In focus
The uncertainty created by Covid-19 has raised many questions about the ability of organisations to survive. ACCA, for one, is ready to respond, says president Jenny Gu
This article was first published in the May 2020 China edition of Accounting and Business magazine.
Covid-19 has caused all of us to look at our world in a new light.
We already knew that the pace of change was shaping a new reality. Of course we were happy that globalisation and the mass movement of peoples created more trade, more production, more prosperity and raised many millions out of poverty. But if goods, ideas and human beings can move around the world at speed, disease can too, and the spread of this virus is a terrible by-product of progress. It has tested all of us, as well as the resilience of organisations. It has raised important questions about their readiness to survive and thrive in the most difficult times.
I have asked myself this question, and I can say that we need flexibility, ingenuity and purpose to prevail – in the face of pandemics or anything else that the 21st century throws at us. I am confident in saying that because, while we were responding to the urgent demands of the moment, we were also preparing to publish our Strategy to 2025. You can read more about it in this edition (see ACCA section, ‘ACCA’s purpose’) and in all our other channels, but I can promise that it sets out a clear plan to navigate our uncertain future.
It unites the global ACCA community behind our common purpose – we’re a force for public good. We lead the global accountancy profession by creating opportunity. We then have our three values of inclusion, integrity and innovation. And we retain our vision to 2025 – to be number one in developing the accountancy profession the world needs. No organisation can hope to flourish unless it is built on a sustainable vision of the world that brings people with it. That’s why I am thrilled that we have reaffirmed our commitment to making ACCA the most open, the most forward-looking, and the fairest professional body in the world, and that inclusion and diversity form twin pillars strengthening our Strategy to 2025.
Countless people across ACCA – me and fellow Council members included – have poured their energy and expertise into its production, and it stands as a priceless guide to action. I am proud to be ACCA president as we begin this new chapter.
Jenny Gu FCCA is chief executive officer at Richemont China.
In focus
"We need flexibility, ingenuity and purpose to prevail in the face of anything the 21st century throws at us"