The finale of the 5th National Finance Olympiad was a joint collaboration of the Institute Of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan & Unilever Pakistan. The Grand Finale was conducted on December 19th, 2019, in Karachi.
ICAP In Collaboration with Unilever Pakistan Organize NFO2019
The Chief Guest of the evening was Mr. Abdullah Hussain Haroon who is also a former Foreign Minister of Pakistan. President ICAP, Mr. Khalilullah Shaikh, extended his thanks to the organizers and congratulated them for being consistent in organizing NFO each year. This is the fifth time NFO proved itself as a successful platform for the finance professionals across Pakistan.
Mr. Khalilullah said, “With each passing year, the team has raised the benchmark for this event. I would like to congratulate the finalists of the grand finale who went through tough rounds to reach Finale. The competition is not about winning or losing, it’s about celebrating the talent of the industry. I believe this event also celebrates the role accountants are playing in this country. As an institute, we are committed to producing highly qualified professionals who can serve for the betterment of the business sector and community. I thank all the participants and Unilever for collaborating with us for bringing up this auspicious event”.
This year’s National Finance Olympiad 2019 saw the registration of 51 teams from top-notch organizations across Pakistan. For their selection, a 2-hour MCQ-based examination was held in Karachi, Lahore, and Dubai on December 12th, 2019.
Out of these 51, only 18 teams qualified for the Assessment & Simulation Round which happened at Karachi School of Business and Leadership (KSBL). From here only the top 6 teams were selected for the Grand Finale.
ICAP’s Professional Accountants In Business (PAIB) Committee is the main team behind organizing NFO. Their success can be measured from the fact that the event was attended by the top management of renowned national and multinational organizations.
The Grand Finale of the NFO 2019 started off with the recitation of the Holy Quran. Then Mr. Khalilullah took to the stage and gave his opening remarks.
After that Mr. Aly Yusuf, CFO, Unilever Pakistan welcomed the audience and said “NFO 2019 has been a great success. Since its inception, the participating teams have shown exemplary performance and today we have here 6 final teams who stood out from the rest. I wish all the teams the best for this finale and would also like to congratulate ICAP for the success of NFO.”
The participating teams then introduced themselves. After which started the Debate Round. This round was judged by a panel of three judges; Mr. Naeem Akhtar Sheikh, Past President, ICAP, Mr. Arshad Saeed Hussain, Managing Director, Oxford University Press, and Mr. Hasan Azhar, Group CEO, HRSG.
The topics given for the debate included
– ‘Excessive use of technology has a positive impact on our society’.
– ‘For 21st-century leadership positions, qualification criteria can be compromised against behavioral competencies’
– ‘Higher interest rates policy is stabilizing Pakistan’s economy in the long run.’
Next up was the Buzzer Round, which analyzed the agility and technical skills of the participants.
According to judges, EY Ford Rhodes was declared the winner while Midas Safety and Heal Aid Foundation became the 1st and 2nd Runner Ups respectively.
EY Ford Rhodes walked away with a majestic Champions Trophy, Microsoft Surface Pro and shields for each of the three-team members.
HP Pavilion Laptop and shields were given to the 1st Runner Up team while the 2nd Runner Up received iPad and shields for all team members.
Technical partners
– A.F. Ferguson & Co. and Deloitte Yousuf Adil
Learning partner.
– Karachi School of Business and Leadership (KSBL).
ICAP PAIB Organizing Committee and the Master of Ceremony; Mr. Zaid Kaliya were recognized.
