ACCA Annual Virtual Conference 2022

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The world of work is changing. Artificial intelligence and automation will make this transition as significant as mechanisation in prior generations from agriculture to manufacturing. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated digitalisation and permanently altered work trends and environments, causing many organisations to reevaluate many aspects of work and transform job roles.

At the launch of Singapore’s Jobs Transformation Maps in January 2022, for the Finance and Accounting, and Accounting Practices segments, Chaly Mah, Chairman of the Singapore Accountancy Commission (SAC) called on employers to redesign jobs, train employees in “in-demand” new skills, "and continue to invest in digital technologies".

Climate action has risen to the top of the agenda for governments and organisations. Accountants will need to take stock, review their purpose in their organisation, seize the opportunities and lead the revolution to ensure that sustainability is at the heart of what they do.

Join us at our annual conference to better understand the changing career trajectories and zones, the aspirations of future employees (Gen Z and beyond) and the explosion of creativity that you can ignite with a transformed work environment, with sustainability at the heart.

Keynote Address

Accounting for a Better World

Mr Jamie Lyon FCCA, Head of Business Management, ACCA

This session will discuss areas of future focus and the role of the profession in building sustainable economies, driving accountability, and creating public trust. It will cover the following seven core priorities for the profession:

Building resilient economies
Developing the talent of tomorrow
Driving sustainable business
Advancing standards and regulation
Transforming the public sector
Supporting entrepreneurial growth
Strengthening ethics and trust

The Multigenerational Workforce in the Post-Pandemic Workplace

Ms Rachele Focardi, Founder – Multigenerational Workforce Strategist, XYZ@Work

This session will discuss the following areas:

Experience of Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z when working throughout the Pandemic
Impact of remote work on mental health, productivity, team interaction and connection with the organisational culture
The perception of future of work
How can organisations support their employees amongst all this disruption as a key item in the D&I (Diversity and Inclusion) Agenda

Demand for Professional Accountancy Services in Singapore

Mr Joseph Alfred FCCA, Head of Policy – Singapore, Australia, NZ and Oceania, ACCA

In this session, we will be launching a new research report on demand trends in professional accountancy services in Singapore – a collaboration between ACCA and the Singapore Accountancy Commission (SAC). Mr Alfred will cover:

The list of professional business and advisory services budgeted by corporates for the next 2 years
The top services that corporates will require from the Big 4 firms in the next 2 years
The top services that corporates will require from Small and Medium Practices (SMPs) in the next 2 years

Panel Discussion

Re-imagining How Accountants will Work in a Post-Pandemic World

In this panel discussion, the panel will discuss:

Drivers of change to the work environment, focusing on Technology and Environment/Climate Change, as well as Work Redesign (work environments and job roles)
Do we really need to work? Where are the robots? Towards UBI (Universal Basic Income), tax implications of this approach
Do we really need physical offices? How to manage investments in sustainable and green physical work environments with the uberisation of CFO and professional services? The role of the physical office in the future
Talent management and development for the future, career zones and trajectories, core capabilities, development of remote networks
Rise of intangibles in driving growth – with a focus on intellectual and human capital
The catalytic role of professional accountancy services to address challenges and accelerate growth

Moderator:

Prof Lawrence Loh, Director, Centre for Governance and Sustainability (CGS), NUS Business School

Panelists:

Mr Reza Ali FCCA, Director of Professional Education, ACCA
Mr Brandon Coate, Head of Human Resources, The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) Singapore
Mr Russell Colbourne FCCA, GAICD, Director, Founder Institute
Mr Evan Law, Chief Executive, Singapore Accountancy Commission (SAC)
Ms Diana Ong FCCA, Group Chief Financial Officer, TES

Shaping the Future of the Workplace for Finance Teams

In this track, we will cover:

