Quarterly updates from your Malaysia council member

Dato’ Mohammad Faiz Azmi FCA

Dear Members,

As we approach the end of the year, it’s a wonderful time to celebrate the events and milestones we’ve achieved over the past two quarters. From the vibrant Buka Puasa Evening in March to our recent gatherings, it’s been a joy to see our community come together in such a spirited way. These events have not only strengthened our bonds but also provided a platform for members to share their experiences and insights.

One of the highlights has been hearing how much our members value these opportunities to connect with senior ICAEW members. It’s always inspiring to witness the exchange of knowledge and the fostering of new relationships within our community. Let’s continue to build on this momentum and celebrate our achievements as we move forward.

Chief Executive’s Visit

We were thrilled to host our Chief Executive, Alan, during his recent visit. Alan attended the ICAEW Member Society Annual Dinner, which saw an impressive turnout of 450 attendees from our wider ICAEW community. With Malaysia’s Minister of Economy and Fellow ICAEW member, Tuan Mohd Rafizi, as the Guest of Honour, we had the pleasure of welcoming new ICAEW members into the institute at this event.

Additionally, Alan was hosted by the Securities Commission for a roundtable meeting where they discussed sustainability standards and explored ways ICAEW can contribute to these important initiatives.

ICAEW Thought Leadership Series

In collaboration with FIDE Forum, we held a successful ICAEW Thought Leadership Series at AICB. The panel talk, titled “Achieving Equity: A Journey of DEI in Finance,” featured esteemed panellists including ICAEW Member, Joanne Rodrigues (Group CFO of Affin Bank), Hilda Hamzah (Chief of Staff, GX Bank Berhad), and Tan Sri Mohd Nasir (Chairman, CIMB Group). The discussion provided valuable insights into diversity, equity, and inclusion within the finance sector.

Welcoming Malcolm Bacchus

In November, we had the pleasure of welcoming Malcolm Bacchus to Malaysia. Malcolm joined us at the Year End party, where he met with the newly appointed Committee Members of the Member Society as well as 150 members where we celebrated the achievements of the year. It was a joy to see so many of you there, sharing stories and laughter.

Honouring Senior Members

Malcolm also took the opportunity to honour our senior members who have crossed 50 years of membership. This intimate event was a heartfelt tribute to their dedication and contributions to ICAEW. It was truly inspiring to hear their experiences and wisdom.

New Office Opening

We are excited to announce the official opening of ICAEW Malaysia’s new office, now relocated to Pavilion Damansara Heights. Malcolm had the honour of inaugurating the new premises, marking a significant milestone for our community. We look forward to welcoming you to our new home.

Economic Insight Panel

Lastly, we hosted an Economic Insight Panel to discuss the current economic outlook for Q4 and the future in 2025. The panel was moderated by Dato Megat Iskandar (EY Partner, Deputy Assurance Leader) and featured esteemed panellists Tan Sri Wahid Omar (Chairman, Bursa Malaysia), Datuk Wan Razly (President and Group CEO, Affin Bank Group), and Anand Pathmakanthan (Head of Regional Equity Research, Maybank). The discussion provided valuable perspectives on the economic landscape and future trends.

Looking ahead, we are excited about the opportunities and events that 2025 will bring. I am always eager to hear your thoughts on how we can better serve you and would love to connect with many of you at our upcoming events!

Wishing you a joyous festive season and a prosperous New Year. Let’s make 2025 our best year yet!

Dato’ Mohammad Faiz Azmi FCA

As we reach the midpoint of the year, it is good to reflect on some of the events the ICAEW Malaysia and ICAEW Members’ Society has hosted - starting with the Buka Puasa Evening the Member Society ran on 21st March 2024. It is always good to meet fellow members of different vintages and especially those newly admitted into membership.

One of the comments I hear about being a member of the ICAEW is that members appreciate these social events as they get to meet senior members of ICAEW.

May proved historic for ICAEW Malaysia with the announcement of the landmark partnership with Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) and Multimedia University (MMU) to open up opportunities for non-accounting graduates. This initiative aimdatps to broaden the reach of our profession and attract a diverse range of talented individuals.

Looking ahead, the upcoming MIA Conference and Celebrating Excellence in Malaysia, both of which promise to be significant events for our ICAEW community, are of significance. These gatherings are excellent opportunities to network, learn, and celebrate our achievements.

Furthermore, we are honoured to host visits from our CEO in September and our President in November. These visits underscore the importance of the Malaysian market to ICAEW, and we look forward to welcoming our leaders and showcasing the vibrant professional community here.

I am always open to hearing feedback from members about how we can do more for our members and hope to meet some of you personally at our future events.

Dato' Mohammad Faiz Azmi FCA

Dear fellow members,

Last month, we honoured the exceptional achievements of 56 top-scorers in the ICAEW exams in 2022 during the recent Celebrating Excellence 2023 ceremony.

I would like to recognise and thank my fellow senior members of ICAEW Malaysia, who each sponsored an ICAEW Malaysia Prize for the students with the best performing Advanced and Professional Level paper results. This support, from renowned business leaders giving back to the profession, bodes well for the growth of our future chartered accountants.

