CA Sri Lanka takes lead to unite local accountancy bodies to help address COVID-19 challenges

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka), played the lead role in banding together the country’s Professional Accounting Organisations to collaborate on an important initiative aimed at showcasing the crucial role the accountancy profession must play amidst the COVID-19 challenges. 

CA Sri Lanka, together with the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT), Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and the Institute of Certified Management Accountants (CMA) organised a series of webinars which highlighted the pertinent role the accountancy profession can play to support policy makers, businesses, and accounting professionals to mitigate the economic crisis following the global pandemic 

The webinars which featured a total of five thought-provoking sessions, engaging five speakers and 25 panellists, helped hundreds of participants enhance their knowledge on mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on the economy and how the accounting and finance profession can play a more essential role in supporting businesses and industries which have been worst affected by the pandemic and the global shutdown.

The webinars focused on multiple areas including the changing dynamics of the accountancy profession in the current economic climate as well as how SMPs can add value to small businesses post COVID-19. The seminars also focused on the financial risk management check list for SMEs and the need to think out of the box as well as reinvent and digitalise, were some of the other areas the series paid attention to. The series was also an important platform to help SMEs provide relevant support to upskill their staff in relation to their agility to adjust, innovate and manage the rapidly evolving situation. 

The five speakers who spearheaded the webinars were CA Sri Lanka President Manil Jayesinghe, CMA Sri Lanka Council Member Ruchira Perera, ACCA Sri Lanka Member Network Panel Vice Chairman and Commercial Bank of Ceylon CFO Nandika Buddhipala, PT Lippo Karawaci TBK and PT Lippo Cikarang TBK, Indonesia CFO Tevilyan Yudhistira Rusli and SCB Corporate Doctors Ltd. Founder/Consulting Entrepreneur Dr. Chamara Bandara.

During the series, the accounting bodies also addressed areas relevant to their membership including the need for engagement with regulators as well as the increasing need to identify long-term opportunities to ensure businesses and the profession will continue to remain successful under the new normal in a post COVID scenario. 

The 25 panellists who shared their insights during the webinars were: Prof. Lakshman R. Watawala, Suren Rajakariar, Channa Gunawardana, Naayila Marikkar, Tishan Subasinghe, Naleen De Silva, Channa De Silva, Senaka Kakirawaragodage, H M Hennayake Bandara, Sunil Wanigabadu, Heshana Kuruppu, Ravi Edirisinghe, Pradeep Kahawalage, Indraka Liyanage, Naresh Abeyesekera, Rathnakala Kumaragurunathan, Anil Kodikara Achchilage, Venkkat Ramanan, Dilshan Rodrigo, Chaaminda Kumurasiri, Mahesh Amarasiri, Deshapriya Senanayake, Russel Fonseka, and Chamila Cooray. 

In its standing as an influential professional organisation and also as the national body of accountants, CA Sri Lanka has for over 60 years, played an inspiring role in helping enhance the accountancy profession while also working closely with other local and foreign accounting bodies in an effort to strengthen the accounting footprint in Sri Lanka and across the region. 

With an influential membership of over 6,000 Chartered Accountants, CA Sri Lanka has been at the forefront in playing the role of change maker in promoting stronger professionals standards across the country while also producing exceptionally talented accounting professionals ranging from Chartered Accountants to mid-level Certified Business Accountants who are steering not just leading conglomerates and multi-nationals but also the dynamic small and medium enterprises in the country. 

CA Sri Lanka, which works closely with multiple stakeholders including the Government, and regulatory authorities also work closely with top accounting bodies across the world in an effort to ensure accounting professionals continue to be an important catalyst in Sri Lanka’s dynamic forward journey.