Dear members,
July brings honours from the government and I congratulate the Institute members on their honours in the 2019 Government Honours List. Past vice-president Carlson Tong received a Gold Bauhinia Star, member Fung Pui-cheung, a Bronze Bauhinia Star, and past president Clement Chan received a Medal of Honour. There were also three new Justices of Peace, Kwok Wing Leung, Andy, Leung Yin Fun, Fanny, and lay council member Theresa Ng Choi Yuk. These honours are recognition for all of their commitment and dedication to Hong Kong and to its future, and I heartedly congratulate all of them for receiving the recognition they deserve.
July is also the start of the Institute’s new financial year – and it’s a year with many changes and opportunities ahead. The Institute has a new Chief Executive and Registrar Margaret Chan, who is getting to grips with the Institute’s activities and has been meeting our stakeholders, the rolling out of the new Qualification Programme to train future generations of Accountants Plus, and – as you may have noticed – changes to A Plus.
This is the first revamp for the magazine in four years and will introduce new features in this issue and next. This issue brings new columns called “Second Opinions” and “Young Member of the Month.” Next month will introduce a quarterly specialist field feature – starting with forensic accounting, “Meet the Speaker” discussing an upcoming continuous professional development course, and a refreshed life section featuring travel and reading suggestions from the Institute’s members and students. Please let us know what you think about the new features.
“It is vital for the leadership of the Institute to meet with a wide range of our members to hear their voices. As well as members, meetings with stakeholders keep us informed about other developments which may affect the profession.”
It is also the entry time for the 20th Best Corporate Governance Awards, the Institute’s flagship awards for promoting good corpo- rate governance among Hong Kong entities. The awards are open for entry until 12 August. The awards are a recognized and respected yardstick of not just corporate governance but also sustainability and social responsibility reporting standards. I look forward to chairing the awards judging panel and learning more about how the best achievers in corporate governance go beyond the minimum legal and regulatory requirements and provide voluntary disclosures and practices that set a high bar. You can find out more about why corporate governance is important in this month’s thought leadership column.
Margaret and I attended the Integrity Cup Badminton Competition held between 19-21 July in Dongguan to cheer on our Institute team in the competition with 26 other teams from across Guangdong province, Macau and Hong Kong. The team achieved great success, winning the overall competition and also individual awards including men’s singles, men’s doubles and women’s doubles. Congratulations to the team for their results.
I attended the Recreation and Sports Club of Hong Kong Professional Bodies’ Annual Dinner on 27 July with Vice-President Nelson Lam, the chief executive, and representatives from the Institute’s sports interest groups. We cheered on our CPA singers in the competition and enjoyed a relaxing night socializing with representatives from Hong Kong’s other professional bodies.
It is vital for the leadership of the Institute to meet with a wide range of our members to hear their voices. As well as members, meetings with stakeholders keep us informed about other developments which may affect the profession.
Finally, as we move into August, there’s no Council meeting, but the leadership team will still be working hard with Margaret to prepare the Institute for the future. If you’re taking some time away from work to go for a summer break with your families, I hope you enjoy your break, recharge, and come back refreshed.
Patrick Law
President