I would also like to acknowledge our Authorised Training Partners and our Partners in Learning without whom, moulding the next generation of ACA holders would not be possible.

Recently – together with Henning Diederichs, ICAEW’s Technical Manager from the Financial Reporting Faculty – we met to discuss public sector accounting practices with the Accountant General of Malaysia, and later with the MIA Public Sector Committee, where we shared insights and role of professional bodies in public sector financial reporting and explore areas of collaboration between ICAEW and MIA.

We also had the opportunity to present what ICAEW is currently working on with capacity building and sustainability, to IFAC and MIA at a roundtable event for the accountancy profession in ASEAN.

As an institution, ICAEW exists to promote, develop, and support our members throughout their careers as chartered accountants. We should all be mindful to utilise the global recognition, resources, networking and CPD opportunities that accompanies membership to its fullest.

As it is now the month of Muharram, I would like to wish all our Muslim members Happy Awal Muharram and to the rest, happy holidays. May you have safe journeys and let’s continue to support our members together.

Dato' Mohammad Faiz Azmi FCA

Dear fellow members,

As some of you may know, the Council Member for the Malaysia position was put through an election process for the first time, in February this year. It was a contested election and I am pleased to inform you that I was confirmed in March as the incoming Council Member for Malaysia from June 2023 for a term of 4 years.

Reflecting on the experience, I would like to first thank the other candidate, Mr David Lim, for a well contested campaign. The other observation was that of the members in Malaysia eligible to vote, some 30% of you turned out to exercise your right to vote. This is amongst the highest turnout for any ICAEW election and I would like to thank all of you who participated. Finally, in my engagement with many of you as part of my campaign, a number of points were raised with me from a member’s perspective that I will try to address in my new term as Council Member.

As we are now coming to the end of Ramadan, and 1 Syawal is nearing, I would like to wish all our Muslim members Selamat Hari Raya, Eid Mubarak and Selamat Hari Lebaran. Safe journeys home and to the rest, happy holidays. 

Dato' Mohammad Faiz Azmi FCA

Up close with Tan Sri Dato’ Hanafiah Hussain

With an objective of driving ICAEW’s strategic pillar - ‘Building Back Trust in The Profession’, ICAEW Malaysia recently held a hybrid dialogue and interview session with Tan Sri Dato’ Hanafiah FCA, the first Malay Fellow of the ICAEW. He was fundamental in establishing the first Malaysian accounting firm, Hanafiah, Raslan & Mohamad (HRM), which later became Arthur Andersen, which then signed to merge and become Ernst & Young Malaysia in 2002.

During the session, which was attended by 50 members and dignitaries physically, and another 60 online, Tan Sri shared with ICAEW members on how he helped established government-link corporations including the Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA), the pilgrim fund Tabung Haji, and the Federal Agriculture Marketing Authority (FAMA) under the Ministry of Agriculture to promote Malaysian agro products within and beyond the country.

He also emphasised numerous times the importance to uphold a high sense of purpose, trust and integrity as chartered accountants – in line with ICAEW’s strategic foundation and theme – to all members and the small group of students that were present.

Appointment of Dato Gan Ah Tee as MICPA president

At the recent Malaysian Institute of Certified Public Accountants (MICPA) 64th AGM, Dato Gan Ah Tee FCA was elected as MICPA’s President. From someone who grew up speaking little English to Managing Partner of BDO Malaysia, Dato’ Gan Ah Tee exemplifies the get-up-and-go spirit that has shaped his rise in the professional accounting services arena.

Dato Gan was previously a council member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and a member of the Financial Reporting Foundation, a trustee body responsible for the oversight of the Malaysia Accounting Standard Board’s performance, financial and funding arrangements. He is currently a Council Member of the Malaysia Institute of Accountants (MIA) and a member of its Oversight Committee. He is also the Chairman of the Insolvency Practice Committee of both MICPA and MIA

Dato' Mohammad Faiz Azmi FCA

"I would like to take this opportunity, as Council Member for Malaysia, to wish our Malaysian members celebrating the new lunar year of the Tiger, Gong Xi Fa Cai!!

With the widespread application of vaccines and a better understanding of the Covid-19 virus, we are cautiously optimistic that things will get progressively better and hopefully we have seen the end of repeated lockdowns. As an institute we continue to promote our points of view on the importance of dealing with Climate Change issues, better use of technology in our business and also on initiatives to better nurture and develop our profession.

Closer to home, we have heard members desire to understand better the value of membership and we will continue to communicate how we can better support our members locally and to develop new initiatives to enhance your skillsets. Our local ICAEW members in Malaysia group, led by Kevin Foo, has an ambitious programme of events and get togethers for 2022. I do hope to meet some of you at our events and hope that you have all registered on the LinkedIn ICAEW Malaysia group for details. Until then, I would like to wish you all again, a Happy New Year!"

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Malaysia and Southeast Asia also have a network of contact members, who are points of contact for members' enquiries on living and working in Southeast Asia.

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