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NAfMA

National Award forManagement Accounting

• CIMA SE Asia launches NAfMA• New thought leadership publications for CGMAs• SE Asia wins awards at global final of CIMA Global

Business Challenge• Growing CIMA’s presence in Myanmar and Vietnam• Malaysian Junior Apprentice attracts overwhelming

participation

SE Asia Voice returns with more exciting updates for the period from May to early September 2013. Among the major highlights are the launch of the elevated National Award for Management Accounting

(NAfMA) and Malaysian Junior Apprentice (MJA), a new competition that drew an overwhelming response from 700 teams of secondary school students nationwide. The CIMA Global Business Challenge (GBC) global final in Johannesburg, South Africa, also brought cheer to the SE Asia region when the team from Singapore clinched second place and Indonesia won the Judge’s Choice video competition and the Future Business Leader award. Both MJA and GBC are aimed to promote management accounting to our younger Generation Ys.

On the student and membership recruitment front, the SE Asia region has done well. We are on track to meet the year’s target, with 92% achieved for students and 78% for members, as at the end of August 2013. This achievement was due mainly to our strategic partnerships with universities and tuition providers in the region. The face to face membership assessment was the key contributor to our membership growth where the admission rate was as high as 99%. To ensure a continuous pipeline of students, we continue to forge new partnerships with four tuition providers in Myanmar and the Myanmar Institute of Certified Public Accountants (MICPA). In Vietnam, we teamed up with a tuition provider, FTMS Global Academy, and the University of Finance-Marketing. To strengthen our outreach to undergraduates, we implemented a new initiative of organising roundtable discussions at universities where a panel of industry captains will discuss issues that are of interest to students. The first roundtable on Skills and Talents attracted more than 300 students from INTI International University and Universiti Teknologi MARA in Malaysia. We continued to profile the CIMA brand in all our activities in the region. Particularly in Singapore, we had a roundtable discussion on risk and innovation, published thought leadership articles in the Business Times, participated in a charity walk and was the Platinum Sponsor for the 2013 Singapore Accountancy Convention.

We are proud that our new Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) designation has attracted 128,000 members globally to date and they are helping to shape 95 of the world’s top 100 brands. To remain at the cutting edge of business developments, check out www.cgma.org for new reports and tools that range from resilient business models to understanding risk and innovation. Promoting the CGMA designation and the value of the CIMA qualification will be our priorities as we move towards 2014. We will continue to maintain our focus on membership and partnership engagement activities to strengthen our pipeline for future students and members growth.

Best wishes, Irene TengRegional DirectorSouth East Asia and Australasia

CIMAmembers and students

Dear

Jeremy Nasrulhaq FCMA, CGMANon-Executive Director, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad

The first thing is that you have to believe in yourself. You mustbelieve that you can do it, because belief comes before anything

else. Then, you must have an ambition to achieve something. Once you have determined what you want to achieve, you have to work hard towards it.

After eight years, the National Award for Management Accounting (NAfMA) assumes a new and elevated entity where recognition is awarded to individuals instead of companies. Professionals such as CEOs, CFOs, entrepreneurs, business managers, lecturers as well as CIMA students will be recognised for their outstanding contribution towards management accounting in Malaysia. Jointly awarded by CIMA and the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA), NAfMA was launched on 4 September with an evening cocktail at the Le Meridien Hotel in Kuala Lumpur. There are eight categories and nine awards.

• CEO of the year (public listed/non-listed company and SME)• CFO of the year• Organisation of the year• Business manager of the year• CIMA star of the year• CIMA student of the year• CIMA lecturer of the year• Outstanding contribution to business performance Winners of NAfMA will receive their awards during a gala dinner in July 2014. The supporting partners of NAfMA are KPMG and Universiti Teknologi MARA. More information on the new awards is available at www.nafma.my

CIMA SE Asia launches NAfMA

NAfMA guests of honour, Francis Chan (left), Deputy Chairman of South East Asia Regional Board, CIMA, and Johan Idris (right), President of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants, breaking the ice sculpture to remove the NAfMA trophy during the launch.

