Categories: SpeechesPublished On: 14/03/2023
  • Dr Wan Ahmad Rudirman Wan Razak, Chief Executive Officer, MIA
  • Ms Lim Fen Nee, Chairman, MIA Digital Technology Implementation Committee (DTIC)
  • Dr Nurmazilah Dato’ Mahzan, Chairman, MIA Digital Technology Adoption Award (DTAA) Taskforce
  • MIA Council Members, DTIC Committee Members, DTAA Taskforce Members
  • Distinguished Speakers, Sponsor and Supporting Organisations
  • Members of the Media, Ladies & Gentlemen
Assalamualaikum wrb and Good morning.
  1. Welcome everyone to the grand finale of the MIA Digital Month 2023. Throughout MDM 2023 which ran from mid-February onwards until today, MIA was able to organise several exciting programmes on digital transformation of the profession. Thank you very much to all our members who made time to attend MDM 2023 and I trust that you gained a lot of benefits and learning.
  2. To mark the climax of the MDM 2023, we will shortly witness the launch of the new MIA Digital Technology Adoption Awards (DTAA) before moving on to the MIA AccTech Conference 2023 with the theme of Digital Evolution: Paving the Way Forward.
  3. The DTAA as well as AccTech are critical drivers for promoting digital adoption by the profession, in alignment with the MIA Digital Technology Blueprint that sets forth the direction for the accounting profession in Malaysia in responding to digital technology. Just to recap, MIA issued the Digital Technology Blueprint in 2018 and it establishes FIVE principles to be considered in developing action plans to respond appropriately to technology. Principle 3 relates to harnessing digital technology. Under this Principle, MIA’s remit is to promote digital technology adoption and explore collaborations with relevant stakeholders.
  4. MIA is delighted to introduce the Digital Technology Adoption Awards (DTAA) as a platform for promoting digital technology adoption. The DTAA marks a new milestone in our ongoing digital advocacy. Moreso, DTAA carves out a new niche in the Malaysian awards landscape as it specifically recognises remarkable achievements in technology application by the accounting profession in commerce and industry, public practice and public sector.
  5. The technology implementations recognised under the DTAA must centre around the roles of the accounting profession. For the commerce and industry category, the technology adoption is expected to provide enhancements or improvements in the finance function. For the public practice category, accountants are expected to retain, reimagine and innovate their practices and services. For the public sector, the technology adoption is expected to improve the efficiency of daily operations and increase the satisfaction of targeted users or customers.
  6. By recognising and awarding successful technology implementations in the accounting profession, the DTAA hopes to encourage others in the profession to emulate these success stories by undertaking their own digital transformation. The DTAA also intends to raise awareness of how accountants contribute to businesses and the economy through digital technology adoption.
  7. The DTAA has 3 categories with a total of 58 awards to be conferred. Please take note of the DTAA submission deadline which will be on 31 May 2023. The award winners will be announced at a presentation dinner. We will announce the date of the dinner in due course.
  8. MIA hopes that our members who have successfully transformed digitally will step forward to participate in the DTAA. We look forward to your sharing of your digital adoption success stories that can inspire others to follow suit. By participating, you will also gain numerous benefits in terms of future proofing, enhanced market reputation, benchmarking against your peers, and attracting new business and talent, all of which can spur further trust and growth.
  9. In a few minutes, you will hear in more detail about the DTAA from Mr Alain Boey, Chief Transformational Officer, Media Prima Berhad, who is a member of the DTAA Task Force. Alain will share an overview of DTAA followed by a Q&A session. Subsequently, Mr Kamarul A Muhamed, Founder and Group CEO, Aerodyne Group will share his vision and the way forward for digitalisation on Technology: A Life-Changing Catalyst.
  10. Widely hailed as a ground breaker in the Malaysian digital landscape, Kamarul has shaped home-grown Aerodyne into a drone solutions provider ranked first in the world by Drone Industry Insights of Germany. From a 3-person start-up in 2014, Aerodyne evolved into a global company with a presence in 35 countries in just 9 years. As accountants, you would certainly be familiar with how drone solutions have enabled our work in areas such as calculating inventory estimates in remote or challenging locations, conducting risk assessment processes with more precision, and capturing information and data for audits or for third-party asset confirmation in litigation, which enhances assurance. We are privileged to have Kamarul with us today and have no doubt that you will pick up valuable lessons and inspiration from his sharing.
  11. The DTAA launch programme will be followed by the MIA AccTech Conference. Back by popular demand and now in its 6th edition, MIA AccTech will feature 11 expert speakers in 6 sessions over 2 half-days. The topics to be discussed are highly relevant to accountants working in diverse organisations and sectors. You will hear on:
    • applying financial technologies for sustainability
    • adopting a transformative finance first approach
    • business model innovation
    • Big data powered by 5G
    • cybersecurity in cloud, and
    • the metaverse.
  12. Ladies and gentlemen, the MDM, the DTAA and AccTech are the result of strategic collaboration between MIA and our valued partners, working together with our MIA talents. Special thanks are due to MyDigital, Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) and the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) as Supporting Organisations for the DTAA, as well as our Gold Sponsor Blackline. MIA would also like to thank both Alain and Kamarul as well as all members of the MIA Digital Technology Implementation Committee, DTAA Task Force and all involved for their contributions to our digital transformation advocacy. For the AccTech Conference, I would like to thank our esteemed subject matter experts and speakers and Blackline once again as our gold sponsor – for making AccTech 2023 a reality.
  13. It is MIA’s aspiration that the MDM, DTAA, AccTech and all our comprehensive digital initiatives will enable accountants to become future-proof, to create and add value to organisations, and to help develop the nation sustainably. At the same time, MIA would like to remind all accountants that our digital transformation and competency building must be integrated with our professional values and code of ethics for good governance, to protect the public interest and the nation’s well-being.
  14. On that note, I am pleased to launch the Digital Technology Adoption Award (DTAA) and to officiate the MIA AccTech Conference 2023.
  15. To all guests and delegates, I wish you all the best on your continuing journey of digital transformation and professional development. Thank you once again for participating, enjoy the Conference and stay safe.