SHUMAILA HALO

Ìn this role, I head the Initial Professional Development Directorate and serve as the Secretary of the Education and Training Committee (ETCOM) of ICAP. The broad role of ETCOM is to contribute to the development of ICAP’s strategy regarding education and training to support ICAP’s overall vision and mission.

I am responsible for:

• Strategic Vision: Developing and implementing a strategic vision for the Chartered Accountant (CA) education program under the supervision of the ETCOM and ICAP Council.
• Policy Oversight: Establishing and recommending policies related to the CA education scheme.
• Industry Engagement: Staying current with industry developments and educational methodologies to ensure our CA programs remain relevant and effective.
• Data-Driven Decision-Making: Utilizing data analytics for informed decision making.
• Team Leadership: Leading and mentoring the education team, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and professional development.
• Budget Management: Developing and managing the education department’s budget to ensure the effective allocation of resources.
• Study Material Development: Leading the development and review of study materials for the CA qualification.

The functions of the Public Sector Committee (PSC) broadly include reviewing relevant policies and recommending improvements for good governance and financial management in the public sector and take initiatives for capacity building of the public sector.

As the Secretary of the Public Sector Committee of ICAP, I recently contributed in two capacity building initiatives of Pakistan's public sector. (i) developed a checklist on the key requirements of the State Owned Enterprises (SOE), Act 2023 and the accompanying SOE Ownership & Management Policy to facilitate the management and board of the SOEs in compliance of the SOE Act and Policy. (ii) organised a seminar to raise awareness about the SOE Act and Policy.

My responsibilities as member of the Procurement Committee include the following:

i. Approval of suppliers to be registered/de-registered with the Institute.

ii. Attendance at opening of bids / quotations for purchases as per specified limits.

iii. To review and recommend technical and commercial evaluation of bids / quotations for selection of supplier for purchases as per specified limits.

The Governance Committee of the Institute oversees and advises the Council of the institute’s governance framework and Council’s stewardship in accordance with the principles of accountability, integrity, fairness and transparency.

Its functions include as follows:

- finalize ‘governance manual’ in accordance with the CA Ordinance 1961, CA Bye-Laws 1983, applicable Directives of the Council and best practices prevailing globally.

- Perform annual review of the ‘governance manual’ and practices of ICAP

- Establish a process for evaluating the effectiveness of the Council and committees.

As the Secretary of the Committee, my job entails make agenda, working papers and minutes of the meeting, draft policy papers and recommend improvements in the Governance Manual.

In this role, I supervised the Initial Professional Development section of the Directorate of Education and Training and was involved in the review and design of the education scheme for CA qualification, supervised development and review of CA study material and assisted the Head of the Department in secretarial services to the Education and Training Committee meetings.

I volunteered as member of Finance and Planning Committee of Indus Valley school of arts and architecture (top arts and architecture school in Karachi) continuously for a period of three years and helped the school improve their financial statements for audit and sponsorship purposes.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan, formed its CA Women Committee in January 2017 to support the agenda of diversity and inclusion. I was appointed as the first secretary of the CA Women Committee. As the Secretary, I assisted with the Committee meetings including writing minutes, preparing reports, related working papers and agenda. I was instrumental in planning/organizing/contributing in the following events/assignments:

- First CA Women Conference in which I coordinated with internal and external stakeholders, including World Bank.

- Women's day event first time in three major cities of Pakistan namely: Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad.

- Jury based awards for distinguished female CAs.
- One of the editors of the first directory of the female CAs, documenting the milestones of female CAs in the profession and journeys of distinguished female CAs.

Have assisted the Department in reviewing syllabus of CA qualification. Conducted review of CA Firms before according them permission to train students. Explored international qualifications for mutual recognition. Reviewed cases of financial assistance. Arranged paper specific seminars for examinees in various subjects. Visited colleges and A' level schools for career counseling. Managed different events of Institute such as International Students' Conferences, Softer Skills competitions etc. Conducted training sessions for students of Small and Medium Practices. Conducted mock examinations for unsuccessful students of ICAP.

- One of the founding members of Chartered Accountants Women Forum and helped organised events and capacity building workshops for female chartered accountants.

At A. F. Ferguson & Co, I was involved in planning, execution and conclusion of numerous assurance engagements. During this intense professional development period I have had an opportunity to apply my audit skills for various multinational and domestic entities including Abbot Laboratories, Otsuka Pakistan Limited, Martin Dow, English Biscuits Manufacturing, Indus Motors, United Bank Ltd, Allied Bank Ltd, Soneri Bank Ltd.

During the same tenure, I was also involved in execution and conclusion of various special purpose engagements for organizations like Arif Habib Investments, Oman International Bank, Bank Alfalah.