Singapore Accountancy Awards Introduce New Award Categories - Special Recognition Award and Project Excellence Awards

• Euleen Goh, Chairman of SATS Ltd, receives Special Recognition Award
• Chan Ying Jian, BreadTalk Group CFO, wins Individual Excellence Award
• Select Group Ltd, Accountant-General’s Department, and State Courts of Singapore win Project Excellence Awards, introduced to recognise finance teams which have leveraged innovation and technology to improve business performance.
• Deloitte Singapore and Precursor Assurance PAC bag the Best Practice Award

Singapore, 28 September 2018 – This year’s Singapore Accountancy Awards features two new categories – Special Recognition Award and Project Excellence Awards. Organised by the national accountancy body, the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA), and supported by the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority, the Singapore Accountancy Awards, the first of its kind for the accountancy sector, are a mark of excellence for businesses and individuals, while promoting good practices and strengthening the branding of the profession.

The awards were presented at a ceremony held on September 28 at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre. Mrs Tan Ching Yee, Permanent Secretary for Finance, was the Guest of Honour.

Special Recognition Award

The Special Recognition Award is given to senior ISCA members who have continued to make significant contributions to the accountancy sector beyond retirement. In view of her illustrious career as well as her contributions to both the accountancy and

non-profit sectors, the judging panel presented the Special Recognition award to Ms Euleen Goh, Chairman of SATS Ltd, this year.

Ms Goh has served in top leadership positions in several organisations, in both private and public sectors. As the founding chairperson of the Accounting Standards Council, she has made important contributions towards developing and promulgating high quality financial reporting standards in Singapore. Despite having retired from the profession in 2006, she continues to contribute actively to the accountancy fraternity and public service.

Mr Kon Yin Tong, President of ISCA, said, “Through Singapore Accountancy Awards, we honour the efforts of organisations and individuals who represent the best of the profession. We are thus pleased to present Euleen, who has made significant contributions to the profession in her long and illustrious career, with the inaugural Special Recognition Award.”

Project Excellence Awards

The new Project Excellence Awards category reflects the new realities of today’s volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous business environment and seeks to recognise innovative finance teams for their ability to transform with the times. Comprising the Best Finance Transformation Project Awards for Private and Public Sectors, the Project Excellence Awards aim to recognise finance teams which have leveraged innovation and technology to improve operational effectiveness and business performance.

Singapore Accountancy Awards 2018

The Singapore Accountancy Awards 2018 comprises three main award categories, the “Business Excellence Awards”, the newly added “Project Excellence Awards” and the “Individual Excellence Awards”.

Commenting on the Singapore Accountancy Awards this year, Mr Kon said “As we enter the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the accountancy profession needs to leverage technology to create transformative growth in this rapidly changing, highly competitive business environment. We introduced the Project Excellence Awards to recognise outstanding finance teams that have harnessed innovation to deliver business results. We congratulate this year’s winners on their achievements, and encourage all members of the profession to continue to strive towards excellence.”

Winners of the Business Excellence Awards

The Business Excellence Awards seek to honour distinguished practices which are leaders in innovation, talent management, diversity, client service, and corporate social responsibility. In an increasingly competitive marketplace, these attributes are important for firms to sustain and grow their practice. The awards are open to all accounting practices registered in Singapore.

 This year, the Business Excellence Awards have been expanded to four categories, the Best Practice Award, Growth Award, Innovation Award, and the People & Talent Award.

The winners of the Business Excellence Awards are:

Best Practice Award

• Deloitte Singapore (International Practice Category)
• Precursor Assurance PAC (Small & Medium Practice Category)

Growth Award

• Crowe Singapore

Innovation Award

• Ernst & Young Singapore

 People & Talent Award

• PwC Singapore

Winners of the Project Excellence Awards

Open to all local firms in the private and public sector, this award recognises outstanding finance teams who have leveraged innovation and technology to improve operational effectiveness and business performance.

The Project Excellence Award winners are:

Best Finance Transformation Project (Private Sector):

• Select Group Limited 

Best Finance Transformation Project (Public Sector):

The judges have decided to jointly award both agencies for this category:

• Accountant-General’s Department
• State Courts

Winners of the Individual Excellence Awards – Rising Star Awards

Young finance professionals who have displayed exemplary efforts towards their personal development are recognised in the Rising Star Awards. The awards are open to accounting professionals aged 35 and below and employed in a Singapore company. The winners of this Award, who are below the age of 35, have taken on extra responsibilities, demonstrated leadership qualities, and assumed a more senior role earlier than expected. They have also contributed to the wider community through their voluntary work.

The Rising Star Awards are part of the Institute’s effort to encourage younger accounting professionals to reach for greater heights by honing their craft in preparation for the future economy.

The winners of the Rising Star Awards are:

Professional Accountants in Practice

The judges have decided to award joint winners for this category:

• Tania Harsono, Audit Manager, Deloitte Singapore, and
• Muhammad Ashiq Chu Bin Muhd Hisham Chu, Manager, PwC Singapore

Professional Accountants in Business

• Chan Ying Jian, Group Chief Financial Officer, BreadTalk Group Limited

The judging panel decided to confer the Highly Commended award to two other PAIBs, in view of their exemplary leadership efforts and commitment to excellence.

Professional Accountants in Business, Highly Commended

• Ang Jin Eng Alina, Chief Financial Officer, Chubb Insurance Singapore Limited
• Thomas Sim, Head, Salaries and Pensions, Accountant-General’s Department

Quotes from the winners can be found in the Annex I. For more information on the Awards, criteria, and judging process, please refer to Annex II.

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Media Contacts

Betsy Tan, Senior Communications Manager

Tel: 6597 5608 / 9641 6920

Email: betsy.tan@isca.org.sg

Shaun Tay, Communications Executive

Tel: 6597 5613 / 9147 7633

Email: shaun.tay@isca.org.sg

About the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants

The Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA) is the national accountancy body of Singapore. ISCA’s vision is to be a globally recognised professional accountancy body, bringing value to our members, the profession and wider community. There are over 32,000 ISCA members making their stride in businesses across industries in Singapore and around the world.

Established in 1963, ISCA is an advocate of the interests of the profession. Possessing a Global Mindset, with Asian Insights, ISCA leverages its regional expertise, knowledge, and networks with diverse stakeholders to contribute towards Singapore’s transformation into a global accountancy hub. 

ISCA is the Administrator of the Singapore CA Qualification and the Designated Entity to confer the Chartered Accountant of Singapore - CA (Singapore) - designation. 

ISCA is a member of Chartered Accountants Worldwide (CAW). CAW brings together 12 chartered accountancy bodies connecting and representing the interests of over 1.7 million members and students globally.

For more information, visit www.isca.org.sg.