Developing finance teams, with sustainability at the heart
Non-financial reporting, accounting for carbon tax and disclosure of environmental risks, and the implications of the ISSB Standards
Hybrid work and other innovative work arrangements. Would remote CFO services become the norm
Would there be less focus on transactional activities? How will staff be redeployed
Using future technologies to enhance productivity and profitability
Integrating finance with logistics.
Review of Singapore’s JTM (Jobs Transformation Maps) for the Finance and Accounting segment, published in Jan 2022

Speaker:

Mr Narayanan Vaidyanathan, Head of Business Insights, ACCA

Panel Discussion

Moderator:

Mr Timothy Ho, Executive Director, Finance Transformation, Deloitte

Panelists:

Mr Mikkel Larsen, CEO, Climate Impact X
Mr Mark Li, Head of Client Solutions, Banking & Financial Services, Randstad Singapore
Ms Renaka Ramachandran FCCA, Chief Financial Officer, Sime Darby Plantation Berhad
Mr Elvin Wong ACCA, Director of Finance and Administration, National Gallery Singapore

The Work Environment of the Future Firm – AccTech and Beyond

In this track, we will delve into:

How accounting firms can play a larger role in providing Sustainability Reporting, Assurance, Green Finance and other Advisory services
Steps to transform to a Digital Firm to increase productivity and attract young talent
Government initiatives that you can incorporate into your Firm’s digital transformation plan
Evolving job roles and careers pathways in your Firm which are relevant to the future and how Sustainability will become the heart of it
Future of Audit and Advisory Services
Review of Singapore’s JTM (Jobs Transformation Maps) for the Accounting Practices segment, published in Jan 2022

Speaker:

Ms Aleksandra Zaronina-Kirillova, Head of SME Professional Insights, ACCA

Panel Discussion

Moderator:

Mr Paul Tan FCCA, Co-founder, Kreston Ardent CAtrust PAC (Kreston ACA)

Panelists:

Ms Magdalene Ang FCCA, Director, R Chan & Associates PAC
Ms Sarah Foo, Territory Sales Manager (Hong Kong, Malaysia and Emerging Markets), Xero
Mr Lai Keng Wei FCCA, Partner, Head of Valuations, Mazars
Mr Yuan Wenyun, Managing Partner, Bamboo Sea

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office

Second Minister for Finance and National Development

Leader of the House, 14th Parliament

Member of Parliament for Tanjong Pagar GRC

Ms Indranee Rajah is the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office. She is also Second Minister for Finance, and Second Minister for National Development.

Ms Rajah is the Leader of the House for the 14th Parliament. She has been the Member of Parliament for the Tanjong Pagar Group Representation Constituency (GRC) since 2001.

She was in practice as a lawyer and Senior Counsel before joining the Government.

Under her law portfolio from 2012 – 2018, she co-chaired the Committees on Family Justice, the formation of the Singapore International Commercial Court as well as the Committee to Strengthen Singapore as an International Centre for Debt Restructuring. She also co-chaired the Penal Code Review Committee whose recommendations led to major amendments of the Penal Code, including greater protections of women and the vulnerable.

In her first tour of the Education Ministry from 2012 - 2015, she led the Applied Study in Polytechnics and ITE Review (ASPIRE) Committee resulting in SkillsFuture, a national movement to align education with economic demand, career guidance and lifelong learning. In the second stint from 2018 - 2020, Ms Rajah chaired UPLIFT – the “Uplifting Pupils in Life and Inspiring Families Taskforce”, an inter-agency team convened in 2018 to strengthen support for students from disadvantaged families.

Under her finance portfolio, Ms Rajah co-chaired the Working Group on Legal and Accounting Services, a sub-committee of the 2016 Committee on the Future Economy, the recommendations of which are aimed at transforming the legal and accounting industries in Singapore and catalysing the internationalisation of such professional services. She oversees infrastructure Asia, the Singapore government platform that connects infrastructure demand and supply in the region.

In the Prime Minister’s Office, Ms Rajah oversees the National Population and Talent Division and assists Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean on population matters.

