ACCA’s Global Ethics Day 2023 Events Shine a Spotlight on Ethics as the Catalyst for Positive Global Change

                                                      

ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) hosted a series of high profile events to celebrate Global Ethics Day 2023 from 17-19 October in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad respectively on the theme ‘Ethics for a Better World’ featuring leading policymakers and prominent business and thought leaders.

 

The three events brought together thought leaders, experts, and professionals from diverse sectors to discuss and deliberate on sustainability, positive work culture, leadership, regulatory governance and digital transformation from an ethical standpoint.  

 

The Chief Guests at the three cities were Muhammad Baligh Ur Rehman, Governor Punjab, Akif Saeed, Chairman, Securities & Exchange Commission of Pakistan and Muhammad Azfar Ahsan, Former Minister of State for Investment and Founder, Nutshell Group. The esteemed Chief Guests shared their insights on harnessing Pakistan's enormous potential for growth, leveraging its 240 million-strong population and abundant indigenous human resources and capital. Emphasizing the importance of bold initiatives, they highlighted the significance of embracing digital transformation and ethics as essential tools for bolstering national and global productivity. They concluded with a call to action, inspiring a collective commitment to ethical practices that have the potential to drive Pakistan's prosperity and its contributions to the global community.

 

At the Karachi event, prominent speakers contributing to the dialogue of inclusive and sustainable economic development included Asim Siddiqui, Country Managing Partner, EY Ford Rhodes, Asif Jooma, CEO, Lucky Core Industries Ltd., Armughan Ahmed Kausar, Chief Compliance Officer, Habib Bank Limited, Ehsan Malik, CEO, Pakistan Business Council, Farrukh Khan, CEO, Pakistan Stock Exchange, Kanza Afzal, CFA, General Manager and Chief of Staff, Engro Corporation, Muhammad Rizwan Dalia, Chief People Officer, K-Electric, Shaista Ayesha, CEO, SEED Ventures and Syed Shahab Shahid, FCCA, Regional Director Finance & Planning, Daraz.

 

Zia ul Mustafa Awan, Chairman, Strategic Board, ICMA Pakistan, Omer Zaheer Meer, FCCA, Managing Partner, Millennium Law and Corporate Company (MLCC), Ammar Naqvi, Accountant General Punjab, Muhammad Awais, Office Managing Partner - EY Ford Rhodes, Alia Zafar, Group Head People & Organizational Excellence - The Bank of Punjab, Alliya Haidar, Executive Director Strategy & Corporate Finance - Abacus Consulting and Zeeshan Afzal FCCA, Chairman Cordoba LV | Director NETSOL Technologies were the esteemed conversation leaders at the Lahore event who deliberated on the themes of sustainability, digital innovation and future-ready workforce.  

 

At the concluding event in Islamabad, distinguished speakers contributing to the dialogue of ESG, positive work culture and Pakistan’s transformative growth roadmap included Muhammad Azfar Ahsan, Former Minister of State for Investment and Founder, Nutshell Group, Shehzad Ahmad Malik, President, ICMA Pakistan, Salman Amin, Member, Competition Commission of Pakistan, Aisha Sarwari, Director Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability Pak & Afg (Eurasia and Middle East OU), The Coca-Cola Company, Aleena Tanveer, Chief People Officer, Mobilink Microfinance Bank Ltd., Dr. Chaudhry Faisal Mushtaq TI, CEO, Roots Millennium Education Group & TMUC, Pakistan, Rabia Ahmad, Director & COO, Nutshell Group and Hina Nasir, Director Marketing & PR  Special Technology Zones Authority.

 

While speaking to the media, Assad Hameed Khan, Head of ACCA Pakistan added “These conferences embody ACCA's belief that together, we can overcome uncertainty and pave the way for a brighter, more sustainable tomorrow. All stakeholder’s role is pivotal in this inspiring journey towards a future defined by ethical leadership, trust, sustainability, and entrepreneurial excellence. Let us be bold, let us be visionary, and let us shape a world that future generations will be proud to inherit”.

 

The three events were supported by Securities & Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), ICMA Pakistan, CFA Society Pakistan, Habib Bank Limited (HBL), Pakistan Institute of Corporate Governance (PICG), Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), Special Technology Zones Authority (STZA), The Pakistan Business Council (PBC) and its Centre of Excellence in Responsible Business (CERB). Nutshell Group joined as a Knowledge Partner.

 

Global Ethics Day is an annual, international day dedicated to exploring the role of ethics in today’s world. Founded by the Carnegie Council, organisations are encouraged to hold programmes focusing on ethics, such as lectures, film screenings, debates, panel discussions, or activities to protect the environment.

 

For a long time, ACCA has placed ethics and professionalism central to its qualification. They have an ethics and professional skills module, introduced in 2007 and updated in 2017, which students have to take in order to become an ACCA member.

With more than 247,000 fully qualified members and 526,000 future members worldwide, ACCA is the world’s leading body for professional accountants which uses its unrivalled connections across the world to connect people with fulfilling careers, organisations with the best finance talent, and economies with the ingredients for growth. With strong partnerships with top employers and social sector across the globe and an award-winning Professional Insights programme offering ground-breaking futures insight, ACCA is at the forefront of finance talent development and creating future-proof careers.