On behalf of the Institute, I would like to reflect on 2022 and thank you for your support and engagement with MIA and the profession.
In 2022, we continued to stride forward in forging a future-fit profession that contributes to sustainable nation building.
Among the highlights of the year were prioritising the environmental, social and governance (ESG) agenda to enhance the future relevance of the profession and better business. MIA delivered numerous programmes for upskilling members while enhancing the profession’s development and regulation, with an emphasis on standards, best practices and ethics.
We are equally committed to elevating members’ wellbeing in this challenging environment and launched the MIA Members Assistance Programme that seeks to support members’ psychological health. If you have not tried it yet, these services which include a full suite of digital features and a support network for professional coaching and counselling can be accessed through the MIA Careline.
For the year ahead, the Institute will continue to focus on strategic collaboration and sustainability to drive our development and regulation endeavours.
As always, strategic collaboration with diverse stakeholders will be imperative to advance the profession.
Importantly, we intend to increase collaboration with regulators to improve compliance and good governance especially in combating bogus accountants, uplifting sustainability and corporate disclosure, and strengthening audit quality and practice management to protect the public interest. This will be supported by programmes to build capacity and competency, especially via implementation of the International Standard on Quality Management (ISQM) 1 and embedding of ethics.
We are committed to enhancing the talent pipeline for the profession to address the skills shortage. In 2022, we collaborated actively with universities to convey the value proposition of the accountancy profession. In 2023, we plan to collaborate more with universities to penetrate into schools and expose young talents to the potentials of the profession earlier on.
Collaboration is also baked into the DNA of the MIA International Accountants Conference 2023, which returns in the physical form factor from 13-14 June. So do make a date for the Conference and reinvigorate your networks while learning from top leaders.
To elevate business continuity and sustainability, MIA will continue to emphasise digital adoption and accountants as leaders in the integration of the business environmental, social and governance (ESG) agenda. Proposed initiatives include the introduction of the Digital Technology Awards to celebrate and inspire the profession’s digital innovation and the development of MIA’s sustainability standard for the profession. MIA will also continue to support the International Sustainability Standards Board and its advocacy for sustainability reporting.
I hope that these insights have been useful and will help you to prepare to navigate 2023 successfully.
Once again, we thank you for helping the profession to achieve a memorable 2022, and we wish you a bountiful and prosperous 2023.
DATUK BAZLAN OSMAN
President
Malaysian Institute of Accountants
