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- ISCA Cares marks its 10th anniversary with the launch of “Making it Count”, a commemorative book series celebrating the accomplished professional careers and contributions of eight Distinguished Lifetime Members
- ISCA honours exemplary leaders in the accountancy profession with the Distinguished Lifetime Membership and Special Appreciation Award
Singapore, 19 August 2025 – The Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA) celebrated the 10th anniversary of its charity arm, ISCA Cares, at its Annual Dinner today. To mark the milestone, Ms Indranee Rajah, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Second Minister for Finance and National Development launched ISCA Cares’ 10th anniversary commemorative book series, “Making it Count”.
The book series showcases the life stories and reflections of eight Distinguished Lifetime Members, who have made outstanding contributions to the accountancy profession, business community, and public service. Through their personal stories and guiding values, the stories aim to inspire younger generations to explore accountancy as a meaningful and impactful career.
At the dinner, ISCA also honoured and recognised exemplary leaders in the accountancy profession with the conferment of the Distinguished Lifetime Membership and Special Appreciation Award.
The Distinguished Lifetime Membership, conferred upon esteemed individuals who have made significant contributions to the accountancy profession, the business community and public service, was awarded to Dr Ernest Kan.
Dr Kan, former President of ISCA, said: “I am honoured to receive the ISCA Distinguished Lifetime Membership. The profession has given me so much, and it has been a privilege to contribute to its reform agenda and developments when l was the President. I am heartened to see how ISCA has grown into a key pillar of Singapore’s accountancy ecosystem, and I remain confident that the profession will continue to thrive with the next generation of dedicated professionals.”
Mr Max Loh, Chairman of ISCA Cares, was presented with the ISCA Special Appreciation Award in recognition of his significant contributions to ISCA and the accountancy sector in Singapore.
Mr Loh said: “It is a great honour to be recognised with the ISCA Special Appreciation Award. I have always believed in the importance of giving back to the profession and community. Purpose, Passion, Perseverance and Positivity are what is required to continually uplift the accountancy profession and contribute to the community, and I am very humbled to have been afforded opportunities to do so all these years.”
Mr Loh has stepped down as Chairman of ISCA Cares and officially handed over the Chairmanship to Professor Ang Hak Seng at the dinner.
For details about the ISCA Distinguished Lifetime Member and Special Appreciation Award recipient, refer to the Annex.
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For more information, please contact:
Seah Yi Qin
Manager, Communications
Tel: 9833 3904
Email: yiqin.seah@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 40,000 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
About Distinguished Lifetime Member
Dr Ernest Kan Yaw Kiong
Dr Ernest Kan Yaw Kiong, FCA (Singapore), was part of the Deloitte leadership team for sixteen years, where he was the Chief-of-Operation (Clients & Markets) from 2007 to 2016 and Deputy Managing Partner (Markets) from 2016 to 2018. He played a major role in the firm’s operations, particularly in client management and market development, and was a Board Member of the Deloitte Global Chinese Services Group for more than two decades. His professional expertise spans financial audit & assurance, capital markets consultancy and IPO advisory.
Dr Kan has held prominent leadership positions in the accounting profession, including 14 years on the National Accounting Body Council and was President of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Singapore (ICPAS) in 2009, where he led the transition and transformation of ICPAS into the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA) in 2013. During his time as ICPAS Council member and concurrently as Board Member of the Public Accountants Board “PAB” (which later merged with the Registry of Companies [ROC] to become Accounting & Corporate Regulatory Authority [ACRA] in 2004), he was appointed by the Ministry of Finance to chair the Auditor Independence Committee that developed the auditor independence rules, which were gazetted in 2002. This is not only a significant milestone that enhanced corporate governance and public accountancy practices but also first for Singapore in its governance standing as a world-class business and financial centre.
There are several “Firsts” in his journey serving the accounting profession. He was the first Chairman of the Singapore Institute of Accredited Tax Professionals in 2010 and at international level, the first Singapore representative to serve on the Board of the International Federation of Accountants, which represents over 3 million accountants in 135 jurisdictions. Further, he was the first Singapore representative in the Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales. At regional level, he contributed to regional accountancy development through his role in the ASEAN Federation of Accountants.
