Eight leaders with diverse backgrounds elected to ISCA Council

Eight leaders with diverse backgrounds elected to ISCA Council

• Four ISCA Council Members have been re-elected
• New Council Members comprise a good mix of chartered accountants who are in public practice and those from business, an Institution of Higher Learning and an entrepreneur
• Highest number of votes cast and 42% increase in votes in 2024 Council Election compared to 2022
• Council candidates with the highest number of votes are members from business, a mid-tier firm and a Big Four firm.

27 April 2024 – A diverse group of eight accountancy and business leaders have been elected to the Council of the national accountancy body, the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA). These leaders include partners from accounting firms, a leader from the healthcare sector, a representative from a polytechnic and an entrepreneur.

The total number of votes casted by eligible ISCA members was the highest based on our records and corresponds with the increase in member engagement level and growing interest in ISCA’s initiatives.

The newly-elected Council Members are:

• Mr Choo Kok Wei Eric, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Dontia Holdings Pte Ltd and T32 Dental Centre Pte Ltd
• Mr Lee Boon Teck, Regional Managing Partner Southeast Asia, Audit & Assurance of Deloitte & Touche LLP
• Mr Lim Wei Kiat William, Director, School of Business & Accountancy of Ngee Ann Polytechnic
• Mr Helmi Bin Ali Bin Talib, Managing Partner of Helmi Talib LLP

The re-elected Council Members are:

• Mr Choo Eng Beng, Engagement Partner, Head of Assurance of PwC Singapore
• Ms Goh Chern Ni Jocelyn, Audit & Assurance Partner of BDO LLP
• Mr Koh Wee Kwang, Director of Nexia Singapore PAC
• Mr Teo Ser Luck, Entrepreneur and Company Board Chairman

Mr Teo Ser Luck has been re-elected as President of ISCA for a second term. Mr Teo is joined by newly elected office bearers:

• Vice President: Mr Choo Eng Beng
• Vice President: Ms Judy Ng
• Treasurer: Ms Jocelyn Goh Chern Ni
• Secretary: Mr Lee Boon Teck

The newly-elected and re-elected Council Members will serve as ISCA Council Members until ISCA’s Annual General Meeting in 2026.

Mr. Helmi Bin Ali Bin Talib, Managing Partner of Helmi Talib LLP, has been elected to the ISCA Council. His election to the Council also reaffirms ISCA’s dedication to fostering diversity and inclusion within its leadership ranks.

Among the newly-elected Council Members is Mr William Lim, Director of the School of Business & Accountancy at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. This marks the first time that ISCA’s Council has a representative from the polytechnic who will be able to contribute to our efforts to boost the attractiveness of the profession and develop talent pipeline.

ISCA President Mr Teo Ser Luck said, “I am honoured to be re-elected as President of ISCA for a second term and am excited to continue serving alongside such a diverse group of members on the Council. Together, we remain committed to advancing the profession, fostering diversity and inclusion, and driving innovation in the accountancy sector. I would like to thank Council Members who have retired for their invaluable contribution and look forward to collaborating with the new Council to further strengthen ISCA's position as a leading accountancy body regionally and globally."

For more information on the biographies of the new and re-elected Council Members, please refer to the Annex.

-End-

For more information, please contact:

Seah Yi Qin

Manager, Communications

Tel: 9833 3904

Email: yiqin.seah@isca.org.sg

Amanda Lim

Assistant Manager, Communications

Tel: 9738 7299

Email: amanda.lim@isca.org.sg

About the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA)

The Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA) is the national accountancy body of Singapore with over 36,000 ISCA members making their stride in businesses across industries in Singapore and around the world. ISCA members can be found in over 40 countries and members based out of Singapore are supported through 12 overseas chapters in 10 countries.

Established in 1963, ISCA is an advocate of the interests of the profession. Complementing its global mindset with Asian insights, ISCA leverages its regional expertise, knowledge, and networks with diverse stakeholders to contribute towards the advancement of the accountancy profession.

ISCA administers the Singapore Chartered Accountant Qualification programme and is the Designated Entity to confer the Chartered Accountant of Singapore – CA (Singapore) – designation.

ISCA is a member of Chartered Accountants Worldwide, a global family that brings together the members of leading institutes to create a community of over 1.8 million Chartered Accountants and students in more than 190 countries.