Proudly displaying the NAfMA trophy. (From left) Irene Teng,Regional Director, South East Asia and Australasia, CIMA,

Francis Chan, Johan Idris and Y Bhg Datin S K Yap,Chief Operating Officer, Malaysian Institute of Accountants.

Sacrifices enroute to successSuccess comes with sacrifices that you make along the route to achieve your goals. CIMA member Y Bhg Dato’ Michael Eow from Iris Corporation and Jeremy Nasrulhaq from Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad tell their inspiring stories in Issue 3 of INSPIRE. Read more at http://www.cimaglobal.com/Our-locations/Malaysia/News/

Y Bhg Dato’ Michael Eow FCMA, CGMAExecutive Director, Iris Corporation Berhad

That passion, determination and the focus must be there. That is the way to achieve success.

CGMA thought leadershipAs Chartered Global Management Accountants (CGMAs), keep yourself up to date with our latest publications below. More are available at www.cgma.org

Building world class businesses for the long term

This report looks at the role of the company in society and the realities of managing short-term and long term thinking.

Managing Innovation: Harnessing the power of finance

This report looks at companies promoting innovation while balancing risk in a tough economy. It also explores areas where management accountants can have a critical impact in promoting innovation and creating the conditions for sustainable business success.

Business model briefings

This is a series of briefings on how business model analysis can be used to improve business performance and to manage, use and build resilience into the business model.

Tomorrow’s Corporate Governance: The boardroom and risk

This report, from London-based think tank Tomorrow’s Company, shows how boards can better understand their risk exposure and make sure their organisation is as resilient as possible.

Essential tools for management accountants

This collection of resources brings together the top tools used by management accountants and outlines when and how best to use them for maximum value.

Building resilience: an introduction to business models

The report looks at why understanding business models is so vital to sustainable business success, and how finance professionals can help build business model resilience into strategic planning.

Enhancing CIMA’s profile in Singapore

CIMA and AICPA host roundtable on risk and innovation

Eight corporate leaders were on the panel of CIMA’s and AICPA’s risk and innovation roundtable held on 31 May 2013 at the Ritz Carlton in Singapore. They represented major companies such as American Express, Citibank, IBM Singapore, Rolls-Royce Singapore, EC Harris Singapore, Rawlinson & Hunter and QlikTech. Representing CIMA were Penny McLoughlin, Executive Director of Marketing, and Irene Teng, Regional Director of South East Asia and Australasia. AICPA was represented by Vice President, Ash Noah.

The roundtable was aimed at gaining insights into managing business risk whilst retaining a competitive focus on innovation, including the role of finance professionals in supporting risk-aware innovation.

Charity walk

CIMA was profiled under the corporate social responsibility lens when it became one of the main sponsors of the Habitat-Barclays Bare Your Sole charity walk. The walk aimed to raise funds for building homes for the poor. Representing CIMA were several members and students from Singapore, Shavonne Sim, Country Manager of CIMA Singapore and Yogi Thakker, Strategic Account Director.

Business Times features CIMA’s thought leadership

Full page articles on ‘risk and innovation’ and ‘the future of corporate reporting’ were published in the Business Times in Singapore in June and July 2013 respectively. Penny McLoughlin, Executive Director of Marketing, was interviewed for her insights on risk and innovation while CIMA’s Chief Executive, Charles Tilley FCMA, CGMA was interviewed on ‘integrated reporting’. Read both articles at http://www.cimaglobal.com/Our-locations/Singapore/News/

CIMA sponsors Singapore Accountancy Convention

CIMA SE Asia was a platinum sponsor of the Singapore Accountancy Convention held on 2 July 2013 at Marina Sands Bay, gaining tremendous publicity among the corporate leaders who attended the event.

The Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA) (formerly the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Singapore) organised the convention in conjunction with its 50th anniversary. ISCA confers the Chartered Accountant of Singapore [CA (Singapore)] designation and administers the Singapore Qualification Programme, a programme for accounting and non-accounting graduates to attain the CA (Singapore) designation.

Roundtable panellists with Penny McLoughlin (7th from left), Irene Teng (5th from left) and Ash Noah (4th from left).

