MELBOURNE, 16 March 2024: The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) Melbourne chapter today weaved a new high technology future themed ‘Lead the Wave’ for chartered accountants, with speakers detailing the challenges faced and solutions in new technology driven situations.
The day-long program saw Guests of Honour Charanjit Singh Nanda, Vice President, ICAI and Indian Consul General Dr. Sushil Kumar preceded by the Chief Guest Ranjeet Kumar Agarwal, President, ICAI addressing prominent members of the Melbourne chapter of the ICAI from across Melbourne. Dr. Sushil Kumar congratulated the organisation for the conference and spoke about the Indian government’s vision and how professionals like chartered accountants can play an important role here and back home.
CA Charanjot Singh Nanda, Vice President of ICAI showed his utmost pleasure in addressing the group of Chartered Accountants and CPAs and exhibited his oratory skills by citing some pertinent verses from the ancient greats.
CA Ranjeet Kumar Agarwal in his address talked about how the role of the CA’s is important in India with 16 lakh companies, where they do the accounting, in addition to the 4,400 insolvency professional’s and those dealing with the GST. The new ICAI App, he said, was aimed to help 400,000 qualified members, 850,000 students and 42,000 CA’s working overseas to rope all of them into one thread. The CA profession has grown for 75 years and now the ICAI was geared to take it to the next advanced technological level, he said. Talking to South Asia Times (SAT) he explained:
Mr Agarwal further explained the role of ICAI and its various chapters in Australia and how CA’s in Australia can invest in India’s Gift City where the tax exemption is for ten years and also retain their non-resident status. And, this is being done with the support of the ICAI.
The program was attended by many senior guests including Federal Labor MP and Chair of Standing committee on Economics Dr. Daniel Mulino, President, and Chair of CPA Australia Distinguished Professor Dale Pinto, FCPA, Delegates from CAANZ Navini Peiris, Manager International relations and Mr. Anthony Takyi, Vic regional head CAANZ, President of Australia India Business Council Victoria Mr Rob Thomason among others.
The Chairman of Australian (Melbourne) Chapter of ICAI, CA Rajnish Kumar Singh, welcomed the members and dignitaries present and said that the Melbourne Chapter was founded in 2006 by small number of migrant Chartered Accountants from India including himself and the Chapter now has risen to about 200 active members and total 400 in Victoria. Rajnish feels proud being associated with the Melbourne Chapter for last 18 years and carrying ICAI vision and strategies.
He expressed his gratitude towards his counter parts from Sydney and Brisbane, Chairpersons of Australian (Sydney) Chapters of ICAI CA Tanuja Bissa, Vice Chair Sydney Chapter CA Shantilal Jain, Chair of Australian (Brisbane) Chapter of ICAI CA Swagatika Panigrahi for travelling to Melbourne for attending the conference. He also thanked CA Srirama, Chair, Australian (Adelaide) Chapter of ICAI for his good wishes for the conference.
The day long event was attended by over hundred participants. The topics presented were in line with the theme “Lead the wave”, and covered emerging cutting-edge areas like
- Broader economic outlook and policies covering macroeconomic issues including: the alignment of fiscal and monetary policy and the longer-term productivity challenge by Federal MP, and Chair of Standing committee on Economics Australian Parliament Dr. Daniel Mulino
- Business transformation by CA Darshan Parikh, CFO & CTO Club Assist APAC,
- Creating efficiencies by leveraging digital platforms as IAAS and PAAS (infrastructure as a service, Platform as a service) by President Hinduja Global Services APAC, Mr. Pushkar Mishra,
- Agility in volatility and uncertainty by Mrs Jyoti Dandona, Digital transformation expert at Broadcom and Mr. Kiran Kanchan, Enterprise Agility Lead, MLC
- Australia India emerging trade opportunities by Rob Thamason, President Australia India Business Council Victoria
- Opportunities in Carbon market by Mr. Anil Bhatta, Director Carbon & Clean Energy Solutions
- AI and its application in connecting Founders to Angel Investors by Tick Jiang, Founder and CEO of NuVC.ai
- And the IWD panel moderated by CA Rajnish Singh with Panellists CA Anbu Mohan, Past Chair ICAI Melbourne Chapter, CA Tanuja Bissa, Chairperson ICAI Sydney Chapter and CA Swagatika Panigrahi, ICAI Brisbane Chapter.
