24th August 2017: In the midst increasing complexities and volatility, and with businesses expected to become more dynamic and adapt to change continuously, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka) will take the lead in promoting the important need for corporate leaders to embrace dynamism and agility at the 38th National Conference of Chartered Accountants scheduled to be held in October this year.
The conference, which has built a reputation as one of Sri Lanka’s most sought after and highly attended annual business summits, will this year revolve around the theme ‘Dynamism – Agility in Leadership’. During the three day conference, from 25th to 27th October 2017 at BMICH, Colombo, both local and international speakers will steer the over 1500 delegates to think out of the box and understand why it is increasingly important to incorporate dynamism within the corporate culture in Sri Lanka and also look at developing more agile leaders, who understand the importance of changing with time, to ensure sustainable and successful corporates.
Addressing a press conference held in Colombo, President of CA Sri Lanka Mr. Lasantha Wickremasinghe said that as a country that belongs to the fastest growing region, Sri Lanka too can take great advantage of this exponential growth. “Although we are a small nation, we have the potential to become a global player due to our strategic location in the world map. But, to reach this goal, we need leadership with proper vision. We cannot only expect governments and policy makers to drive our country forward. As professionals, we too have responsibilities to support this forward journey,” he said.
Therefore, Mr. Wickremasinghe explained that there is an increasing need to encourage agility across the broader spectrum, be it at a national level or corporate level. “Because agility has been identified as an important factor that will drive a leadership to help achieve success, despite increasing volatility, uncertainty and complexity,” he said.
Mr. Wickremasinghe also said that the technological revolution is another reason why more and more businesses as well as professionals and corporate leadership need to understand the need to adapt with time and stay relevant by being more agile and dynamic in maneuvering businesses.
The 38th National Conference theme was unveiled by Mr. Wickremasinghe in the presence of CA Sri Lanka’s Vice President Mr. Jagath Perera, Chairman of the National Conference Committee Mr. Tishan Subasinghe, Chairperson of the National Conference Technical Committee Ms. Anoji De Silva and Chief Executive Officer Mr. Aruna Alwis.
Chairman of the National Conference Committee Mr. Tishan Subasinghe said that there is an increasing need to see more agility and dynamism among business leaders, who also comprise of Chartered Accountants. “Therefore, this year’s national conference will shed important insights on why it’s important to create agile leaders, who know when to adapt, and change with times and more importantly be flexible and move away from archaic mindsets. The national conference, is the perfect platform to help influence senior executives and business leaders, to understand the importance of an agile culture in an organisation as well the need to groom agile and dynamic leaders, who will not only enjoy individual professional success, but will also help their organisations progress,” he said.
Mr. Subasinghe said last year the conference recorded the highest participation with a total of 1658 delegates taking part in it, which also included top business leaders. “An important factor at last year’s conference was the demand by non-members of the institute to participate in the conference, but due to limited seating capacity, we could not accommodate the ever increasing demand, and so we also offer the option of transmitting the conference live via webcast,” he added.
Delivering the rationale behind this year’s theme, Chairperson of the National Conference Technical Committee Ms. Anoji De Silva pointed out that as organizations grow it becomes increasingly difficult to change faster as managers tend to confine themselves in their comfort zones. “To break these barriers and constantly challenge the status quo, organizations will require visionary leaders, and agile leadership is the most critical because without an agile leader it is unlikely that an organization can develop and inculcate an agile culture,” she said.
Ms. De Silva also noted that agility of few leaders in an organization would be of no value if most of the other decision makers are dinosaurs, and hence this is where the culture of agility becomes so important to ensure the momentum of change continues. “To survive in this highly volatile and complex world, firms must demonstrate agility in fulfilling customer expectations, product design and enhancement, collaborative innovation and organizational structures. Leaders need to develop a level of organizational agility that matches the increasing level of change and complexity in their business environment,” she added.