Head of Policy - Singapore, Australia, NZ and Oceania

ACCA

Joseph Alfred is the Head of Policy – Singapore, Australia, NZ and Oceania at ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) Singapore. In this role, he is responsible for the formulation of policies, development and implementation of Professional Insights initiatives to drive ACCA’s public value mission and brand objectives; and ensure ACCA members, regulators and other stakeholders are updated on ACCA’s global technical policies. He works closely with stakeholders and organisations to identify opportunities where ACCA can contribute to the agenda in relation to accounting and business in Singapore, as well as ASEAN. He is a Fellow of ACCA, Fellow Chartered Accountant of Singapore; and holds an MBA from the University of Strathclyde.

Director of Professional Education

ACCA

As Director of Professional Education, Reza is responsible for the overall delivery of ACCA’s educational support to ACCA’s students, learning providers, universities and schools globally. In his role, he is also responsible for the delivery of support for ACCA’s members with their professional development needs.

He oversees the delivery of ACCA-X, ACCA's award-winning online programme designed to help individuals around the world pursue accountancy at a foundations level and promote social mobility,

Prior to his current role, he was working across a number of different roles within ACCA and also was part of a key strategic programme undertaken by ACCA in 2008 to support a wide-ranging business transformation programme. He was also seconded to a small core team that was tasked with the development of ACCA's strategy to 2020 in 2013.

Prior to ACCA, Reza was an auditor at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) within the Assurance and Business Advisory Services (ABAS) in London and later became the Head of Finance and Operations at a brokerage firm in Singapore that dealt primarily with government agencies in the South Asian subcontinent.

Reza also speaks regularly to ACCA’s key stakeholders in the region on emerging education trends, business issues and corporate development. He also wrote a booklet in 2008 entitled “Sustainability Reporting Handbook for Singaporean Companies” to encourage sustainability reporting within corporate Singapore.

Director

R Chan & Associates PAC

Magdalene is a Director with R Chan & Associates PAC with close to two decades of professional experience. She has been involved in internal and external audit, and special engagements such as Initial Public Offering, Reverse Take Over reporting accountant works and financial due diligence exercise. She served clients ranging from small and medium enterprises to Singapore Listed Companies, and Multinational Corporations (MNC).

After more than a decade in public practice, Magdalene joined an US MNC where she oversees the tax planning, credit control and cash flow management of the Group’s operations in Singapore, Malaysia, China, Indonesia and India. Having gained exposure in both public practice and the commercial sector, she subsequently went on to join the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (“ISCA”) as the pioneer batch for the Quality Assurance (QA) Department to launch initiatives to help the Small and Medium-Sized Practices.

Currently, besides being a full time Audit Partner, Magdalene also conducts regular training for external organisations mainly on audit and financial reporting topics. She also provides training and consultancy services for local and overseas organisations, predominantly accounting firms. To give back to the accounting profession, Magdalene also works with ISCA to promote the ISCA Audit Manual to Professional Institution in Myanmar and Vietnam. She was elected as an ACCA Network Panel Member in 2020 and currently heads up the ACCA Practice Transformation Sub-committee.

Magdalene is a Chartered Accountant (Practising) (Singapore) and a Fellow Chartered Certified Accountant (“FCCA”).

Regional Head of Policy, ASEAN ANZ

ACCA

Mr Chiew Chun Wee is the regional head of policy for ACCA, tasked with supporting its professional insights, advocacy and policy work across Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand. He works with key stakeholders to identify and drive new research initiatives that provide evidence-based policy and thinking impacting the business community and profession, demonstrating ACCA’s regional and global reach and public values. He is a regular speaker and panel chair on topics ranging from talent strategy, integrated thinking, the evolving role of finance professionals to the value and quality of audit.

Chun Wee is a board member on the IAASB and serves as taskforce member on a variety of key projects including the audits of less complex entities. Chun Wee has also served and continue to serve on various committees with organisations like the IIRC, MIA, AFA and CAPA.