Participants walking barefoot to raise funds for the poor.

Shavonne Sim (left), Country Manager for Singapore, receiving a token of appreciation from Dr Tony Tan, President of Singapore. Looking on is Dr Ernest Kan, President of ISCA.

SE Asia country finalsThe SE Asia countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam held their GBC national finals in the months of May to July 2013. The country champions who represented SE Asia at the global final in South Africa were:

• Super Team from University of Indonesia• Team E-Z from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia• Team Eureka from MHR Management Institute, Myanmar• Team Power Up from De La Salle University, Philippines• Team Joww from Singapore Management University• Team Panorama from Thammasat University, Thailand• Team Alpha from RMIT, Vietnam.

SE Asia region wins awards at the GBC global finalTeam Joww of Singapore Management University clinched second place at the CIMA Global Business Challenge global final held at the beautiful Maslow Hotel in Johannesburg, South Africa from 26-29 August 2013. They beat 23 other country champion teams. First place went to the team from Russia – Team Fusion from Financial University while the third place was won by Team Buzz and Woody from Zhejiang University, China.

The SE Asia region not only won the second place but also awards for the Judge’s Choice video competition and the Future Business Leader. The video award went to Super Team from the University of Indonesia. Madhatilla Amalia from the same university was the best Future Business Leader for his superb presentation and speaking skills at the competition. The People’s Choice video competition was won by Team Pinnacle from Middlesex University, Dubai.

All the 24 country champion teams comprising 96 undergraduates had a great time in South Africa. For most of them, it was their first visit to the country. Their schedule also included a welcome dinner, rehearsals for the GBC, visit to Barclays (GBC global headline partner) and sightseeing to Nelson Mandela Square, Peacemakers Museum and Soweto.

The GBC global champion team from Russia.

Myanmar’s Team Eureka

Indonesia’s Super Team

Malaysia’s Team E-Z

Thailand’s Team PanoramaSingapore’s Team Joww

Philippines’ Team Power Up

Vietnam’s Team Alpha

Scholarships for students in Myanmar 25 students in Myanmar received scholarships from CIMA to pursue the CIMA professional qualification. The scholarships were awarded jointly with the British Council Myanmar. The scholarships are for students who are citizens of Myanmar, aged 16 years and above and who have excelled in their high school subjects including English. Those who have successfully completed the LCCI Level 3 Diploma are also eligible. Scholarship recipients will study for the CIMA Certificate of Business Accounting at one of four official CIMA tuition providers, i.e. Institute of Accounting & Finance, MHR Centre II (Business Institute), Nay Lin Aung Finance & Accountancy Academy and Zaw Business School. Upon successful completion of the certificate level, the students can proceed to study the professional level of the CIMA qualification. Enquiries on the CIMA scholarship can be directed to Wendy at T. +95 94 2532 0504 or email Wendy.TinWinKyi@cimaglobal.com

Enhancing student recruitment in Vietnam and Myanmar CIMA SE Asia has signed agreements with several education institutes in Vietnam and Myanmar to provide tuition on the CIMA qualification to students in both countries.

On 17 May 2013, a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) was signed with FTMS Global Academy in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. FTMS will organise CIMA classes in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Meanwhile, the MoA with the University of Finance-Marketing in Vietnam signed on 19 July 2013 will see the establishment of a new programme for Bachelor of Accounting students to pursue the CIMA qualification. It will also allow for collaboration in the areas of CPD and research. A networking cocktail was held on 18 July 2013 at the New World Saigon Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City. During this event, deserving students received CIMA scholarships while long serving CIMA members received membership pins.

In Yangon, Myanmar, CIMA signed MoAs on 20 May 2013 with four tuition providers - IMA Institute of Accounting & Finance, MHR Centre II (Business Institute), Nay Lin Aung Finance & Accountancy Academy and Zaw Business School. These tuition providers will help to strengthen our student recruitment efforts in Myanmar. During his visit to the region last July, Andrew Harding, Managing Director of CIMA, unveiled plaques at the the premises of these tuition providers to mark the strategic partnerships.

