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Mrs Tan Ching Yee, Permanent Secretary for Finance
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
Good Evening
It is my pleasure to welcome you to the 2018 Singapore Accountancy Awards Dinner. Tonight, we celebrate the outstanding achievements of the accountancy profession and honour the efforts of firms, teams and individuals who have gone above and beyond in striving towards excellence, innovation and growth.
We would like to thank our guest of honour Mrs Tan Ching Yee for gracing tonight’s dinner despite her busy schedule.
In today’s Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous environment, businesses must continually innovate to survive. The Business Times reported last week that amongst Singapore’s top 50 fastest-growing companies in 2018, one of the key differentiators that led to their continued success over a period of time, was a strong focus on innovation. Many have invested in innovation to drive long term growth.
Therefore, in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, we have sought to recognise those who have demonstrated their readiness for the future economy through these awards. We hope that the winners will be inspirational role models and set the benchmark for others in the profession.
The Singapore Accountancy Awards consists of three broad award categories. This year, we have introduced the new Project Excellence Award for finance teams. As an integral part of any organisation, the finance team is in a prime position to bring about transformative change in a competitive business environment. This award recognises finance teams that have leveraged technology to achieve business results for their companies.
The Business Excellence Awards seek to honour distinguished practices which are leaders in innovation, talent management, diversity, client service, and corporate social responsibility. In an increasingly competitive marketplace, these attributes are important for firms to sustain and grow their practice.
The Rising Star Awards aim to recognise outstanding young finance professionals and practitioners who display exemplary efforts towards their personal development. This includes taking on added responsibilities and demonstrating leadership qualities among their peers. The winners are also selected based on their achievements and contributions to the wider community.
In addition, for the first time, we will be awarding the Special Recognition Award this year to a distinguished member of the profession. This award is conferred to awarded to senior ISCA members who have retired from the profession but continue to make significant contributions to the accountancy sector and the wider community. We hope that this award will inspire our younger and not so young members of the profession to soar to greater heights, while not forgetting to give back to the community.
We appreciate the continued support given to the Singapore Accountancy Awards. We thank our panel of distinguished judges for taking time out of their busy schedules to be part of the judging process. We also thank our strategic partner, the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority, for continuing to support the Awards.
Before I conclude, I would like to add that this year, ISCA will be admitting three outstanding individuals as Honorary Members of the Institute. The honorary membership is a privilege accorded on an exceptional basis to distinguished individuals who are non-ISCA members. These individuals are recognised for their significant contributions to the accountancy sector and the wider business community which has led to Singapore’s reputation as one of the least corrupt countries in the world. Singapore remains as one of the best cities for business given our strong economic and regulatory infrastructure, sound national security, stable political structure and good institutional corporate governance practices.
ISCA will be conferring the honorary membership to Mr Benny Lim, Chairman of the National Parks Board and former Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs; Mr David Chew, Director of the Commercial Affairs Department; and Mr Wong Hong Kuan, Director of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau. We are indeed honoured to have you as our member and being part of the ISCA community.
This evening, we will also be presenting Appreciation Awards to our former Council Members and Committee Members who stepped down in April this year. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their invaluable contributions to the Institute and to the profession.
In closing, allow me to extend my heartiest congratulations to this year’s Singapore Accountancy Award winners Through your exemplary efforts, you have demonstrated your commitment to the highest standards of excellence, innovation and growth in the profession. Tonight is the time to acknowledge your efforts and celebrate your achievements with the rest of the profession.
Enjoy the rest of the evening. Thank you.