Prior to joining ACCA, Chun Wee was a key member of the Professional Practice Department of a Big Four accounting practice, where he focused on audit methodology and regularly delivered internal and external trainings on auditing and quality management matters. He has more than a decade of experience in public accounting and has worked in audits of and special assignments for multinationals and local listed companies.

Head of Human Resources

The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) Singapore

Brandon Coate is Head of Human Resources for HSBC Singapore. Brandon joined HSBC Singapore in April 2019 and has responsibility for the delivery of HSBC’s People Strategy in Singapore. Born in the US and educated in the UK, Brandon has worked for HSBC over 13 years in multiple Human Resources roles in the UK and Hong Kong. Prior to joining HSBC, Brandon started his career in consulting at Watson Wyatt and has also worked at Lehman Brothers.

Director

Founder Institute

Russell is a Chartered Accountant and Entrepreneur who has worked across a diverse range of industries over the past 30 years including education, health, law and aviation. After a short service commission as a pilot flying Seaking Helicopters in the British Royal Navy, Russell studied business and qualified as a Chartered Certified Accountant (ACCA) in the UK joining Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group in 1994 and coming to Australia in 2000 to start Virgin Australia’s domestic airline.

Russell is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD) and a Director of the Founder Institute Entrepreneurs Programme in Adelaide. He serves as an advisor and director on the board of a number of smaller family owned companies and provides CFO services to SMEs through the CFO Centre in Adelaide.

As the locally elected ACCA panel representative he helps members keep up to date on the latest accountancy innovations and technical developments that will create organisations fit for the future.

Russell is the Founder of Feesable.co, a crowdfunding platform for educational institutions and Chairman of ChiBall World, a health education training organisation. His weekly radio show “Your Money Machine” helps business owners get under the hood of their business finances broadcasting weekly on the International Business Growth Radio Network and available as a podcast.

President

ACCA

Orla is the Deputy Managing Director of Aberdeen Standard Investments Ireland Ltd (ASIIL) having previously been their Head of Compliance. Prior to this Orla has held a number of senior roles within the financial services sector, most recently as Chief Risk Officer with Standard Life International. Orla’s experience includes roles in risk management, compliance, branch banking, financial control, internal audit and asset management.

A fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Orla takes an active voluntary role in the association and currently holds the position of President.

Orla also holds an MSc in strategic management (first class honours), is a member of the Institute of Bankers, a licentiate of the Association of Compliance Officers in Ireland and a qualified financial advisor.

Founder – Multigenerational Workforce Strategist

XYZ@Work

Leading Future of Work Strategist and best-selling author of “Reframing Generational Stereotypes”, Rachele is a global thought-leader and public speaker on Generational Diversity, Multigenerational Workforce Dynamics and Employer Branding. Over the last 20 years, Rachele has advised hundreds of Fortune 500 companies, Asian organisations, NGOs and Government Agencies. She is passionate about helping organisations adapt to the needs of the new generations and make Generational Diversity a key item on their D&I Agenda by developing initiatives, programmes and content that provide the opportunity for employees across all age groups to learn from each other, collaborate efficiently, and together drive change. She is Chair of the Multigenerational Workforce Committee for the ASEAN Human Development Organisation, Board Member Future Talent Council, Mentor at Workplace Accelerator and Founder of XYZ@Work. Rachele is also a member of MENSA.

Territory Sales Manager (Hong Kong, Malaysia and Emerging Markets), Xero

Sarah Foo is the Territory Sales Manager for Xero Hong Kong, Malaysia and Emerging Markets. She is passionate about helping accountants and small to medium enterprises embrace new technology and prepare themselves and their clients for the future.

Originally from New Zealand, Sarah moved to Asia in 2011 starting with KPMG in China where she was involved in the indirect tax reforms for multinational clients operating in China. Ms Foo has over 16 years’ accounting and technology experience gained across Asia Pacific, in New Zealand, Shanghai, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Sarah is a member of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CAANZ) and served as the Chair of CAANZ Hong Kong Overseas Regional Council in 2021. She is also a committee member of the New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong and a member of Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants (HKICPA).