CIMA will also work with the Myanmar Institute of Certified Public Accountants (MICPA) to jointly develop the management accounting profession in the country, following the signing of an MoU on 16 July 2013.

Andrew Harding (2nd from left), Managing Director of CIMA, exchanging the signed MoU with U Kyaw Tin, Chairman of MICPA.

CIMA sealed a strategic partnership withfour tuition providers in Myanmar on 20 May 2013.

A CIMA member receiving his membership pin from Andrew Harding (left), Managing Director of CIMA, during an evening cocktail in Vietnam.

Scholarship recipients with staff of CIMA and the British Council after the award ceremony in Myanmar.

Team Lady Vack wins the Malaysian Junior Apprentice 2013

A great business idea, a creative video, a superbly written proposal and a fluent oral presentation were factors that clinched the top prize for Team Lady Vack from SMK Seksyen 24 school in Shah Alam, Selangor, in the Malaysian Junior Apprentice (MJA) 2013 national finals held at Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam, on 21 August 2013. Team Lady Vack won the championship trophy, iPad Minis, scholarships to study CIMA and RM10,000 for their school. Their innovative business idea was a remote controlled flying vacuum cleaner that can reach high ceilings in buildings such as hotels and hospitals.

Team Lady Vack beat five other finalists. The first runner-up was The Extroverts from Sekolah Seri Puteri, Cyberjaya while third place went to CAMRIG from SM Lok Yuk Kota Kinabalu (CF) Sabah. Prior to the national finals, the six teams spent one and a half days at a CIMA workshop to improve their presentation skills. This was facilitated by a CIMA member, Sharmini Ariaratnam, who is also a Toastmaster. Young entrepreneurs such as Sherena Razaly, Jan Wong and Bambang Soteto were also present to speak on ‘Putting ideas into action‘, ‘Online marketing’ and ‘Industry competition’ respectively.

The MJA was organised for the first time by CIMA SE Asia, in collaboration with Universiti Teknologi MARA, to promote an understanding of management accounting among secondary school students. We were fortunate to have the support of the Ministry of Education which enabled MJA to reach all schools in Malaysia. Great support was also received by young entrepreneurs such as Melinda Looi, Jan Wong, Winnie Loo, Bambang Soteto and Sherena Razaly who gave valuable business tips in a video format. We are also grateful to the gold sponsor (QSR Brands (M) Holdings Sdn Bhd) and silver sponsors (Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad, Plus Malaysia Berhad, Bank Kerjasama Rakyat Malaysia Berhad and Perbadanan Usahawan Nasional Berhad).

Y Bhg Tan Sri Abd Ghafar bin Mahmud (2nd from left), Director General of Education, Malaysia, launching the Malaysian Junior Apprentice on 21 August 2013.

Team Lady Vack - proud winner of the MalaysianJunior Apprentice. On the left is Irene Teng, Regional Director of South East Asia and Australasia. On the right is Puan Haznah binti Hamzah, Headmistress of SMK Seksyen 24, Shah Alam.

MJA finalists brushing up on their presentation skills during the workshop.

A member of The Extroverts team showing their instant T-shirt printing service.

The Camrig team setting up their 5-in-1 camera support equipment which has a camera stabiliser, slider, dolly, shoulder rig and tripod stand.

CIMA re-instates Fellow membership of Myanmar professionalCIMA has re-instated the institute’s Fellow membership upon Myanmar stalwart, Professor U Maw Than, in recognition of his immense contributions to the accountancy profession and society in Myanmar. Professor U Maw Than became a member of CIMA in 1970 but was unable to maintain his membership due to unfortunate circumstances.

Professor U Maw Than is a distinguished academic and finance professional and the former rector of Yangon’s Institute of Economics. He currently contributes his vast expertise as a member of various organisations including the Think Tank of Finance and Revenue Ministry, Central Bank of Myanmar, Myanmar Accountancy Council and the Tax Assessment Board.

