Page 7 - PA Apr-June 2016 (22-6-2016)

President’s Page ffective leadership is a never ending process of evolution and progress through self-study, education, training and experience. To inspire, one must: be, know and do. These traits don’t E come naturally alone, but are acquired through continuous and rigorous efforts. Good leaders continuously strive to improve on their leadership skills. Change is ‘endemic’ to all organisations and the ability to lead change is increasingly vital for chartered accountants to build a successful career as well as the sustainability of organisations they belong to. Finance professionals hold a wide array of roles across the organisations typically in conjunction with the central remit that the finance function takes as a core driver of performance and management. Currently, we are seeing global shifts in regulation and business practices. Being the business leaders of tomorrow, chartered accountants are taking the lead and successfully delivering their responsibilities to their organisations towards governance, strategy, performance and prospects over the short, medium and long term. They are the intellectual and technical experts and resource who will own the business process and lead the way. ICAP has put much dedication and efforts into promoting appropriate regulations and the CA Pakistan brand. The Institute’s commitment to the ongoing positive reputation and influence of chartered accountants is evident in the work it undertakes to ensure that our profession continues to be aware of its role and obligations in an evolving and changing local and global environment, including consideration of how the chartered accountants can assist in the necessary move to a sustainable economy. As leaders of the accountancy profession, ICAP has undertaken a responsibility to embed in its members, the core values i.e. integrity, reliability, independence, and accountability which must lie at the heart of any successful and sustainable business; ensuring that such values remain an intrinsic element of their members’ work, never becoming viewed as optional extras, secondary to profit and acquisition. This noble profession is a responsibility, which our members seek to discharge with commitment, dedication, competence and honour. I am very positive about the future for chartered accountants – for those with the right skills and urge to continuously evolve, the future presents great opportunities. In order to lead, you should believe in the inspiration, commitment and hard work and be exemplary to your team mates and the peers. This profession is the only profession that wants everybody to be a somebody – a doer and a role model. That’s the spirit we have to recapture again and again. "If you want to lead, you just have to believe in You." Hafiz Mohammad Yousaf April - June 2016 The Pakistan Accountant 5