In the corporate sector, Dr Kan currently serves as a Non-Executive Independent Director of CapitaLand India Trust and Zheneng Jinjiang Environment Holding, both listed on SGX. He is also the Deputy Chairman of Yellow Ribbon Industries. Previously, he was Chief Advisor (Capital Markets China) at Singapore Exchange (SGX), where he helped strengthen SGX’s presence in Greater China. He has been active in the education sector and is currently a Governing Board Member of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in NUS and concurrently serving on its Exco and Finance Committee. He formerly served on the inaugural School of Accountancy Advisory Board of the Singapore Management University for close to two decades and as its chairman for more than half that time.
Dr Kan contributes actively to public service. A Justice of the Peace, he serves on the Board of Visiting Justices and Board of Inspection under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Others included the Resource Panel for the Government Parliamentary Committee (Finance and Trade & Industry), and the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s Appeal Advisory Panel. He is also Chairman of the Peoples’ Association’s Grassroots Mentor Committee, Honorary Chairman of Punggol West Citizens’ Consultative Committee (CCC) and is Vice President of the Singapore Table Tennis Association, a National Sports Association.
In early 2025, Dr Kan was appointed as Singapore’s Non-Resident High Commissioner to the Republic of Kenya, As Chairman of Punggol North CCC and Punggol West CCC respectively, he has been recognised for his services with the Public Service Medal “PBM” in 2008 and the Public Service Star “BBM” in 2017.
He also served on the Board of ACRA (2004-2010), the former Singapore Accountancy Commission under the Ministry of Finance and was part of the Committee to Develop the Accountancy Sector formed by MOF in 2008 to undertake a fundamental review of the accountancy sector.
About Special Appreciation Award Recipient
Mr Max Loh Khum Whai
Mr Max Loh Khum Whai, FCA (Singapore), is the Chairman of ISCA Cares, the charity arm of ISCA, and has made significant contributions to the charity since its set up 10 years ago. He has been chairing ISCA Cares since 2020, having served as the Deputy Chairman since its inception in August 2015.
Mr Loh led the team to grow this Institution of Public Character, from supporting 15 beneficiaries in the first year to over 60 beneficiaries in 2024. Its Education Programme has awarded over $1.2 million in bursaries to more than 370 ISCA Cares Ambassadors who are students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds. ISCA Cares represents a collective effort of the accountancy profession to give back to society by providing a platform for the profession to support worthy and meaningful causes. The charity provides needy Singapore youths with academic potential, access to quality accountancy education so that they can maximise their potential. It also harnesses the knowledge, skills and expertise of the accountancy community through collaborative programmes with appropriate partners to develop the community.
During Mr Loh’s tenure as Chairman, ISCA Cares expanded its Bursary Awards to benefit more aspiring accountancy students. In addition to supporting students from local universities and polytechnics, it extended its support to include ITE students and Singapore Chartered Accountant Qualification (SCAQ) candidates from financially vulnerable families. He also led the charity to expand its work to drive community impact, forging partnerships with the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and tapping on the accountancy network to support charities and not-for-profit organisations. ISCA Cares was conferred the Charity Transparency Award in 2024.
Mr Max Loh made significant contributions during his tenure as the Managing Partner of EY for Asean, Singapore and Brunei till 2022. Appointed in 2011 as Managing Partner for Asean and Singapore, he led and managed the EY Asean business and operations, providing strategic leadership on market and people development. With years of assurance and business advisory experience, his clients spanned a broad range of industries including technology, food and beverage, construction, manufacturing, trading, hospitality, financial institutions and government concerns.
His contribution extends beyond the accountancy profession and business community to include serving as Chairman of Competition & Consumer Commission of Singapore and the Fair Tenancy Industry Committee, Deputy Chairman of Building & Construction Authority and past President of the Singapore Council of CPA Australia. He was also a former board member of Enterprise Singapore, Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority, Health Sciences Authority and Singapore Polytechnic.