ICAEW Recognises Middle East's Best Finance Professionals

The Middle East’s best and brightest in accountancy and finance were celebrated recently, at the ICAEW Middle East Annual Honours Ceremony 2019, held at the Four Seasons Resort Dubai.

Organised by ICAEW, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, the annual gala event recognised the milestones and achievements of organisations and individuals that have contributed to the advancement of the accountancy and finance profession in the Middle East.

The winners at the ICAEW Middle East Annual Honours Ceremony 2019 were:

• HE Ahmad Al Sayegh, Minister of State and Executive Chairman of ADGM and HE Hasan Al Hosani, Acting Director General, Human Resources Authority (HRA), won the ICAEW award for outstanding Contribution to the Profession. The joint award was presented to the two visionary leaders for helping individuals, particularly UAE nationals, to achieve their professional ambitions. Through a joint platform, the ADGM Academy and HRA partnership is playing a pivotal role in achieving the national employability agenda.
• Taisier Zoubi, Founding Head of the Accounting Department, American University of Sharjah, won the ICAEW award for contribution to the Public Sector. Under his leadership, the accounting department established an innovative syllabus and rigorous programs which attracted many high calibre future leaders in the profession.
• EY MENA Assurance Innovation team, won the ICAEW award for innovation. The EY MENA Assurance Innovation team has been driving innovation through the implementation of a digital audit bot, to undertake the routine elements of audit. This outstanding new technology has been implemented across thousands of clients in the region.
• Mathew Pearce, Chief Financial Officer, Saudi British Bank (SABB), won the ICAEW award for contribution to Business. With over 20 years’ experience in the profession, Mathew has led many complex initiatives. These initiatives include the successful merger of the SABB and Alawwal bank in June 2019, as well as the adoption of new accounting standards across IFRS 9 and IFRS 16 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
• Wardah Ebrahim Al Rais, Partner EY Dubai, won the ICAEW award for contribution to Practice. Wardah, a UAE national, joined EY as a graduate recruit in 2006. Serving a variety of clients in the UAE, she has successfully forged links with various government bodies, regulators and employers, to promote and support the training of Emiratis in the accounting profession.

Industry professionals from across the region attended the annual gala event, which included a welcome speech by Fiona Wilkinson, ICAEW President and a keynote address from Rachel Johnson, renowned British journalist, television presenter, and author. 

Commenting on the awards ceremony, Fiona Wilkinson said: “I am honoured and delighted to be at this awards ceremony. Next year marks a pivotal moment in ICAEW’s history as we celebrate 100 years since the admittance of our first female member, Mary Harris Smith. As the third female president in the 139-year history of our Institute, I am not only committed to leading the celebrations across the world of the centennial of Mary’s admittance but also contributing to restoring trust in the profession globally.

“To restore trust, we must ensure that quality is maintained through continuous improvement and recognition of the efforts of those striving for excellence in our profession. I believe this is an excellent means of attracting and retaining the best people within the accountancy profession,” she added.

Winners were selected by a judging panel comprising the region’s most respected industry professionals – chaired by Edward Quinlan, ICAEW Chairman for the Middle East Members Advisory Board.

Michael Armstrong, FCA and ICAEW Regional Director for the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA), said: “I would like to say offer the biggest congratulations to all 2019 ICAEW award winners. The accountancy profession is undergoing many changes and challenges as we grapple with not only technological transformation, but also restoring public trust in business. By recognising those who have embodied ICAEW values to achieve progressive outcomes in practice, business and the public sector, we continue to support the development of a strong, sustainable finance and accounting profession across the region.”

The ICAEW Middle East Annual Honours Ceremony is organised by ICAEW – a world leader in the accountancy and finance profession with over 153,000 members across the globe. This year's sponsors included; EY, KPMG, Deloitte, PwC, Chalhoub group, Michael Page Finance (recruitment partner) and RAK ICC (business sponsor). The event, which is a key date in the annual calendar of regional business leaders, was moderated by Richard Dean, Presenter on The Business Breakfast, Dubai Eye 103.8 FM.