Amidst an
unprecedented economic crisis engulfing the country, which has impacted
businesses and citizens alike, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri
Lanka (CA Sri Lanka) in its standing as the National Body of Accountants will
take the lead to influence Chartered Accountants to push for transformation to
help the country successfully navigate through its ongoing predicament.
The National
Conference of Chartered Accountants, organised for the 43rd
consecutive year by CA Sri Lanka and dubbed as one of the country’s biggest
business summits will help delegates including business leaders, entrepreneurs
and c-suite executives effect change which will benefit not just the country
and the corporate, but also individuals and society.
The 43rd National
Conference will be held from 12th to 14th October 2022 at the Monarch Imperial,
Colombo on the inspiring theme ‘Transform’ and the three-day event expected to
attract over 2000 delegates, with over 20 speakers expected to share their
insights on the unprecedented, complex, and the ever-evolving social and
economic situation in Sri Lanka, while exploring possibilities to transform for
a better self, society, corporate and country.
Speaking at the press
conference, President of CA Sri Lanka Mr. Sanjaya Bandara said that today, Sri
Lanka is at crossroads, and the fact of the matter is, that the light at the
end of the tunnel is far from visible because the economic crisis the country
is facing at present is something vastly different from what Sri Lanka has
faced in the past. “Many of us in Sri Lanka have faced our fair share of crises
ranging from a war to a tsunami to the Easter Sunday Attack. But the ongoing
economic crisis is something unique to us all, as it has affected everyone,
both rich and poor, as well as big and small,” he said.
He said Chartered
Accountants are no longer restricted to traditional number crunching roles.
Instead, today, they are identified as co-pilots of a business because they
bring a multitude of critical skills to the table ranging from technical to
leadership as well as strategic thinking. “Therefore, this time,
instead of only being a co-pilot for our company, we need to take one step
further and help fly Sri Lanka out of this crisis,” Mr. Bandara said.
He also emphasised that the
country cannot come out of this crisis without embracing true transformation,
some of which may be unpopular changes among the masses, but without
change, Sri Lanka will continue to remain stagnant as a nation.
Chairperson of the National
Conference Committee Ms. Anoji de Silva said that for many decades CA Sri Lanka
has always strived to promote thought leadership amongst the business
community. “This year’s conference is even more significant as we feel we are in
sync with what we as Sri Lankans believe. We are ready for real transformation,
a transformation that will change the country for the better.”
She noted that the theme and
conference content underscore the importance of a multi-faceted transformation,
where everyone must transform themselves, their businesses, society, and
country. “Without such a multi-pronged transformation, Sri Lanka cannot and
will not be restored to its former glory,” Ms. de Silva added.
Staying true to its theme
“transform” the conference will also change the format this year, moving away
from the traditional panel discussions by incorporating more speakers who will
bring different and diverse perspectives apart from concluding the event with a
highly inspiring fireside chat.
Chairman of the Technical
Committee Mr. Anura Perera reiterated that Sri Lanka has plunged into an
unprecedented economic and humanitarian crisis, and while the dynamics are very
fluid, the fact of the matter is that the end to this crisis appears to be very
blurred. “While we engage in dissecting and analyzing the root causes of this
crisis, the Technical Committee of the National Conference thought that we
should focus and discuss the way forward in resolving and coming out of this
crisis,” he said.
According
to Mr. Anura Perera the magnitude of the crisis compels everyone to ‘transform’
and not to merely change, and as such everyone must start by taking a critical
look at our own perceptions, views, attitudes and comfort zones. “Although there
are a number of critical areas that we can look at the country level
transformation we have selected four broad areas that have near consensus from
the policymakers, private sector think-tanks and society in general. The
courage to map out the strategies and convince the stakeholders for
transformation is the biggest barrier we face,” he added.
