‘NextGen Redefined’: AAT Business Conference 2025 kicks off

By Divya Thotawatte 

Janashakthi Group Managing Director/Group CEO  Ramesh Schaffter -Pix by Lasantha Kumara

The AAT Business Conference 2025 kicked off this week, uniting industry leaders and practitioners to explore how finance professionals and institutions can respond to global shifts.

This flagship conference of the Association of Accounting Technicians of Sri Lanka (AAT Sri Lanka), themed ‘NextGen Redefined,’ took place on 4 and 5 August. This year’s conference explored the bold transformation of finance professionals into digital pioneers and AI-powered strategists. It was also centred on the arrival of the future and the urgency to adapt to and lead its transformations, said its organisers. 

Designed not only for graduates and early career-professionals, the conference also catered to mid-career professionals and entrepreneurs looking to stay abreast with the current technological and economic shifts in Sri Lanka and beyond. 

The inauguration was attended by Bank of Ceylon Chairman Kavinda De Zoysa as the Chief Guest, Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Sunil Kumara Gamage as a Special Invitee, and Janashakthi Group CEO Ramesh Schaffter as the keynote speaker. 

AAT President Indraka Liyanage said, “The theme ‘NextGen Redefined’ couldn’t be timelier. For decades, the term ‘Next Gen’ has symbolised the future: future talent, future leadership, and future possibilities. But in 2025, the future is already here. It is every one of us choosing to adopt, innovate and lead.”

He said that redefining the future meant transforming competencies, expectations, and the professional’s role in society. Liyanage highlighted that the conference was therefore, a call to action, delivering insights and practical guidance for navigating a new era of opportunity and purpose. 

The conference was designed around four key sessions:

1.Gauge the Vacuum – chaired by BDO Sri Lanka Deputy Managing Partner Ashane Jayasekera 

2.Learn, Unlearn and Relearn – MOORE Aiyar Partner Nishani Perera

3.Financial Mastery – KPMG Sri Lanka Partner Raditha Alahakoon 

4.Third Eye of Leadership – Ideal Group CEO Dilani Yatawaka

The conference was aimed at guiding participants through strategic, technical, and leadership evolution. Speaking at the inauguration, De Zoysa emphasized the importance of diversity, access, technological readiness, and ethical leadership in shaping the next generation of accounting and finance professionals.  He praised AAT Sri Lanka for enabling inclusive education and professional development across the island, while encouraging participants to prepare for a future defined by AI, automation, and rapid change, without losing sight of ethics, trust, and human-centred values. 

AAT Conference Committee Chairperson Jani Ganeshan, AAT Sri Lanka President Indraka Liyanage, BOC Chairman Kavinda de Zoysa

He also reflected on the challenge of working with and understanding Gen Z professionals, who often tended to only stay between 16 and 18 months at one organisation. “Rather than trying to change them, we have to change ourselves. There is reverse mentoring happening as well.”

Delivering the keynote speech, Schaffter also stressed the shifts taking place in the modern financial landscape. He explained that modern accountants needed to do more than reporting past performance. They had to predict trends, simulate scenarios, and provide real-time insights using methods that were accessible and could engage the audience. 

He urged accountants to transition from “dull and boring” traditional accounting methods to become forward thinking storytellers and strategic advisors. “People hear statistics, but people feel stories. So, when you present the next set of financials, you bring the ledger to life. You tell a story that people will feel, they will remember.”

Accountants were guardians of trust who shaped business strategies by uncovering hidden insights on data, and therefore, should aim to leave an impact, Shaffter said.