At the 46th Annual General Meeting of ACCA Sri Lanka held at the Cinnamon Grand Colombo recently, Jehan Perinpanayagam, CEO of Infomate and Vice President of John Keells Holdings, was reappointed as the Chairman of the Member Network Panel of ACCA Sri Lanka for the year 2023/2024.  Jehan possesses more than 27 years of experience in the IT/BPM industry, specializing in process excellence and leading large teams. He has a remarkable record of successfully implementing process improvements, automation, and innovation.

Notably, Jehan played a crucial role in establishing the first rural BPO in Sri Lanka, which has now become a renowned global entity serving numerous prominent international organizations. Additionally, he holds the position of Vice Chairman in the Sri Lanka Association of Software and Services Companies (SLASSCOM), the Australia New Zealand Business Council, and the Nordic Business Council. Furthermore, Jehan is an esteemed member of the Sri Lanka Canada Business Council, contributing his expertise as a longstanding committee member.

The executive committee for the year 2023/2024 included Chaaminda Kumarasiri: Chairman of H C P Consulting (Pvt) Ltd (Vice Chairman of the Member Network Panel), Adrian Perera: CEO of Lanka Rating Agency, Praveen Ruberu: Principal at Ernst & Young, Darshana Gunasekera: Group Finance Director at Dilmah Ceylon Tea Company PLC / MJF Group, Shehan Fernando: CEO of Alpha Business School, Prasenna Balachandran: Chief Internal Auditor at Laugfs Holdings and Navin Karunadasa: Senior Business Analyst at LSEG (London Stock Exchange Group).

With their vision to be "#1 in developing the accountancy profession the world needs, ACCA globally have been aligned in striving to be bold in creating and taking opportunities to build the attractiveness and relevance of the profession, targeting geographies, sectors, and segments, and driving student progression.

In line with ACCA’s strategic priorities, ACCA Sri Lanka outlined several bold moves for the year 2023-24. These included building members pride, working with and attracting Gen Z to the profession, shaping the future of learning and assessment through initiatives like the global roll-out of the ACCA Study Hub, delivering member value, driving student progression and  progressing their digital transformation.

ACCA Sri Lanka also strengthened their partnerships with approved learning partners (ALPs), professional bodies, employers and universities to develop fully fledged professionals by connecting students, employers, and ALPs. As such, ALPHA Business School has been awarded the Gold ALP status, and ACCA Sri Lanka now have three gold partners and one silver partner in the market.

ACCA has also signed memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with various universities in Sri Lanka that included the University of Kelaniya, University of Vavuniya, University of Jaffna, and Uva Wellasa University.

In terms of student progression, ACCA implemented initiatives to support and motivate students. Financial credits were provided to students facing financial challenges, and a suite of ACCA study support resources was shared to assist them in successfully progressing through their qualification such as conducting webinars and delivering tutor motivational videos. They furthermore strengthened relationship with approved employers and encouraged more companies to become ACCA approved employers.  ACCA Sri Lanka members have also actively participated in sub-committees, focusing on areas such as student development, member development/advocacy, and ESG/employability.

Photo Caption : Chairman of the Member Network Panel of ACCA Sri Lanka and the executive committee for the year 2023/2024 with  Nilusha Ranasinghe Head of South Asia at ACCA and Ruchera Jayawardena -Business Development Manager - Members & Employers at ACCA