For more information, visit www.isca.org.sg.

Annex – Biographies of Newly-Elected and Re-Elected ISCA Council Members

Newly-Elected ISCA Council Members 

Choo Kok Wei Eric, CA (Singapore)
Deputy Chief Executive Officer
Dontia Holdings Pte Ltd and T32 Dental Centre Pte Ltd

Mr Eric Choo has over 20 years of professional experience within the healthcare and accounting industries. During his 10-year tenure with KPMG LLP, Mr Choo provided audit and assurance services to public companies listed on the Singapore Exchange and stock exchanges in the United States, and was also involved in several sustainability advisory and assurance projects. He has since held many senior positions within the healthcare industry.

Lee Boon Teck, CA (Singapore)
Regional Managing Partner
Southeast Asia, Audit & Assurance
Deloitte & Touche LLP

Mr Lee Boon Teck served as a member of the Young Finance Leaders Group from 2003 to 2006. He was also a member of the Continuing Professional Education Committee from 2017 to 2021 and served as a member of the Investigation and Disciplinary Panel from 2020 to April 2024.

In his current role as Regional Managing Partner for Deloitte Southeast Asia’s Audit & Assurance business line, Mr Lee oversees the strategic direction and management of the business across the Southeast Asia region. A seasoned leader with 26 years of experience in public accounting, he has successfully led numerous significant engagements, including Initial Public Offerings and IFRS implementation projects, for clients spanning various industries and sectors such as Automobile, Consumer Business, Media, and Real Estate.

Mr Lee serves on the board of the Singapore Chinese Orchestra and is a member of ACRA's Accounting Standards Committee. He also held the position of Adjunct Professor at the Singapore Management University, where he provided mentorship and advice to the next generation of accounting professionals.

Lim Wei Kiat William, CA (Singapore)
Director, School of Business & Accountancy
Ngee Ann Polytechnic

Mr William Lim has over 25 years of professional experience, starting with Deloitte Singapore and progressing over various roles in his 3 years with the firm. Thereafter, he joined a logistics company for a year before moving to Deutsche Bank for 5 years. He held the roles of Management Accountant in the Asia Pacific Head Office and subsequently Business Area Controller in the Global Markets business in Deutsche Bank before joining Ngee Ann Polytechnic in 2005. Over the last 19 years, Mr Lim has helmed various academic appointments and has taught a myriad of modules in Accounting, Finance and Risk Management.

As the Director of Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s School of Business & Accountancy, he chairs the Sector Coordination Team (comprising the Polytechnics/ITE) appointed by the Ministry of Education for the Accountancy and Financial Services sectors. Mr Lim works closely with ACRA, ISCA, MAS and IBF to support manpower development and strengthen the industry-academic nexus in both sectors.

Helmi Bin Ali Bin Talib, FCA (Singapore)
Managing Partner
Helmi Talib LLP

Mr Helmi Talib is a member of the Public Accounting Practice Committee.

Mr Talib has more than 30 years of public accounting experience and has led several audit engagements for listed companies, large and small multinational companies, and charities. Mr Talib founded Helmi Talib & Co in 1992 and currently manages The Helmi Talib Group, providing professional steer and guidance to all of its seven entities. Mr Talib began his career at Arthur Young, followed by Deloitte & Touche where he gained audit experience in a range of entity sizes from local traders to large subsidiaries of multinational corporations and listed companies; and specializes in leading audits in the engineering and construction sectors.

Mr Talib served on the International Association of Practicing Accountants (IAPA) over a period of 10 years in the following capacities - Board member (2005 to 2009 and 2019 to 2023), Vice Chairman (2009 to 2012) and Chairman (2012 to 2015). He also served on Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS) as a Council member, member of the Investment Committee, member of the Wakaf as well as the Audit Committee from 2009 to 2019. Concurrently, Mr Talib was also the Vice President of the Arab Association from 2009 to 2019.  From 2008 to 2020, Mr Talib was appointed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the Singapore non-resident ambassador to Yemen.

Re-Elected ISCA Council Members

Choo Eng Beng, FCA (Singapore)
Engagement Partner, Head of Assurance
PwC Singapore

Mr Choo Eng Beng is a member of the Investment Committee. He was appointed as a member of the Membership Growth and Engagement Committee when he was first elected to Council until April 2023 and was a member of the Investigation and Disciplinary Panel from 2020 to April 2022.