Regional staff conferenceThe CIMA SE Asia and Australasia staff conference took place at the CIMA office in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia on 26-28 June 2013, incorporating both business and fun. The staff had the opportunity to learn and apply the Balanced Scorecard. They also learnt more about their own personalities and that of their colleagues

by using the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Each staff received an interpretive report on their personality preferences. There was also a business game on Fast Fashion which is a case study modeled after Paper T4 which helped the staff to understand management accounting better. The last day of the staff conference focused on team building activities such as dodgeball and building the tallest tower with straws. The day ended with a dinner at a karaoke lounge near the office, where staff displayed their hidden talents in singing and performing.

A popular route to CIMA membership56 exam completed students from Indonesia, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore were successfully admitted as Associate members of CIMA during the face to face membership assessment held on 24 August 2013. In addition, 14 students who have completed T4 Part A had their practical experience approved and they will be admitted as members upon successful completion of T4 Part B.

The membership assessment was led by Elaine Richardson, Chairperson of the CIMA Membership Board. Assisting her were Karen Newbury and global assessors Lim Kian Hui, Francis Chan, Danny Tan, Bernard Chai, Alex Koay and Tan Chee Wan.

The CIMA SE Asia and Australasia teams.

Professor U Maw Than (centre) receiving the membership plaque from Andrew Harding (left), Managing Director of CIMA. Looking on is Irene Teng, Regional Director, South East Asia and Australasia.

Members of the assessment team - (from left) Tan Chee Wan, Karen Newbury, Elaine Richardson and Lim Kian Hui.

Building the tallest structure with straws – much depended on teamwork and strong leadership.

Roundtable on skills and talent attracts students from INTI and UiTM

More than 300 students from INTI and UiTM attended a roundtable organised by CIMA SE Asia on 4 September 2013 where distinguished panellists discussed the issue of skills and talent and its impact on companies and Gen-Y.

The panelists were Ahmad Fer-Rouse Ahmad Khairuddin, Senior General Manager, Felda Global Ventures Holdings; Foo Ai Li, Gobal Billing Operations Manager, Shell; Dr Ng Boon Beng, Finance Manager, Oracle Corp Malaysia; Siew Chin Kiang, Senior Partner, KPMG; Steve Parks, Director, Michael Page and Wan Haslan Wan Hassan, CFO, Iskandar Investment Berhad. Moderated by Dr Noel Tagoe, CIMA’s Executive Director of Education, the roundtable held at INTI International College Subang, covered areas such as critical skills required by employers , how companies bridge the skills gaps and the challenges faced in hiring fresh graduates. Much insight was also gained by the student attendees in understanding the disparity between Gen-Y’s perception of employability and that of employers and whether graduates today would be able to survive the corporate working environment with the skills that they possess.

Reaching out to HR professionalsTo foster closer links and to raise awareness of management accounting among HR professionals, CIMA SE Asia organised two breakfast forums in Malaysia and Singapore last June. Several top recruiters were present at the forum, including Michael Page, Robert Walters Consultancy, BTI Consultants, KS Consulting, Robert Half and Hudson Consulting. The breakfast forum received positive feedback as the recruiters now have a clearer understanding of management accounting and how it impacts on an organisation’s success.

In the UK, CIMA and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) have announced a new strategic collaboration. Both will embark on joint research in areas such as ‘big data’, integrated business reporting and shared services for HR and finance.

New report and case study on skills and talentCIMA SE Asia has published two documents related to skills and talent for the shared services industry.

The first document details the outcome of a skills and talent roundtable held early this year which was attended by senior executives from the shared services industry in Malaysia. The findings show that Malaysia is increasingly an attractive destination for companies wishing to move aspects of their finance function to a finance shared services centre, with implications on talent pipelines for this segment of the industry. The second document is a case study on a career in shared services where it shows the flexibility and career opportunities in shared services.

Both reports are available at http://www.cimaglobal.com/Our-locations/Malaysia/News/

The huge crowd of students with the panellists and staff of CIMA, INTI and UiTM giving a cheer at the end of the roundtable.

Dr Noel Tagoe (centre) leading the roundtable discussion with panellists (from left) Siew Chin Kiang, Steve Parks, Wan Haslan Wan Hassan, Ahmad Fer-Rouse Ahmad Khairuddin, Dr Ng Boon Beng and Foo Ai Li.