The 31st International CA Students’ Conference which revolved around the theme ‘Transmute, to Transmute’ concluded on a high note with over 600 CA students from across the country as well as the South Asian region participating, where the importance to embrace change in the current dynamic global environment was underscored. Organised by the CA Students Society of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka), the conference on April 5 at the Cinnamon Lakeside, also brought together 21 student delegates representing India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal.
Lasantha Wickremasinghe, President, CA Sri Lanka, chaired the conference as Chief Guest while Aruna Alwis, the Chief Executive Officer of CA Sri Lanka, and Reyaz Mihular, the Patron of the CA Students’ Society were present as the guests of honors.
Jayashan Grero, President of the CA Students’ Society, welcoming the delegates and special invitees, highlighted the importance of continuous change required within oneself in order to remain competitive in the current context.
Lasantha Wickremasinghe, President of CA Sri Lanka, in his speech highlighted how technology has impacted the profession in ways never imagined, and therefore there is a growing need for all professionals including future professionals to keep up with these technological advancements, to be ahead with changing times. “The world we operate in is changing, yet as a profession we cannot stop these advances, instead we must collectively work to embrace the change and progress with times, which is very important if we are to remain relevant,” he said.
“I can see that the CA Students’ Society has in fact lived up to its motto today, they have transmuted themselves,” said Reyaz Mihular, Patron of the CA Students’ Society and the Managing Partner of KPMG Sri Lanka, congratulating the Students’ Society for developing to what they are today. He also gave the young audience an insight of the future with recent developments such as self-driven vehicles and 3D printing, and how they would impact the global community.
The student panel discussion proved to be one of the most informative and technical discussions of the day which was themed ‘CAs, the way forward.’ The panel consisted of Ashaff MSM, moderator, Yasasthi Ranasinghe, CA Student Panelist from Sri Lanka and the student presenters, Ramya Iyar, Sri Lanka, Sanskriti Agarwal, India, Araib Sultan, Pakistan, Arupa Saha, Bangladesh, and Akrity Acharya, Nepal.
The 31st International CA Students Conference went down in history with the launch of the first ever mobile application and the launch of the Fusion Business Magazine for the year 2017. The entertainment items at the conference included performances from winners of Ingenio 2016, the talent show organized by the CA Students’ Society.
Ending the conference, Asanka Senevirathne, the Educational Secretary of the CA Students’ Society, thanked the guest speakers, CA staff, SAFA delegates and the CA students in his vote of thanks. He also thanked the sponsors for their generosity and corporation for making this event a success.