Accounting Summit Opens
30 May 2005DUBAI — Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) President, Obeid Al Tayer, opened the World Accounting Summit in Dubai yesterday, describing the accounting industry as the backbone of business. Greater cooperation between accounting professionals plays an important part in the continued growth of Dubai, and the success of the region, he said.
DCCI set up the Auditors Business Group in September 2003, an officially recognized forum aimed at providing a single, unified voice for accounting professionals in Dubai. Convergence and cooperation will be key topics at the World Accounting Summit, which runs until June 1. Representatives of major accounting associations, advisors to multinationals and high-level users of financial statements are attending the four-day gathering at The Jumeirah Beach Hotel Conference Center.
Top speakers and accountants at the World Accounting Summit include Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, Chairman and CEO, Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization, and President, Arab Society of Certified Accountants; Abdulaziz Rashed Ibrahim Al-Rashed, Chairman of the Board, GCC Accounting and Auditing Organization (GCCAAO); Dr. Habib Al Mulla, Chairman, Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA); Piet Hoogendoorn, Global Chairman, Deloitte; and Abdulaziz Al Furaih, Vice Chairman ,Financial Affairs, Riyad Bank, and Technical Advisor to GCCAAO. Graham Ward, President of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), is also presenting at the summit.
Global alignment with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and the implications of IFRS for improved corporate governance in the region are issues at the top of the summit agenda. The challenges and opportunities of IFRS will be addressed from the perspective of business, banking, regulators, and the accounting industry itself.
More than 300 delegates, most from the GCC and satellite countries Iran, Levant, Pakistan and India, have registered to attend the summit, representing the banking, finance and accounting sectors, and blue chip and regional companies in a variety of industries.
“The response to the summit has been excellent," said Shabnam Rawal, Group Director for Conferences and Training at IIR Middle East, organizers of the inaugural World Accounting Summit in the Middle East.