Mumbai is famous as the home of India’s Bollywood movie industry, and the city was the perfect set for the blockbuster World Congress of Accountants last month. It attracted over 6,500 delegates, and more than 3,000 joined virtually.
I had a walk-on part as a member of ACCA’s cast at the show in the world of finance, which gave me a wonderful chance to fly our flag and promote our purpose with delegates from across the globe.
It’s hard to pick highlights from the packed four-day epic, but I will share some of my favourite moments.
First, I loved the impact the ACCA stand made in Mumbai. It proved to be a real magnet for delegates. Members of our fabulous India team – Barsha Sharma, Kush Ahuja, Gaurav Kapur and Chun Wee – presented a series of informal, five-minute talks about our Accounting for a better world agenda, which earned a really warm and positive reaction.
I was proud that ACCA’s stand caught people’s attention for the care that went into it. Out of hundreds of attractions at the congress, it was the only one that was 100% sustainable. It was a real statement of our commitment to our sustainability goals, and delegates noticed.
The ACCA team conducted over 30 executive meetings with national and regional professional accounting associations
Secondly, there was a strong sense of community. It was an opportunity to connect with our members (and students) in India and from all over the world during the congress and especially at the welcome dinner session organised by ACCA for our members.
That sense of community extends to our learning providers, our strategic alliance partner (CA ANZ) and other professional bodies. During the congress, the ACCA team conducted over 30 executive meetings with national and regional professional accounting associations, and other partner organisations.
One of the major events was the launch of our Planning and performance management paradigm report alongside our friends from CA ANZ, which sets out the role of accountants in guiding their organisations through times of uncertainty to achieve their aims.
The engagement drew a large and enthusiastic audience with a real international flavour, and just as enjoyable as the substantial interaction was the more informal networking that went with it.
I was impressed by the sense of a profession that is truly dedicated to finding solutions for a more sustainable world
Finally, it was my pleasure and privilege to step into the spotlight and speak at ACCA’s event dedicated to the power of the public sector in changing the world for the better, and about how finance professionals play a vital role in protecting taxpayers’ money and building more sustainable societies that work for all people.
It was refreshing to acquaint the audience with our Global guide for professionalisation in public sector finance, which we jointly launched with IFAC, and hear so much support for the idea that we need a healthy public sector working alongside a vibrant private sector for the sake of our economies.
Once again, throughout the congress I was impressed by the sense of a profession that is truly dedicated to finding solutions for a more sustainable world that delivers a safe and secure future for all people, wherever and whoever they are.
My thanks go to ACCA chief executive Helen Brand, our deputy president Ronnie Patton, past president Orla Collins, all our members who took part, and our brilliant India staff, who all played perfect roles in what was a box-office smash for ACCA.
