Under the auspices of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP) KSA Chapter and Saudi Organization for Certified Public Accountants (SOCPA), the 3rd Saudi-Pak Symposium was held recently in Riyadh.

Themed “Financial leadership – the way forward,” the event and was attended by major Saudi business leaders, CEOs and CFOs of major corporates, senior partners of audit firms, and by members of ICAP and SOCPA in general.

Participants and speakers had flown in from varied parts of the region and wider destinations to contribute, communicate, educate and network at the annual accountancy symposium event.

The agenda included the keynote address by economist Muhammad Umer Chapra and followed by a special address by Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Zamil, chairman of Zamil Group and former minister of industry and electricity. Other topics included a debate on “Developing good financial leaders: nature or nurture?” and a technical session on the IFRS transformation agenda for Saudi corporates.

Among other innovative sessions were on mentoring and innovative thinking where cloud computing was discussed. The event also included a special video address by IFAC President Warren Allen.

Some speakers who graced the event with their thoughts included Khayyam Akbar, Pakistan’s deputy ambassador to the Kingdom; Ahmed Almeghames, secretary general SOCPA; ICAP President Naeem Akhtar Sheikh; and Muhammad Iqbal, president, ICAP KSA chapter.

ICAP KSA chapter also announced the inaugural Most Valued Contribution to the Profession Awards, and in recognition of their exceptional service awards were given to Chapra for Islamic economics, Alhumaid for international financial reporting standards, Tariq Javed for banking and finance and Almeghames for his contribution to accounting and auditing.

The event was widely appreciated for the caliber of the speakers, professional arrangements and the invaluable learning it imparted. The event ended with a vote of thanks by Muhammad Asif Iqbal, secretary general of ICAP KSA chapter.