Mauritius witnessed the opening ceremony of the annual CPA Associates International (CPAAI) conference yesterday, June 12, 2014 at the Long Beach Hotel located on the East Coast.
On the first day of the three-day CPAAI conference, delegates from Europe, Middle-East, Africa (EMEA) and Asia-Pacific regions gathered to gain an insight into the strategies to strengthen the association as well as to discuss the theme for the CPAAI 2015 conference.
It may be noted that the theme chosen for this year’s conference is ‘Challenges Facing the Accounting Profession’.
Briefly recapitulating the various regional CPAAI conferences which took place during 2013, CPAAI President James Flynn thanked each and every delegate for participating in these brainstorming sessions.
He went on to highlight some of the global initiatives that the CPAAI has undertaken since its 50th anniversary in 2008, such as: international board meeting highlights, international chair updates, regional newsletters, educational programmes and website redesign.
The CPAAI President stated, that as the next milestone – the 60th anniversary of the CPAAI – is fast approaching, there are many challenges and opportunities that need to be duly considered as well.
“The major threat faced by our association as well as by others is that more and more associations and networks are springing up, which results in intensified competition. Another threat is that of dipping profitability – we must focus on improving profit margins,” stated the CPAAI President.
As far as leadership succession is concerned, the North American region established last year a succession programme and conducted a membership survey to enhance the experience of its members.
James Flynn stated that the association should take a fresh look at the satisfaction levels of the members of the association and what changes should be made to help their members to improve profitability.
Additionally, the CPAAI must see how to achieve the association’s vision that is to be recognized as the leading international association of CPA and Chartered Accounting and advisory firms in the world.
For his part, the international chairman of the CPAAI, Hans Van den Besselaar, spoke about the international conference for 2015 which will take place as in the first week of June at the Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky, Amsterdam.
Furthermore, there will be translators from China and Spain, to enable the delegates understand better what is happening in the CPAAI 2015 conference.
He also stated the CPAAI’s intent to increase its membership in sub regions such as Asia-Pacific, which Mauritius is part of, as well as South Asia and South East Asia; EMEA including France, Germany, Spain, UK, Ireland; and finally, Latin America and North America.
“We want to remain in the top 10 leading associations, working hand in hand with existing members, and we also want to increase our membership base,” the latter stated.
At the close of the first day of the conference, the delegates were encouraged to give ideas for the theme of the annual CPAAI conference 2015.
About CPA Associates: CPA Associates International is an association of independent Certified Public Accounts (CPA) and Chartered Accounting firms founded in 1957. The association provide its clients with professional accounting, auditing, tax and a variety of consulting services.
CPAAI currently has a membership of 151 member firms in 64 countries throughout the world, where each member draws on the services of the Association and resources of fellow members to better serve their clients and manage their firms.
– By Marie-Lorry Coret and Cecilia Samoisi
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