As our world, country, shareholder expectations, roles, financial reporting requirements and lives are changing rapidly. The need to balance our multiple objectives and challenges has become critical. The 32nd National Conference of Chartered Accountants will see a thought provoking series of technical sessions featuring a panel of high profile local and foreign experts who will explore our quest for balance. The conference will be inaugurated on 20th October 2011 at 6.00 pm at Waters Edge under the auspices of Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, the Chief Guest at the ceremony. The Keynote Speaker will be Mr. Tony Hegarty, Chief Financial Management Officer of The World Bank. The technical sessions planned for 21st and 22nd October will feature six eminent speakers and twenty four high profile panelists.
 As businesses around the world take on a more ambitious approach towards ensuring sustainable growth, the conference will kick off with its first technical session: 'Quest for Balance - Our World: People, Planet and Profit'. The speaker, Ms. Rita O'Sullivan, Country Director, Sri Lanka Resident Mission (SLRM) of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will delve into the multitude of complex challenges that the world faces today in its quest for balancing multiple priorities including social and environmental challenges, and creating a sustaining economic growth.
Mr. Deva Rodrigo - Former territory senior partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers, Sri Lanka and Maldives and former Chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce as the session chairman will lead a panel comprising Mr. Rajendra Theagarajah - Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Hatton National Bank PLC; Dr. Mahesha Ranasoma - Managing Director, Dipped Products PLC; and Mr. Iresha Somarathna - Head of Energy and Environment Management, Brandix Lanka Limited for a well laid out deliberation on this very current theme.
The second session will feature Dr. Anila Dias Bandaranaike, Former Assistant Governor of Central Bank of Sri Lanka who will speak on' the Quest for Balance - Our Country: Vanity, Sanity and Reality.' She will address the challenges and opportunities in our journey to be the 'Miracle of Asia', exploring in detail the practical aspects of the implementation of strategic decisions.
The Group Finance Director, Brandix Lanka Limited, Mr. Trevine Jayasekara will chair the session, while Mr. Husein Esufally - Chief Executive Officer of Hemas Holdings PLC and Chairman Hemas Power PLC; Prof. Rohan Samarajiva - Founding Chair and CEO of LIRNEasia; and Mr. K. G. D. D. Dheerasinghe - Deputy Governor, Central Bank of Sri Lanka will be the panelists.
Eminent business personality Mr. J.M.S. Brito, the Deputy Chairman of Aitken Spence PLC, will examine the varied expectations of investors and other stakeholders at the third session of the conference titled, 'Quest for Balance - Shareholder: Risk, Reward and Responsibility.'
Mr. Brito will look at strategies adopted by organizations in balancing risk and return from the perspective of shareholders. He will address aspects of risk and rewards taking in to consideration the diverse expectations of stakeholders. The session will also look at how business decisions need to be aligned with national objectives and implemented in a manner that is socially responsible and ethical, whilst delivering shareholder value.
The chairman of the session will be Managing Director of Lanka Floortiles PLC, Lanka Walltile PLC, Parquet (Ceylon) PLC and Swisstek Aluminium Limited - Mr. Mahendra Jayasekera, while President - Corporate Finance & Strategy of John Keells Holdings Group - Mr. Krishan Balendra; CEO / General Manager of People's Leasing Co. Ltd. - Mr. D.P. Kumarage; and Partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers - Mr. Sujeewa Mudalige will be the panelists.
The role of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) has become more complex, challenging and dynamic over the last two decades. CFOs today take on myriad roles, no longer restricted to accounting and tax.. The fourth session will explore the challenges faced by CFOs and will be titled 'Quest for Balance - CFO: Drive, Support and Comply,' and will feature Executive Director, Finance and Operations of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) Mr. Robin Fieth.
Chief Executive Officer of Ceylon Brewery PLC and Lion Brewery Ceylon PLC, Mr. Suresh K Shah will be the session chairman while Managing Director / Chief Executive Officer - Life of Ceylinco Insurance PLC Mr. R. Renganathan; Managing Director / CEO, CIC Group, Mr. S. P. S. Ranatunga; and Partner - Assurance of Ernst & Young, Ms. Gayathri Manatunga will be the panelists.
The fifth session will be a presentation on International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) which are being fast adopted by many countries today. The Asia Pacific Area IFRS Leader of Ernst & Young- John O'Grady will speak on 'Quest for Balance - IFRS: Theory, Practice and Transition'.
During his presentation, Mr O'Grady will identify and evaluate the importance of adoption of IFRS in Sri Lanka and the challenges in adopting IFRS. The aim of the session is to find the balance between meeting the complex and changing accounting requirements in an efficient way and effectively use financial reporting as a basis for business decisions.
Unilever Sri Lanka Limited's National Finance Director Mr. Thalib Caffoor will be the session chairman, while Chief Executive Officer of JB Securities Ltd - Mr. Murtaza Jafferjee; Chief Financial Officer of Aitken Spence Group - Ms. Nilanthi Sivapragasam; and Regional Manager, Financial Management, South Asia, The World Bank - Ms. Jennifer K. Thomson, will be the panelists.
Despite the benefits of work life balance to both the organization and the employee, reality has shown us that we often forget to balance the priorities in our life. Widely acclaimed international speaker Ms. Avril Henry, will shed light on how to facilitate balance, at the conference's sixth and final session 'Quest for Balance - You: Role, Rhetoric and Reality.'
A consultant, business and career coach, mentor, author and co-author of several books on leadership and the different generations at work, Ms. Henry will speak on individual responsibility in achieving work life balance and giving practical insights and techniques for achieving balance without having to overhaul our lives and careers dramatically. She will then explain how organizations can facilitate and benefit enormously from good work life balance.
The session chairman will be Mr. Suren Rajakarier, Partner of KPMG Ford Rhodes Thornton & Company, while Dr. Chintha Dissanayake, Chartered Occupational Psychologist and Managing Consultant of Oxford Psychometrics, UK & Belgium; Mr. Deepal Sooriyaarachchi, Chairman of Inventors Commission and Management Consultant; and Mr. Sunil Dissanayake, Head - Group Human Resources of Hayleys Group will be the panelists at this final session of the conference which will conclude on 22nd October. |
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