The COVID-19 pandemic has not only disrupted the economy, it has, over the course of the past 18 months, made the role and functions of accounting and finance professionals become even more significant, a joint global survey, Finance Functions: Seizing the Opportunity* by ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) and PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers), revealed.
The survey, which elicited over 3,000 responses from accounting and financial professionals globally, showed respondents from Southeast Asia emphasising rapid changes in four key areas critical to surviving the economic crisis. These areas of focus were relevance; data and technology; skills and careers and; innovation and collaboration.
Given that finance teams have stepped up to the challenge and proven their relevance, they should now seize the opportunity to drive changes in the four critical areas that can make their role more relevant for the future.
Pulkit Abrol, ACCA Director of ASEAN ANZ said, “Finance functions are at a critical juncture today. Since the start of the pandemic, finance leaders have played a vital role in helping organisations survive and in some cases, thrive. From better cashflow management to supporting supply chain issues and dealing with the consequences on productivity, the contribution by finance teams during such an unprecedented crisis has been well appreciated by boards, executive leadership and external stakeholders.”
“The question then for finance teams is - what’s next? How should finance functions, particularly in Southeast Asia, capitalise on the greater relevance and impact it has engendered? How should they seize on even more opportunities to demonstrate value to the organisation?” he added.
In demonstrating values of the finance functions to organisations, the key opportunities identified in the report for Southeast Asian finance professionals are in expanding the digital transformation thrusts; forging trust and good ethics; sharpening skillsets, mindsets and behaviours needed to play the role of vertical and lateral super-connectors within the organisation and; addressing sustainability imperatives such as climate emergency, impact from and on natural capital and tackling social inequality issues.
Given the speed at which the accounting and finance profession is evolving in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ACCA Virtual Careers Fair 2021 (VCF 2021), taking place on Thursday, 15 July 2021, is an opportune time to rethink career.
On VCF 2021, Edward Ling, Portfolio Head of Maritime Southeast Asia at ACCA said, “Based on our success last year, we know that it is imperative to continue supporting employability during the pandemic via a virtual platform. Leveraging digitalisation in the wake of on-going uncertainties, the ACCA Virtual Careers Fair 2021 will be bigger and better in providing first-jobbers as well as finance and accounting professionals the opportunities for growth and career enhancements while presenting organisations access to talents who can make significant contributions in helping a company navigate its way out of the pandemic and forge ahead.”
“There are thousands of vacancies available at our event, with some of Malaysia’s and the world’s leading companies from the financial services, oil and gas, information and communications technology, healthcare, electronics, logistics and transportation industries who are looking to recruit not just for Malaysia but also across ASEAN, Australia and New Zealand. Among the ACCA Approved Employers participating are Maybank, Khazanah Nasional Berhad, PETRONAS, Intel Microelectronics, KPJ Healthcare Berhad, Samsung Malaysia Electronics, DHL Asia Pacific Shared Services, Grab, the Big Four audit firms, and many more.”
“These organisations and companies have positions available from entry level to senior management roles. You can expect jobs ranging from accounting trainees to financial analysts, in areas from audit and compliance to treasury and taxation.”
For more senior roles, ACCA is lining up real time interviews, a series of live and recorded career enhancement webinars from notable business leaders and,networking opportunities through virtual lounges.
For entry-level attendees, UK-based CV Writers is available for CV reviews and interview coaching, while there are also video calls and live chats with potential employers. Beyond this, Gen Z can get further assistance from ACCA’s wide-ranging virtual resources at https://www.accaglobal.com/gb/en/cam/rethinking-careers.html, available to them anytime, anywhere.
Aaron Saw, Head of Policy and Technical at ACCA Malaysia said, “While keen to get ahead in their career, fresh graduates and young professionals are facing challenges in this period where jobs are hard to come by, especially for those who lack experience and know-how. This is the reason why we have the fair, as we believe it is important to support and guide them. We note from a joint report carried out with the International Federation of Accountants, The Groundbreakers: Gen Z and the Future of Accountancy, that a majority of Gen Z (89%) are ambitious to progress quickly in their careers and (95%) expect to continually update their capabilities to remain employable.”
The joint report that builds on ACCA’s global research programme and supported by employer roundtables and third-party research, surveyed over 9,000 respondents aged from 18-25 across the globe exploring their views on a wide range of business and work-related issues.
Saw added, “Malaysia’s economy is undergoing a crucial period of transformation, where knowledge- and service-based activities will support the country’s ambition to become a high-income nation. The need for more professional accountants to meet our nation’s talent demand has never been more pressing than now. The VCF 2021 is the ideal platform to help Gen Z build their early career amidst a challenging landscape, fulfilling their aspirations and expectations in becoming future leaders and visionaries in the world of business.”
Register now at https://accaaseananzvcf.vfairs.com/ to enjoy a comprehensive career development experience at the VCF 2021, plus, a chance to win RM5,000 worth of shopping e-vouchers.
For more information about ACCA and the VCF 2021, please visit https://www.facebook.com/acca.my/ and https://www.accaglobal.com/ca/en.html.
