ACCA Sri Lanka signs MOU with SLASSCOM

Tuesday, 29 October 2013 00:48 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) Sri Lanka, a member of the fastest growing accountancy body in the world, signed an MOU with the Sri Lanka Association of Software and Service Companies (SLASSCOM) recently. SLASSCOM acts as the catalyst of growth for the Sri Lankan IT and BPO industry by facilitating trade and business, propagation of education and employment, encouragement of research and innovation, and by supporting the creation of a progressive national policy framework. ACCA, the global body for professional accountants has always believed that accountants bring value to economies in all stages of development and seek to develop capacity in the profession and encourage the adoption of global standards. Their qualifications are aligned to the needs of employers in all sectors and they seek to open up the profession to people of all backgrounds. The MOU was signed during the visit of Chief Executive ACCA Helen Brand. SLASSCOM partnered with the ACCA, with the aim of developing the capacity of the BPO industry in Sri Lanka and to leverage the ACCA network to promote Sri Lanka as an outsourcing destination. The MOU was signed by Chairman SLASSCOM Madu Ratnayake and Chief Executive ACCA Helen Brand.

Engaging effectively The MOU will assist in initiating collaborations between ACCA and SLASSCOM to promote Sri Lanka as a global sourcing destination for Finance and Accounting BPOs and to increase the number of qualified accounting and finance professionals in the country. Through the MOU, ACCA hopes to engage with SLASSCOM more effectively through regular 1:1 meetings and R&I events in order to deepen the relationship and find opportunities to engage with the 300 member companies of SLASSCOM. The MOU will also be instrumental to showcase the in-depth skills in finance and accounting that the ACCA qualification offers and to provide access to an exclusive range of offerings to build financial capability and brand reputation. Strategic relationship Nilusha Ranasinghe, Head of ACCA Sri Lanka, stated that such synergies are yet another value addition that will benefit both their students and members. She said: ACCA Sri Lanka is very happy to collaborate with SLASSCOM and we are confident that this alliance will be a strategic relationship that will enable us to grow our presence in Sri Lanka. As finance and accounting has been identified as one of the targeted centres of excellence in this sector, there is a lot of scope. We look forward to working together to promote the BPO sector, creating new opportunities in the country.”