Organisations from 23 countries including Malta participated in the APSF this year, representing thousands of professionals working in different regions to discuss emerging technical and strategic issues affecting the profession and its stakeholders. The event provides a unique opportunity for professional bodies to connect in a peer-to-peer environment.

Addressing the Forum, the president of the Institute of Accountants (MIA) William Spiteri Bailey said that with challenges becoming increasingly global, accountants must rally together to find effective solutions and add value to national economic performance and the general public interest.

“Our mission is to serve a new generation of business, public, and social leaders,” said Mr Spiteri Bailey, speaking about the profession’s responsibilities towards stakeholders as they experience structural shifts driven by market and technological developments.

This was the first time that Malta was chosen to host the Accountancy Profession Strategic Forum, a sign of the growing respect that the Malta Institute of Accountants and local professionals command on the international stage.

“The accountancy profession in Malta earned a reputation for competence and, in fifty years, it has established itself as one of the most trusted professions in the country,” said MIA CEO Maria Cauchi Delia. In the meantime, the Institute has worked to forge strategic relations with international organisations to open new opportunities for its 3,000 members.

MIA has established strong partnerships with bodies in other countries and the collaboration with ICAEW on the Forum was, in fact, one in a series of joint projects that the two organisations are currently cooperating on.

After a successful and productive APSF event, participants were invited to a special dinner at the Maritime Museum in Vittoriosa.

The Accountancy Profession Strategic Forum provided a unique opportunity for professionals and regulators in Malta to network with counterparts from other countries while enabling the Institute to set the agenda for international discussion based on the interests of the profession in Malta. The discussion engaged various interested participants and organisations including: the European Contact Group, the European Group of International Accounting Networks and Associations, the Malta Accountancy Board, the Malta Financial Services Authority, and the Public Interest Oversight Board.

MIA and ICAEW hold exclusive screening of Without Question ®

The following day members of the Malta Institute of Accountants enjoyed a complimentary screening of the thought-provoking film Without Question. Produced by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), the drama movie raises crucial issues relating to accountancy professionals and the impact of their decisions on businesses.

In his remarks, MIA president William Spiteri Bailey said that Without Question makes a “pertinent point” about the role of accountancy professionals as consultants and experts. The film provides a fictional setting mirroring incidents and situations that accountants experience in their professional lives.

The screening was followed by a debate moderated by ICAEW Executive Director Mr Robert Hodgkinson. The panel of experts included: Dr Aileen Pierce, board member of the Public Interest Oversight Board; Mr Anton Borg, Director of Impresa Group; Mr David Xuereb, President of the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry; Mr Kyriakos Iordanou, General Manager of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Cyprus; and Mr Nick Captur, Tax Partner at Deloitte.

Apart from members of the Institute, the event also welcomed international delegates from other professional accountancy bodies.

The screening was part of an ongoing collaboration between the Institute and ICAEW, designed to offer new and better prospects for professionals in Malta.