It was 12th of the March, early Tuesday morning I had to rush an event called CFO Conference 2019. An event I was eagerly waiting to attend as it’s content. The speakers’ list was also another factor which was making me anxious to attend the event and I was very much sure that attending the event on Tuesday won’t be a regret and I will be getting some knowledge about new topics from the experienced speakers and it will be my first out of “5 Steps Greatness” (The Conference Theme).
9 years ago in 2010, the Professional Accountants in Business (PAIB) Committee of ICAP took the initiative of reaching out to Institute’s members in industry and providing them with a platform to discuss, debate and seek pragmatic solutions of emerging business and finance issues. To date, 18 CFO Conferences have been held across the country with the participation of over 9,000 participants, business leaders and finance professionals. The Conferences continue to be the most sought after platform for professionals to share expertise, build knowledge and network.
The event has begun with the recitation of a few verses from the Holy Quran, followed by the National Anthem. On welcoming national and international honourable guests along with conference participants, Mr. Jaffar Hussain, CFA (President Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan) appreciated the efforts of the organizing team on organizing this wonderful event and keeping the legacy of organizing with the full house participation.
“It is important to excel at what you do, but it is even more important to learn how to become great. For greatness will lead you to places, and allow you to evolve with changing times. With advancements in technology and the plethora of digital platforms, the accounting profession is evolving, and we need to be ready to embrace upcoming developments and incorporate them into our professional and personal lives.” He added.
Mr Hussain closed his welcome talk: “I would also like to thank the entire fraternity for supporting the Conference and other professional development programs, and look forward to their continued support for making the initiatives even more successful”.
It was time when host introduced the first International speaker of the day, Mr Alan Johnson was the up next, who spoke about the “Moving Ahead of the Competition”. Mr Alan is the Deputy President of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC). His talk was very much interesting and full of life-changing real examples about the competition and how to defeat competitions.
After Alan’s talk, one of my favourite session of the day was of Dr. Umer Saif, he presented his talk on “DIGITAL DISRUPTION”, Dr Umer Saif shared stories of organizations that have disappeared with the passage of time due to lagging behind the competition in technological advancements. He also shared some research-based work, which he had done with the Punjab government for the local farmers. He also explained the reason why the graph of NOKIA and KODAK declined in just a few years. They didn’t adopt the technology and lacked behind.
The executive discussion on Leadership and Team Building was another impressive session, which consists of experience sharing about how the role of Leadership is effective in a successful team building process?
The afternoon session was about President of the United Bank Limited Ms. Sima Kamil, who was sharing her journey with the audience in her talk on Becoming a Role Model. One of the favourite quote from her talk was “If you are a fair and respectful leader, then you can succeed”
Still more interesting to come and it was about A TEDx speaker Mr. Danny Khursigara. Danny spoke about “Fueling Your Passion” and I was really much impressed the way he shared his thoughts about leadership roles and how to follow your passion with too many examples of the leaders who changed their profession by following their own passion and they became more successful when they start following their passion.
He shared this powerful quote with the attendees: “If your vision is strong and you’re passionate enough then you can conquer anything in this world!”
The time comes, when the host of the event invited the famous personality of Pakistan, Mr. Anwar Maqsood who never fails to bring smiles on the faces, what a pleasure it is to have him at this gracious event.
Followed by Anwar Maqsood, Mr. Khalilullah Shaikh – Chairman PAIB committee, gave the thank you note he said: This year’s theme of the CFO Conference; 5 Steps to Greatness, Rising to Your True Potential CFO & Beyond aims to guide young as well as experience chartered accountants on the right path to a successful and secure future. The five steps, beginning with fueling the passion, and developing leadership and team building capabilities will then lead to embracing new technologies, which will enable you to move ahead of the competition and finally become a role model. I believe that in the next couple of years, it will become the driving force that will lead businesses to greatness, and that can only be done when our professionals are equipped with the right set of skills for it.
In order to be better prepared for the dynamic changes in businesses, organizations need to incorporate these five steps in their processes and systems, for it will help them develop a successful business model.
Realizing ones true potential can only be accomplished on the actualization of these five steps as they lead all to greatness. The PAIB Committee has always encouraged change, and mastering these five steps is the key to a sustainable and flourishing career. I hope that this conference will transform into a coaching experience that will guide the younger and seasoned participants in understanding and learning about the path to greatness and instil in them the knowledge needed to excel in this highly competitive world.
This was all about Karachi leg event, Islamabad also hosted a houseful event on the 14th of the March at the Marriott Hotel. I would urge the organizers to continue this legacy of organizing wonderful events in the future too. For those who are willing to be part of ICAP’s future event do follow this link: ICAP News and Events
CFO Conference 2019 – 5 steps to Greatness 
CFO Conference 2019 – 5 steps to Greatness 
CFO Conference 2019 – 5 steps to Greatness 
CFO Conference 2019 – 5 steps to Greatness 
CFO Conference 2019 – 5 steps to Greatness 
CFO Conference 2019 – 5 steps to Greatness 
President ICAP CFO Conference 2019 – 5 steps to Greatness 
Dr Umer Saif CFO Conference 2019 – 5 steps to Greatness 
CFO Conference 2019 – 5 steps to Greatness 
Team at CFO Conference 2019 – 5 steps to Greatness Chairman PAIB CFO Conference 2019 – 5 steps to Greatness
