Good evening everyone.
My name is Leo Lee and I am the president of ACCA.
It’s an honour to be here with you tonight to celebrate 30 years of ACCA in China.
This is a significant milestone for us: ACCA was the first international professional accountancy body to start working in China, and together with our local partners – the Ministry of Finance, CICPA, national and regional government agencies, the three national accounting institutes, universities and employers – we have seen the profession grow and flourish over this time.
Today, China is on a path to a sustainable national rejuvenation with ambitious targets set for 2020 and 2035. This new era in economic development will enable China to become a global leader in innovation as well as ensuring greater equality and living standards for all.
And the accountancy profession is at the forefront of this sustainable growth.
Professional accountants lead and advise organisations of all sizes across every economic sector. Their expertise and judgement ensures that the highest ethical and professional standards are maintained, so that everyone can trust and rely on high quality financial information to make strategic decisions.
ACCA is committed to helping support growth in China by thinking ahead, connecting markets and communities and using our global reach to support the profession to flourish and grow.
And of course, it is not just professional bodies and our partners who are responsible for the future of the profession.
All of you – our ACCA members – play your part in steering the profession through tough times and helping to shape the future.
And that is why I am also excited to be here tonight for your Advocacy Awards.
I have been an ACCA member for over 40 years; I graduated from Hong Kong Polytechnic with an ACCA qualification in 1976.
Since then, I have had a long and fulfilling career, and ACCA opened many doors for me. It equipped me with not just the technical skills of an accountant, but with a professional mindset, an ethical compass, an understanding of international standards and regulations, and the communication skills to convey all of this to my colleagues and business partners.
ACCA has given me so much – and it is an honour and a privilege to give back to ACCA community as your president.
I have been a proud ACCA advocate for many years, both formally and informally.
Advocacy is an important element in inspiring and nurturing the next generation of professional accountants.
And it is more important than ever in the next few years for our members to help and guide others as we all adjust to both a rapidly-changing world and the corresponding forward-looking changes to ACCA Qualification.
You are advocates and champions for the profession in your workplace, here in Beijing and across all of China. We are all playing an important role in the development of strong, sustainable and fair economies. You are all success stories.
And your success helps to inspire the next generation of ACCA members. So thank you for coming to celebrate with us tonight, and I encourage you to continue sharing your stories and advocating for our noble profession.
Thank you.