Prior to joining Xero and KPMG, Sarah worked for Staples Rodway in New Zealand, an independent member of Baker Tilly International.

Sarah holds a Masters Degree in Taxation Studies from the University of Auckland, and double bachelors’ degrees in Law and Commerce and Administration (majoring in accounting) from Victoria University of Wellington. She has also been admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand.

Executive Director, Finance Transformation

Deloitte Consulting Southeast Asia;

CFO Programme Leader

Deloitte Southeast Asia

Timothy leads the Finance & Enterprise Performance (F&EP) practice for Deloitte in Southeast Asia (SEA) and is also the Deloitte SEA CFO Programme Leader.

He has more than 19 years of experience, driving finance transformation programmes across multiple industries. His projects include helping CFOs and finance functions define their finance strategy, shaping the operating model, improving performance management, implementing end-to-end shared services across Asia Pacific, and M&A integration work. Timothy also helps CFOs look at how to leverage digital and technology to drive improvements in the finance organisation.

Partner, Audit & Assurance

Head of Valuations

Mazars LLP

Keng Wei is the Head of Valuations with more than 25 years of experience in both International Public Accounting firms including the Big 4 in Singapore and Malaysia and commercial experience. He is currently the engagement partner for several companies listed on Singapore Exchange (SGX-ST) and Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX).

He has extensive audit and assurance experience spanning a range of industries including public companies, multinational, not-for-profit organisations and the private sector. His industry experience includes resources, clean energy, education, professional services, shipbuilding, manufacturing, constructions, property development, hospitality, retail, FMCG, agriculture and shipping.

He also has an experience as reporting accountants for Initial Public Offering (IPO) on SGX-ST and HKEX as well as in financial due diligence for merger and acquisition transactions and valuation services.

He is a member of the Complaints and Disciplinary Panel of Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority of Singapore (ACRA) and also a former member of the Financial Statements Review Committee, Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA).

CEO

Climate Impact X (CIX)

Mikkel Larsen is the Chief Executive Officer of Climate Impact X (CIX), a global exchange and marketplace for high-quality carbon credits, based in Singapore. He led the Sustainability Working Group of the Emerging Stronger Taskforce, a public-private partnership that culminated in the formation of CIX. Mikkel is responsible for developing and executing CIX’s vision to scale the voluntary carbon market through transparency, integrity and quality – with an initial focus on catalysing the market for natural climate solutions.

Prior to his current role, Mikkel was the Group Chief Sustainability Officer and chair of the Sustainability Council at DBS Bank, the leading financial services group in Asia. At DBS, Mikkel was responsible for developing DBS’ overarching sustainability framework, setting key performance indicators and targets in consultation with the relevant stakeholders, and driving sustainability initiatives across the bank.

Mikkel is involved in numerous international and Singaporean sustainability related councils and committees. These include: the Taskforce on Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets (TSVCM), World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and Natural Climate Solutions Alliance (NCS Alliance), World Wildlife Fund Advisory Council (Singapore), United for Wildlife Financial Taskforce, GRI Stakeholder Council, Green Finance Working Group [Workstream Chair] under the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS)’s Financial Centre Advisory Panel (FCAP), Singapore’s Environment and Resources Standards Committee (ERSC) and the Global Compact Network Singapore (GCNS).

From 2009 to 2012, Mikkel acted as the Chief Financial Officer for Asia Pacific at UBS, covering Investment Banking, Wealth Management and Asset Management. He has also held management positions at Citigroup and KPMG in Europe.

Mikkel is passionate about wildlife, animal rights and nature conservation. He is a frequent speaker on sustainability related topics including green finance and voluntary carbon markets and has authored publications in these fields as well.

Mikkel is an adjunct professor at the Copenhagen Business School (CBS), and received his MBA from London Business School, a master’s degree in Sustainability Leadership from Cambridge University, executive education from Harvard University, along with master’s and bachelor’s degrees in Economics from CBS. Mikkel is originally from Denmark, where he also holds his CPA.

