Dear Esteemed Professional CA Members,
It is with great honor, humility and responsibility I accept the position of Chairman of the Melbourne Chapter of ICAI for the year 2024-2025. I have been previously associated with the Chapter as Vice Chairman for 2023-2024 under the Chairmanship of CA Rajnish Kumar Singh. I understand this journey is going to be tough. It is very important to emphasize that the success of the Chapter is attributable to the collective efforts of the past committees and its dedicated members.
The current committee of 2024-25 has embarked on this journey and will be closely looking at targeting areas, few of which is highlighted below:
1. CPD activities and Networking – The committee would continue to keep the momentum of CPE activities which will involve inviting eminent speakers to share their experiences amongst our faculty. We also plan to give more opportunity to the diverse talents of our fellow CAs to explore the possibility of being session speakers.
2. Member engagement – Engaging with the CA community and wider community is crucial. We plan to have a sub committee to guide this process which will consist of the following:
Setting goals
Identifying activities
Managing schedules
Monitoring outcomes
This will enable the committee to narrow the gaps between the expectations of members and the deliverables.
3. Mentoring and Buddy program – There is a huge inflow of new CA migrants who are trying to break into the competitive Australian Market. This is a huge task in itself. We also have existing members who want to do something different and explore new opportunities. The Chapter plans to set up a mentoring team consisting of eminent professionals who can provide career counselling and be a mentor/buddy. This will enable continuous exchange of ideas and open new opportunities to members.
4. Enhance relationship with CPA Australia and CA ANZ – We have had a very positive and fruitful association with both prime accounting bodies in Australia, especially with CPA Australia. We also aim to expand this level of association with CAANZ to collaborate more and establish a healthy working relationship, have joint CPD sessions and discussion groups to name a few.
5. Family and Fun Activities – The committee plans to have more family events during the year. More details to follow.
I believe in the following:
श्रमेव जयते (Shrameva jayate)Victory comes with hard work
Let us work together to take our profession and this chapter to even greater heights. The Chapter is clearly positioned to achieve this.
Warm Regards
CA. Sujeesh Vijayan T
Melbourne Chapter, ICAI
09th August 2024