ACCA Achievement Awards 2007 - ‘Bapa ACCA’, honoured by ACCA international award.
A pioneer in the Malaysian accounting profession has been presented with an international achievement award by ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants).
Tan Sri Datuk Arshad Ayub, notably known as ‘Bapa ACCA’, or, the Father of ACCA has won an ACCA Achievement Award for Asia for 2007, for having made an outstanding contribution to the development of the accountancy and finance profession.
Described as being one of the “true giants of the accountancy landscape”, he received his award from ACCA President Gill Ball and was personally congratulated by Fermin del Valle, President of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), at a ceremony as part of ACCA’s International assembly meeting in London on Thursday 22 November, which also celebrated IFAC’s 30th anniversary.
A former director of the Universiti Teknologi MARA, formerly known as the Institut Teknologi MARA (ITM), Tan Sri Datuk Arshad Ayub, who went on to become Deputy Governor of the Malaysia Central Bank, is fondly known as ‘Bapa ACCA’ or the ‘Father of ACCA’ for his role in introducing and supporting ACCA education in Malaysia, in the 1960s. The then ITM was the first institution in Malaysia to offer ACCA tuition.
This pioneering move gave Malaysian students wishing to gain an international accountancy qualification the opportunity to study in their own country for the first time. This encouraged more educational institutions to follow suit. Today, full-time enrolment on ACCA programmes has increased from just 20 in 1966 to more than 20,000 just over 40 years later.
In announcing the award, ACCA chief executive Allen Blewitt said: “Tan Sri Datuk Arshad is celebrated as a far-sighted educationalist who has a tremendous impact on business in Malaysia for nearly half a century. By introducing ACCA education in Malaysia, he has bequeathed an incredible legacy to his country. It is no exaggeration to say that many leading corporate leaders in Malaysia and beyond owe their career success to this man. His advice, influence and vision encouraged more professional accountants to take up high profile positions and make lasting contributions to the business world”.
“It is no exaggeration to say that, without Tan Sri Datuk Arshad’s vision, the opportunity to gain an international accounting qualification and all it brings would have been denied to hundreds, if not thousands, of people,” said Allen Blewitt.
The ACCA Achievement Awards recognise individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the development of the accountancy and finance profession. The awards are given to individuals whose contributions deserve global recognition and whose efforts embody ACCA's core values of accountability, diversity, innovation, integrity and opportunity.
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For more information please contact: Ainul Ibrahim - ACCA Manager of Corporate Communications Tel: 03 2713 5051 ext 17 or 019 2869068 E-mail: ainul.ibrahim@my.accaglobal.com