The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales ACA graduation ceremony took place on 24 October at Radisson Blu Resort, St Julian's. The ceremony celebrated the success of seven graduates and welcomed one in to ICAEW membership. Speakers included Martin Manuzi, Europe Regional director, ICAEW; David Valenzia, Territory senior partner, PwC Malta; William Spiteri Bailey, Maltese Institute of Accountants president; Chris Naudi, partner EY Malta and ICAEW contact member and Rachel Lee Curmi, manager, PwC Malta.
The ACA was introduced in Malta in 2012 with the support of large accounting firms including the Big Four: PwC, KPMG, Deloitte and EY. To support the development of the accountancy profession in Malta, ICAEW and the Malta Institute of Accountants agreed in 2012 to collaborate to offer Maltese qualified accountants access to the latest technical developments and thought leadership and to work on regulatory issues. ICAEW now has 11 authorised training employers in Malta.
Manuzi said: "I would like to congratulate the students who graduated today, their hard work and determination has paid off. I am delighted with the high calibre of our graduates and encourage them to continue on the road to becoming chartered accountants, they will all be a huge asset to the profession.
"We are very supportive of accountancy in Malta and we will continue to support our membership and the next generation of chartered accountants here. Our members in Malta build trust between businesses and society, playing a vital role in increasing trust and enabling growth."
The ACA is one of the most advanced learning and professional development programmes available and is a recognised qualification worldwide - 98 of the world's 100 global leading brands employ an ICAEW Chartered Accountant. In 2017, over 27,000 students were studying for the ACA and 8,437 students joined ICAEW, which is the highest ever figure.
ICAEW is a member of Chartered Accountants Worldwide, which brings together 11 chartered accountancy bodies, representing over 1.6 million members and students globally. The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales was established by royal charter in 1880. It has over 150,000 members. Over 15,000 of these members live and work outside the UK.