Top international speakers and prominent business leaders to steer technical sessions at CA Sri Lank

The 38th National Conference of Chartered Accountants organised by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka) will see an impressive line-up of international and local speakers as well as panelists who will steer the technical sessions during the three day conference from 25 to 27 October at the BMICH.

At the conference this year, international award winning educator, CEO, advisor and leadership coach Sudhanshu Palsule, who is regarded as one of the leading thinkers in the fields of complexity and transformative leadership will steer the first technical session on ‘Agility – The differentiator’. During his session, Palsule will help the participants understand the 21st century complex systems and frameworks for change and why both innovation and agility must take precedence in driving organisations forward. 

The second session titled ‘Engage, Accelerate, Outshine’ will help participants including chartered accountants (CAs) understand why it’s important for them to be more agile, adaptable and to continuously acquire new skills to ensure that they remain and succeed as dynamic and agile leaders. 

The session will also questioning the status quo of chartered accountants and explore the future role of CAs to provoke debate and action to ensure that CAs continue to contribute to the growth of our economy. The session will feature Tom Hood, Chief Executive Officer of the Business Learning Institute and Maryland Association of CPAs, who was named by Accounting Today as the second most influential leader in the US Accounting Profession in their annual Top 100 list. 

Tess Mateo, Managing Director of CX Catalysts, with nearly three decades of restructuring, turnaround and start-up experience advising senior executives across industries in many countries, will steer the third session on ‘Crafting an Agile Talent Strategy with Leadership Diversity’ where she will share insights on how forward looking organisations will need to review their talent strategies to harness and capitalise on the ambitions of a diverse workforce to stand out from the competition. Mateo is known to introduce innovative solutions and global networks to drive green and inclusive growth through CXCatalysts, an organisation she founded after helping co-lead the World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s (WBCSD) Vision 2050 initiative. 

With chartered accountants required to uphold professionalism and to maintain and enhance public trust, including the need to adopt to ethical and other regulatory standards, ‘Around the Profession in 60 minutes,’ Managing Partner of KPMG Sri Lanka Reyaz Mihular, will share insights to the latest developments and updates in the accountancy profession from a compliance and regulatory perspective. Mihular, has also been a Member of the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants {IESBA), USA since January 2013, and currently chairs the Accounting Standards Committee of the South Asian Federation of Accountants {SAFA).

As the world continue to embrace the technological revolution, Conrad Dias, Chief Information Officer of the LOLC Group and MD/CEO of LOLC Technologies Ltd. will question if business leaders are ready to delegate critical decisions to smart algorithms, during the session on ‘Beyond Intelligent Technology’. The session will also shed understanding on how artificial intelligence (AI) is developing at a rate that nobody would have dared to think, and if the world is ready for the AI challenge. In 2016, Dias was awarded the CSSL CIO of the Year award and this year he was awarded the Professional Excellence Award by the Institute of Certified Management of Accountants Sri Lanka. 

Well-known business leader, Kulatunga Rajapaksa, who serves as the Group Managing Director of DSI Samson Group and has over 50 years of experience in the manufacture of footwear and rubber products, will tell delegates the need to develop agile leaders who are inclusive, versatile and exhibit a greater openness to new ideas and innovations during the session ‘Reflections of an Agile Leader.’  Rajapaksa will share his experience and also impress upon the need for leaders to have a passion for learning, focus on developing people and how to inspire others and become an agent for change within any organisation. 

Personal identity is an important requirement for any professional, Michel Nugawela, leader in brand creation and CEO/MD of Interbrand Sri Lanka will help participants define their unique personal identity – and also on how to develop them into inspiring leaders, during the final session on ‘Leadership Archetypes.’ Nugawela’s record of achievements in brand strategy, brand architecture and brand identity and have delivered results for Sri Lanka’s largest brands across multiple categories and segments. 

The conference, which annually attracts over 1500 delegates including Chartered Accountants who are business leaders, will revolve this year around the theme ‘Dynamism: Agility in Leadership’ and will also feature some of the country’s well-known names who will take part as panelists and moderators during the two days of technical sessions. 

Jonathan Alles, Managing Director/Chief Executive Office of Hatton National Bank, Aruni Rajakarier, Founder Director of SheConsults, Naomal Goonewardena, Attorney-at-Law, Hasitha Premaratne, Chief Financial Officer of Brandix Lanka and Sriyan de Silva Wijeyaratne, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Teejay Lanka will serve as panelists, while Anura Perera, Finance Director of Chevron Lubricants Lanka, Subhashini Munasinghe, Associate Director of PricewaterhouseCoopers, Tishan Subasinghe, Head of Audit, Technical and Training of BDO Partners, Channa Gunasekera and Lakmali Hapuarachchi, Finance Director of Litro Gas Lanka will be the moderators of the technical sessions.