ICA National Conference gets underway

The ceremonial inauguration of the ICA National Conference got underway in Colombo yesterday at the Waters Edge, Battaramulla with External Affairs Minister Prof G L Peiris attending as the chief guest President's Counsel and Attorney General of Sri Lanka Mohan Pieris delivering the keynote speech.

Themed, The world sees opportunity in Sri Lanka, the three-day conference organized by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (ICASL) which will conclude on October 30, has received an overwhelming response with nearly 1000 participants ranging from business leaders, CEOs, CFOs, functional directors, general managers, senior Government officials, academics as well as consultants confirming their participation at the inauguration ceremony followed by two days of technical sessions which will feature an eminent panel of paper presenters.

The technical sessions planned for October 29 and 30 will host six distinguished papers presenters, complemented by panel discussions with twenty local and foreign experts who are expected to use these sessions as a platform for fruitful deliberations.

Recognising the role of professional institutes in giving impetus to the country's development endeavour, this year's ICA National Conference is pitched as a business summit that will navigate on topics that are of relevance to a larger audience.

This year marks the 31st National Conference of ICASL, which was initiated in 1980. The conference is known across the industry to be a platform for sharing knowledge, expertise and the experience of a panel of high profile speakers from both the local and international arena.

With the overwhelming response received, the ICA National Conference is undoubtedly one of the most sought after events in the corporate calendar of Sri Lanka.

The technical sessions will commence on October 29, with the Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal initiating the session where he will speak on Sri Lanka - The way forward and the role of professionals. During his presentation, Cabraal will recognize and explore the role of the professionals and business leaders and challenges faced in a post-war development scenario.

This session will also discuss issues, challenges and strategies such as brain drain and brain gain, creating a conducive environment for active participation of professionals, educational reforms, productivity and efficiency, macroeconomic stability, governance, transparency, accountability and infrastructure. The 31st ICA National Conference aims to showcase the fact that Sri Lanka has now become the cynosure of all eyes, since the end of the war in 2009.

It is with this in mind that the theme, 'The world sees opportunity in Sri Lanka' was chosen for the year, 2010.

This year's conference will focus on realising the potential Sri Lanka has and the vision of the Government, to make Sri Lanka the Miracle of Asia.