Reputation and influence
- In August, the Malaysian Institute of Certified Public Accountants (MICPA) and ACCA signed a global mutual recognition agreement (MRA) which offers opportunities for members from both bodies to consider membership of the other.
- For the second year in the row, a Malaysian, this time Tan Sri Arshad Ayob, was named recipient of the prestigious ACCA Achievement Awards 2007 in the Asia category. Tan Sri was instrumental in the development of a professional accountancy education system that has provided opportunities for many Malaysians to acquire ACCA qualifications and subsequently go on to become corporate and government leaders.
- Wan Maheran, a senior official in the Accountant General's Office, was seconded to ACCA for a month under the British Malaysian Chamber of Commerce and Public Service Department private-public sector co-operation programme. The exercise allowed the secondee to gain a better perspective and understanding of the way ACCA operates. Puan Wan Maheran Wan Abdullah, deputy director of the Accountant General’s Department, was also seconded to ACCA for three months.
- Tay Kay Luan, ACCA director of ASEAN and Australasia, accepted an invitation to co-head the business role focus for the Business Council for Sustainable Development in Malaysia. This will allow better access and opportunity for ACCA to engage with government officials and leading corporate heads in the areas of corporate governance and sustainability.
- ACCA, as the founding member of the Institute of Corporate Responsibility Malaysia, is now planning the first Corporate Responsibility Awards, in partnership with The Star, as media partner, and with support from relevant capital market regulators.
- ACCA supported the annual Prime Minister Humanitarian Awards, which were hosted by PricewaterhouseCoopers and NSTP.
- ACCA presented a response to the draft document on the proposed regulatory framework on MIA.
- ACCA has presented a number of papers on corporate governance and sustainability at high profile public conferences; in addition, Shell sponsored ACCA to produce a joint guide for busy managers on how to undertake CSR, which will be launched in 2008.
- The Easy Guide for Practitioners to Setting Up Accounting Practices in ASEAN Countries was published by ACCA to provide general reference for practitioners on how to set up practices across borders.
- In November, a special Corporate Responsibility publication was produced by ACCA, ICR Malaysia and The Edge, to promote corporate responsibility among corporate Malaysia.
- The Easy Guide to Malaysia Taxation and Accounting Information was produced – this annual update on tax legislation is published after the Budget announcement, and is available to members and other stakeholders.
- ACCA supported and took part in the JPA-BMCC Management Development Programme for the first time this year. This initiative was established in 1983 to give senior government officers 'hands-on' experience of working with British organisations. As part of the programme, ACCA won two awards: Best Learning Candidate Award was presented to Puan Wan Maheran Abdullah, deputy director of the Accountant General’s Department; and the Best Reporting Manager Award went to Helmy Mohtar of ACCA Malaysia.
- In April, ACCA collaborated with ICR Malaysia (Institute of Corporate Responsibility Malaysia) to organise the first CSR Dialogue to discuss the relevance of G3 Reporting to corporate Malaysia. The panel included Vicky McCallister, from ACCA's headquarters; Dr Nik Ramlah Mahmood, senior executive director of the Securities Commission; Dato' Johan Raslan, chairman of ICR Malaysia; John Zinkin, deputy chairman of ICR Malaysia; Encik Omar Merican, COO of Bursa Malaysia Berhad; and Bart Alkamade of BAT Malaysia. More than 130 CEOs and senior management executives attended the Dialogue.
- ACCA and the Ministry of Education (MOE) signed a MoU in June as part of the Government’s efforts to raise standards of accounting education at school level. With the MoU, Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) students will enjoy exemptions for CAT Papers 1 and 2, and so SPM students can complete their CAT and ACCA Qualifications much earlier. This initiative started with a pilot project involving about 400 Form 5 students from 150 selected schools. Phase one of the project ran from May until September; full implementation is expected to take place in 2009. The initiative was also included in the Report Card of Malaysia’s Education Development Master Plan 2006-2010. Efforts are now being made to target CAT education at students at GCE O-level equivalent.
- UNITEN (University Tenaga Nasional) signed an MoU with ACCA in May to allow greater access for students wanting to obtain professional qualifications. With the MoU, ACCA and UNITEN will work together on more initiatives, research and development, and student activities. UNITEN is a private university and is wholly owned by the publicly listed Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), one of the largest utility companies in South Asia and headed by a prominent ACCA member.
- In line with the IFAC 30th Anniversary, a special celebration was held for those who have been ACCA members for more than 30 years. Over 20 ACCA senior members attended the celebration.
Members’ achievements
Datuk Dr Abdul Halim Harun, FCCA, group managing director and CEO of UMW Holdings, was named CEO of the Year 2007 by Business Times; he is the third ACCA member to receive the honour.