Chief Executive

Singapore Accountancy Commission (SAC)

Mr Evan Law is the Chief Executive of the Singapore Accountancy Commission (SAC). SAC, a statutory body under the Ministry of Finance, spearheads the development of Singapore’s accountancy sector with the vision of developing Singapore into a leading global accountancy hub. SAC is working to achieve this by deepening the skills of the accountancy talent pool through professional qualification programmes; developing the industry by helping to build business capabilities to capture growth opportunities; and creating a hub and exchange by building Singapore into a centre for thought leadership.

Mr Law has more than 20 years of experience having held positions including Deputy Chairman of PSB Academy, and Acting Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer at the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Singapore. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and Management from the University of Oregon as well as a Master in Business Administration from Portland State University.

Country Manager – Singapore

ACCA

Daniel Leung is the Country Manager for ACCA Singapore where he is responsible for leading our external engagement with regulatory bodies, government agencies and partners. He works closely with our membership, employers, learning and policy teams to deliver ACCA’s Singapore strategic priorities and deliver change for public good. He is a fellow of ACCA and qualified during this training contract with Deloitte London.

Prior to joining ACCA, Daniel spent over 15 years working at Deloitte, HSBC, Barclays and Santander across London and Singapore. At Deloitte, Daniel provided Regulatory Advisory Services to Financial Services Clients and was involved in several high profile engagements. This included an industry wide Regulatory Remediation project on behalf of the Financial Conduct Authority for one of the largest banks in the world. He was involved in assisting a major global bank headquartered in the UK to comply with the Ring-Fencing legislation. He was also seconded to the internal audit teams of clients to undertake internal control reviews. Daniel was part of the Deloitte Fintech Team and Deloitte Multicultural Network.

During his time based in London at the various Banks, Daniel had experience across Compliance, Operational Risk, Change Management, Conduct Risk and Finance Transformation. This included working closely with stakeholders across the bank and providing independent review and challenge to their risk management processes.

Daniel is actively involved with the diversity and inclusion panel at the British Chamber of Commerce to raising awareness and promoting D&I in the workplace.

Head of Client Solutions, Banking & Financial Services

Randstad Singapore

With more than 10 years’ experience in audit and recruitment in Big 4 and global agencies, Mark now leads the Client Solutions team of five in Randstad Singapore. Mark specialises in developing and driving human capital and employer branding strategies within the banking & financial services industry, maturing his technical knowledge and experience in the finance sector. Mark brings a commercial perspective to the application of employee attraction and acquisition to provide highly-scalable and targeted human capital and employer branding strategies, that strengthen organisation's ability to attract and retain highly-skilled and in-demand talent.

Director

Centre for Governance and Sustainability (CGS), NUS Business School

Prof Lawrence Loh is Director, Centre for Governance and Sustainability (CGS) at the NUS Business School, National University of Singapore, where he is Professor in Practice of Strategy and Policy.

Prof Loh received a PhD from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His thesis on technology governance was awarded first prize in the worldwide doctoral dissertation competition in the field of management information systems.

At CGS, Prof Loh leads the sustainability initiatives for ASEAN and Singapore. He also steers the Singapore Governance and Transparency Index and the ASEAN Corporate Governance Scorecard projects. In addition, Prof Loh heads various studies on business integrity and workplace diversity.

Prof Loh is a regular commentator on business and policy issues for many leading global and local media. He conducts various executive development programmes in governance, sustainability and strategy for board directors, senior management and business professionals.

Prof Loh is a recipient of the NUS Business School Teaching Excellence Award.

Head of Business Management

ACCA

Jamie brings a wealth of experience to his role as the head of a team of technical and policy experts.

By working with employers, governments and regulators across the world, Jamie and his team produce cutting edge, practical and accessible advice and insight on the most pressing issues impacting the business environment.

His extensive experience of financial management, corporate transformation, risk management and talent development was gained during his career in industry with a number of leading FTSE 100 businesses including Royal and Sun Alliance and Marks and Spencer. Jamie is a chartered certified accountant with a degree in economics from Sheffield University.

