Kuwait Chapter of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka lauded

Sri Lankan Ambassador in Kuwait Kaandeepan Balasubramaniam (7th from left) and President of the Kuwait Chapter of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka M. Rizqi Rasooldeen (5th from right) are seen with other newly-elected committee members of the chapter at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Kuwait on Wednesday 

Kuwait: Sri Lankan Ambassador in Kuwait Kaandeepan Balasubramaniam lauded the efforts of the Kuwait Chapter of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka in serving the island’s community in the emirate.

The envoy was speaking at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Kuwait Chapter of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka held at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Kuwait on Wednesday. 

“The chapter has been a pillar of strength in terms of its contribution to Sri Lankan society in Kuwait,” the ambassador said, assuring his mission’s fullest cooperation to every endeavour of the chapter aimed at the greater good of society. 

He stressed that the members as professionals have a moral obligation to be involved in the process of uplifting the standing of their country and wished them continued success to achieve its ultimate excellence. 

The house elected an 11-member committee of office-bearers headed by President M. Rizqi Rasooldeen for the ensuing year. The other members of the committee included Vice-President Susantha Dissanayake, General Secretary Upul Rajapaksa, Treasurer Deeptha Wimalasena and the Executive Committee members were Azreen Mohamed, Chandima Weerasekara, Fariz Mohamed, Hafees Casim, Mohamed Rilwan, Riyas Jamaldeen and Pubudu Champike. The appointed joint auditors were Ahmed Shafi and Nandana Kalubowila. 

In his brief speech, new President Rasooldeen , a practicing member and well-known individual among the members, said he was elated and privileged to be appointed to serve and lead the chapter and that he was fortunate to be surrounded by a skilled and talented executive committee which could take the chapter forward. 

He also stated that the chapter’s ultimate goal should be to influence and voice its perspective both in Kuwait and with the CA Institute in Sri Lanka. 

“Chapter members should be united to reach its goals,” he said, stressing that the chapter should take steps to promote Sri Lankan Chartered Accountants and their country in Kuwait. Rasooldeen also said that he believed that members had a responsibility as Chartered Accountants to continuously upgrade their skills relevant to the developments in the environment in which they work, as this would be paramount to uplifting the stature of Chartered Accountants. 

He also stated that members should truly to be committed to the highest standards of ethics and good social behavior. 

The program commenced with the lighting of the traditional oil lamp by the Patron of the Chapter, Kaandeepan Balasumbramaniam, Ambassador of Sri Lanka in Kuwait, accompanied by President Kulasingam Kulaseelan, Vice-President Rizqi Rasooldeen, General Secretary Riyaz Kair, Past President Sajad Abdul Cader and Organising Committee Chairman Susantha Dissanayake. The General Secretary welcomed the members and read out the message from the sponsor Premalal, Chairman and Founder of Prime Lands Ltd. 

Messages from the President of the Institute of Charted Accountants of Sri Lanka, Lasantha Wickremasinghe, and CEO Aruna Alwis were read out to the members by two of the chapter officials - Upul Rajapaksa and Nandana Kalubowila respectively.

The outgoing General Secretary commenced the official proceedings of the AGM, where the financial statements were approved by the members and then he invited the Editor Deeptha Wimalsena to distribute the copies of the annual report to the attendees.

The outgoing president of the chapter, Kulaseelan, presented the annual report to the audience, detailing the various activities carried out by the chapter during his tenure. He elaborated on the fun and excitement of the Wafra family get together, the knowledge gained at the technical sessions held and the huge success of the family event and friendly cricket tournament. 

The outgoing president stated that with the evolving changes expected within the GCC, he believed that the chapter could play an important role to develop the members and their recognition. Kulaseelan said that he was honoured to have led the chapter and emphasised that working together and combining their efforts would enable the chapter to achieve its objectives and raise the image of the chapter and Sri Lankans in Kuwait.

The event was compered by Riyaz Jamaldeen, a chapter member. 

The vote of thanks was proposed by Organising Committee Chairman Susantha Dissanayake and the program concluded with a photo session followed by dinner.