullah, partner assurance, Ernst & Young Ford Rhodes Sidat Hyder, Professor Dr Naveed A Malik, founder-rector, Virtual University, Mr Amer Sarfraz, partner and vice president, Bramerz and Mr Arif Masud Mirza, head of ACCA Pakistan. Prof. Dr Naveed Malik said that many educational bodies and institutes use e-learning tool in one form or the other. Students benefit from this technical intervention not only in terms of distance but also comprehending the content more effectively, he added.



The global forum concluded with a vote of thanks by Ms Ayla Majid, vice chairperson ACCA Pakistan Members Network Panel. She appreciated the participation of professionals from various organisations. She appreciated ACCA Pakistan’s efforts for its contribution to the development of the accountancy and finance profession in Pakistan.