Leaders see ethics, trust as key enablers for exponential business growth

ISLAMABAD - ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants), the British Deputy High Commission Karachi, Pakistan Business Council’s Centre of Excellence in Responsible Business (CERB) and CFA Society Pakistan jointly convened a high profile event to mark the Global Ethics Day 2019 on Wednesday in Islamabad.

Attended by leading policy makers and prominent business & thought leaders, the conference was aimed at discussing new ethical complexities resulted by digital advances, tightening regulations and changing consumer behaviours.

The conversation leaders also examined the ways in which climate risk, natural capital, business model innovation and social impact measurement and evaluation can be addressed by the business community in Pakistan. And the critical relationship between professional ethics and sustained business success was emphasised.

At the conference, Syed Muhammad Shabbar Zaidi, Chairman, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) delivered an insightful keynote on the topic ‘Importance of Leadership Role in Driving Ethical Culture’. Dr Ishrat Hussain, Advisor to Prime Minister on Institutional Reforms & Austerity, was the Chief Guest and in his address, Dr Hussain explained how ethics is closely linked to Pakistan’s global competitiveness and ease of doing business in the country.

Shauzab Ali, Commissioner (Securities Market Division), Securities & Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) also delivered a keynote speech which focused on the importance of ethics and trust for a thriving investment industry.

The event also featured a thought-provoking panel conversation ‘Ethics & Professionalism in the Workplace – A View from the Industry’ with contributions from Arif Masud Mirza, Regional Head of Policy, ACCA, Aamir Ibrahim, Chief Executive Officer, JAZZ Pakistan, Fuad Hashimi, Executive Director, the Pakistan Business Council’s Centre of Excellence in Responsible Business (CERB), Jahanara Sajjad Ahmad, Executive Director Corporate Governance & Group Financial Advisor, Bibojee Services (Pvt.) Limited, Syed Asmatullah, Executive Director Audit & Assurance, Deloitte Yousuf Adil, Usman Hayat, Chief Executive Officer, Audit Oversight Board (AOB) & Chair Islamabad Chapter, CFA Society Pakistan, and Yusuf Hussain, Chief Executive Officer, Ignite - National Technology Fund.

Other important speakers included, the British Deputy High Commissioner Karachi & Director Trade for Pakistan, Mike Nithavrianakis, Head of ACCA Pakistan, Sajjeed Aslam, and the President of CFA Society Pakistan, Muhammad Asim.

The event was followed by a practitioner workshop in which business professionals were trained in ethics and corporate governance.

Previously, ACCA held a successful corporate conference in Karachi last week featuring contributions from Mike Nithavrianakis, British Deputy High Commissioner Karachi, Dr Inayat Hussain, Executive Director, State Bank of Pakistan, Mohammad Shoaib, CEO, Al Meezan Investment Management Limited, Abdul Aleem, Secretary General, Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Ehsan Malik, CEO, Pakistan Business Council, Naved Hashmi, Acting CFO, Unilever Pakistan Limited, Sadia Khan, CEO, Pakistan Institute of Corporate Governance, Sulaiman S. Mehdi, Chairman, Pakistan Stock Exchange Limited, Sajjeed Aslam, head of ACCA Pakistan, Fuad Hashmi, Executive Director, CERB, and Muhammad Asim, President, CFA Society Pakistan.

“Today, we’re marking Global Ethics Day with a series of inspiring initiatives across the world. Ethics is an integral part of our identity. It is a necessary attribute of being a professional accountant, a driver for sustainable organisational performance, and it will always be at the heart of the ACCA Qualification.” – Sajjeed Aslam, head of ACCA Pakistan

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.

ACCA will host another event celebrating the Global Ethics Day 2019 in Lahore later this month.