Jamie is passionate about the future of the profession in a very practical way too. He also works with the UK Social Mobility Fund to mentor and support disadvantaged students to enter the accountancy profession.

Group Chief Financial Officer

TES

Diana Ong is currently the Group Chief Financial Officer for TES. She is responsible for providing strategic leadership in Group finance, asset and capital management, risk management, governance, as well as stakeholder and investor relations. She is also responsible for IT. Her passion and extensive experience in digital transformation has driven many businesses through continuous improvement and growth.

Diana joined TES in January 2020. Prior to TES, she held various senior finance positions in China, Dubai and Singapore. She is a Fellow member of Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants, Fellow member of Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and Certified Internal Auditor from Institute of Internal Auditors.

Chief Financial Officer

Sime Darby Plantation Berhad

Renaka Ramanchandran, was appointed as the Chief Financial Officer of Sime Darby Plantation Berhad on 1 April 2011. In this role, she oversees various departments within the Group, which include finance, information technology, compliance and risk (of the Global Trading and Marketing Unit), procurement, corporate finance and investor relations departments. She also was appointed as Deputy Managing Director of Sime Darby Oils (SDO) on 15 July 2020 with a role focusing on leading the transformation programme in the Asia Pacific region and governance matters.

She began her career as an Audit Associate with Raj and Associates in 1991 where she was leading small audit engagements until 1992. She joined Coopers and Lybrand (now known as PricewaterhouseCoopers) in 1992 as an Audit Associate and moved up the ranks to the position of Executive Director on 1 January 2004. As an Executive Director, she was involved in, among others, the audit of public listed companies, review of profit and cash flow forecast and projections for restructurings and initial public offerings, due diligence and financial analysis. Her roles included overseeing working teams, giving presentations and providing training for both internal staff and external clients. She was also the representative of PricewaterhouseCoopers and committee member on the working group of IAS 41 (Accounting Standard on Agriculture) in the Malaysian Accounting Standards Board (MASB)

She was qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1992 and was admitted as a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) in 1998. She became a Fellow of the ACCA in 2002.

She has been actively involved in the Malaysian Accounting Standards Board for the changes to IAS 41 by working on papers with the MASB for its onward discussion with the International Accounting Standards Board. She is a member of the ACCA Accountants for Business Global Forum.

Regional Finance Director - South East Asia & Middle East, ISG

Alia is a fellow and proud advocate of ACCA, who started out as an audit associate with Deloitte & Touche, in Dubai, and transitioned thereafter into a corporate finance role in the construction industry. After climbing the ranks, proving her mettle and becoming a board member by the age of 28, in the U.A.E., Alia was given an opportunity to increase her remit to include South East Asia, which she grabbed with open, eager arms. This is what brought her to Singapore, and introduced her to the vibrant ACCA Singapore community, where she now contributes as a member of the community and social impact group. To stoke her desire for continuous education, Alia is currently pursuing her Masters of Business Administration with Durham University and occasionally dabbles with angel investing. Alia is also a firm believer in empowering others and is registered as mentor and remote practical experience supervisor with ACCA and is a trained #IamRemarkable facilitator with Google.

Co-founder

Kreston ACA PAC (Kreston ACA)

Paul Tan holds a Masters of Business Administration degree from the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom. He is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) since 1996 and a practicing member of Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA) and a member of ICAEW. He is also a Member of the Singapore Institute of Directors (SID), an Accredited Tax Advisor (ATA) for both Income and GST, a Licensed Insolvency Practitioner under Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act 2018 and a Practicing Management Consultant (PMC).

