KARACHI: The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP) in collaboration with Unilever Pakistan organized the Grand Finale of the annual mega finance competition, National Finance Olympiad 2022, to bring to the limelight, the finance talent of the country at a local hotel.

The National Finance Olympiad 2022 started with registrations of 40 teams represented by 120 Chartered Accountants and Finance professionals from renowned private and public sector organizations across Pakistan.

The event comprised 3 rounds, i.e., the initial qualifying round where ICAP was supported by leading professional firms as technical partners; the second round had Harvard Simulation and Behavioural Assessment, which was led by Karachi School of Business Leadership (KSBL) as ICAP’s learning partners. In the final round, the top six teams, i.e., K Electric, Unilever, Midas Safety, Shan Foods Private Limited, Lucky Cement Limited, and The Professionals Academy of Commerce, competed to lift the NFO Trophy. The Grand Finale encompassed three intriguing rounds, the Buzzer round, The Board Room, and 100- seconds.

The Professionals Academy of Commerce was judged as The National Finance Olympiad Champion 2022 followed by Shan Foods Private Limited and Lucky Cement Limited as 1st and 2nd Runners-up respectively.

Samiullah Siddiqui, FCA, Chairman PAIB Committee, and Council Member ICAP welcomed the participants and shared the concept and objectives of the competition. He said that the National Finance Olympiad is one of the flagship competitions of the country, organized by ICAP, in collaboration with Unilever Pakistan, to unleash the finance talent and to engage finance professionals in their professional development in a unique way, by placing them against each other in a healthy competition and encourage them to discover their true potential, exhibit their talent and celebrate their competence in a befitting manner.

The finance competition has become one of the integral events of ICAP, as it offers a unique experience to finance professionals through expanding their knowledge and strategic thinking, challenging their boundaries, and winning tremendous recognition, he further added.

Ashfaq Yousuf Tola, FCA, President ICAP speaking on the occasion said that the financial services sector plays a crucial role in every nation's socioeconomic development and finance professionals make up one of the economy's most important and influential sectors.

Chartered Accountants are the foundation base of the economy and by utilizing financial proficiency the nation gets the right direction in various financial and economy-related matters. ICAP through its different key initiatives is playing an imperative role in nation-building, events like National Finance Olympiad provides an opportunity to exhibit and celebrate the talent of finance professionals in Pakistan.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022