Mr Choo has over 30 years of experience in public accounting and is part of the PwC Global Assurance Leadership team and the Leadership team in Singapore. Prior to serving as Head of Assurance, he was the Risk and Quality Leader in PwC Singapore. Mr Choo spent two years in London in PwC Global Accounting Consulting Services, which supports PwC Global on various matters concerning International Financial Reporting Standards, including quality of application, training, marketing and communications with the International Accounting Standards Board. Having served a wide range of clients from across different countries and scales, Mr Choo is well versed in dealing with multi-location audits.

He is also a Director of Shared Services for Charities, Director and Audit Committee member of St Luke’s Elder Care, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of St Luke’s Hospital, Audit Committee Chairman of the Church of Singapore, Audit Committee Member of the National Research Foundation, and a member of the Accounting Standards Committee of ACRA.

Goh Chern Ni Jocelyn, FCA (Singapore)
Audit & Assurance Partner
BDO LLP

Ms Jocelyn Goh has been the Treasurer of ISCA’s Executive Committee since she was elected to ISCA Council in April 2022. She served as the Chairperson of the Regionalisation Subgroup on the Singapore Chartered Accountant Qualification Advisory Panel . In addition, she served as a mentor to beneficiaries of the ISCA Cares bursary from 2017 to 2019 and was also a member of ISCA’s Accounting Technicians Learning and Development Board from 2016 to 2020 as well as a member of the ISCA Young Professionals Group from 2009 to 2011.

Ms Goh has over 28 years of experience in public accounting and commercial, including over 20 years with BDO LLP. Her multifaceted role as a Partner goes beyond client service. As an audit partner, her client portfolio ranges from private to public companies across various industries. As part of the BDO leadership team and Head of the Practice’s Quality Management, she contributes to the strategic development of the Firm, including aspects of policy development, monitoring and evaluation of quality management. She conducts and supervises rigorous quality reviews of audit engagements to ensure adherence to professional standards and improving best practices. She also channels her passion for nurturing talent through progressive learning and development programs as a talent partner and constantly engages accountancy undergraduates to share her experience about the profession. Ms Goh is a member of the ACRA Board as well as a member of the Accounting Workforce Review Committee.

Koh Wee Kwang, FCA (Singapore)
Director
Nexia Singapore PAC

Mr Koh Wee Kwang is a member of the Sustainability and Climate Change Committee. He was also a mentor to ISCA Cares recipients in 2021.

Mr Koh has more than 20 years of experience in assurance and non-assurance work. He was involved with the implementation of Sarbanes-Oxley framework for American-related corporations during his 3-year secondment in London with a Big-4 accounting firm. Additionally, he has undertaken and led engagements in internal audit, Enterprise Risk Management and Sustainability Reporting work for companies listed on the SGX and GEMS HKEx as well as charitable organisations. Mr Koh has also spoken on various platforms on the topic of sustainability and climate change.

Mr Koh was Treasurer of Yuhua Citizen’s Consultative Committee from 2013 to 2019.

Teo Ser Luck, FCA (Singapore)
Entrepreneur and Company Board Chairman

Mr Teo Ser Luck was elected as ISCA President in April 2022 and is currently the Chairman of the Singapore Monitoring Committee and a member of the Nominations Committee. Mr Teo was an Advisor to ISCA from 2009 to March 2022 and championed the formation of the ISCA Young Finance Leaders Network in 2018. He also facilitated members’ engagement through dialogue sessions with government leaders to share challenges faced by the accountancy industry and profession in 2019 and 2020.

Mr Teo is an entrepreneur and investor, and has started companies in different sectors. He began his career as an auditor and spent 15 years in the private sector managing multi-national companies in the Asia-Pacific region before being elected as a Member of Parliament of Singapore and appointed as a full-time political office holder in the Singapore government cabinet for 11 years in 4 ministries. He returned to the private sector in July 2017 and remained as a Member of Parliament till June 2020.

Apart from having his own companies, Mr Teo is also the Chairman of two public-listed companies and board member of a few other companies listed on the main board of SGX. He is Advisor to the Singapore Fintech Association.