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 panellists who will steer the technical sessions during the three-day conference from October 25 to 27, 2017, at the BMICH, Colombo. 

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 question 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 Business Learning Institute and Maryland Association of CPAs Chief Executive Officer Tom Hood, who was named by Accounting Today as the second most influential leader in the US Accounting Profession in its annual Top 100 list. 

CX Catalysts Managing Director Tess Mateo, 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 capitalize 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 CX Catalysts, 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’, KPMG Sri Lanka Managing Partner Reyaz Mihular will share insights into 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, LOLC Group Chief Information Officer and LOLC Technologies Limited MD/CEO Conrad Dias 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 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 panellists and moderators during the two days of technical sessions. 

Hatton National Bank Managing Director/Chief Executive Office Jonathan Alles, SheConsults Founder Director Aruni Rajakarier, Attorney-at-Law Naomal Goonewardena, Brandix Lanka Chief Financial Officer Hasitha Premaratne and Teejay Lanka Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer Sriyan de Silva Wijeyaratne will serve as panellists.

Chevron Lubricants Lanka Finance Director Anura Perera, PricewaterhouseCoopers Associate Director Subhashini Munasinghe, Tishan Subasinghe, BDO Partners Head of Audit, Technical and Training Channa Gunasekera and Litro Gas Lanka Finance Director Lakmali Hapuarachchi will be the moderators of the technical sessions.