Paul is a practicing accountant of more than 25 years, since 1995 and he founded the predecessor firm of CA Trust PAC in the same year. In 2020, he co-founded Kreston ACA PAC (formerly known as Kreston Ardent CAtrust PAC) which is a merger of 2 established and award-winning Singapore public accounting practices namely, Ardent Associate LLP and CA Trust PAC. Kreston ACA, has more than 80 audit professionals and 9 partners who are practicing Singapore Chartered Accountants. Kreston ACA is a member of the audit panel of Enterprise Singapore since 2015. Together with its partners and associate firms, Kreston ACA has more than 200 professionals providing a comprehensive suite of corporate services including Incorporation, Corporate Secretarial Services, Accounting, Tax Compliance and Advisory, Internal Audit, Enterprise Risk Management, Sustainability Reporting, Merger & Acquisition advisory, Recruitment, Insurance, Corporate Restructuring and Recovery services, Governance & Compliance matters, etc.

He currently serves as an independent director on the Boards of SGX public listed companies, namely, Serial System Ltd, Second Chance Properties Ltd and Pollux Properties Ltd. His past directorship in listed companies include China Sunsine Chemical Holdings Ltd and Sin Ghee Huat Corporation Ltd.

As a Practicing Management Consultant, he has led several successful Spring Singapore (now known as Enterprise Singapore) supported business consulting engagements since 2016. He is passionate about business advisory in particular M&A projects where he brings together his accounting, auditing, taxation and consulting experiences in advising on appropriate valuation, assisting in the preparation of information memorandum, performing due diligence, highlighting potential pitfalls as well as assisting with post M&A activities.

Head of Business Insights

ACCA

Narayanan comments on issues pertinent to emerging technologies, technology policy and human-centred technology. His areas of interest include AI and machine learning, fintech, blockchain, digital ethics, and the role of emotional intelligence in a digital world. He’s presented extensively around the world, written on a range of topics in his areas, contributed to governmental policy groups and collaborated with standard setters on non-authoritative guidance. He oversees a team of policy specialists in areas including sustainability, economics, and the public sector – and also explores how these might connect to his core interests, such as via Sustainable AI.

Director of Finance and Administration

National Gallery Singapore

Elvin is responsible for establishing the strategic plan and implementing all operational matters relating to the financial health of the leading visual arts institution that oversees the world's best public collection of Singapore and Southeast Asian art.

Elvin spent 20 years with consumer goods companies such as Procter & Gamble and Reckitt Benckiser and with premier educational institutions before joining the Gallery. He has almost a decade of experience living and working overseas in China and Malaysia.

Elvin is a proud member of ACCA Singapore and holds a Business Bachelor's degree from the Nanyang Technological University of Singapore. In addition, he holds an Associate Chartered Valuer and Appraiser (CVA) charter from the Institute of Valuers and Appraisers, Singapore (IVAS) and is an associate member of the CFA Society Singapore.

Managing Partner

Bamboo Sea

Wenyun is currently the Managing Partner at Bamboo Sea Pte Ltd with over 10 years of experience in audit and consulting at multinational companies. He currently serves as a strategic advisor to several fintech and technology companies. Currently, he is also a Partner at Bamboo Ventures 1 LLP, an investment holding partnership for tech investments.

Previously, he worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers and Fraser & Neave, where he gained functional knowledge such as sales and marketing, accounting and finance, as well as industry expertise in family offices, technology, hospitality, healthcare and F&B.

Wenyun holds an MBA from INSEAD and a Bachelor of Accountancy from Singapore Management University. He is also a Chartered Accountant and an Enterprise Singapore recognised Management Consultant.

Head of SME Professional Insights

ACCA

Aleksandra Zaronina-Kirillova is head of SME professional insights at ACCA. She develops research and advises on policy issues for ACCA related to SME/SMP (Small and Medium Enterprise / Small and Medium Practices). She is the joint author of ACCA’s recent reports on careers opportunities in small practice sector, broader social and economic role of SMPs and new models of business support, sustainability in small business sector. Aleksandra is also leading work on ACCA’s global hub with SMP content-Practice Connect and Global SMP community – the Practice Room.

Prior to joining ACCA, Aleksandra represented SME sector at high level international events and developed joint research with the United Nations agencies, Oxford Economics, and Organisation of American States.

The Future of Work for Accountants

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