Roundtable Discussion on ''Professional Accountancy Organisations (PAOs) as Centres of Excellence in Strengthening Governance in Bangladesh,'' Hosted by ACCA Bangladesh and World Bank.

"If you could fix one governance challenge overnight, what would it be?"

That was the opening question posed by Pulkit Abrol, Managing Director of ACCA Asia Pacific, who moderated the roundtable titled ''Professional Accountancy Organisations (PAOs) as Centres of Excellence in Strengthening Governance in Bangladesh,'' organised by The World Bank, in collaboration with ACCA on 8 May 2025 at the World Bank Bangladesh office.

Mr Md Sajjad Hossain Bhuiyan, PhD, the newly appointed Chairman of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) Bangladesh, attended the roundtable as the Chief Guest within just a week of his appointment.

Ms Suraiya Zannath, Lead Financial Management Specialist for the Governance Global Practice of The World Bank, led the discussion to foster dialogue among the Professional Accountancy Organisations (PAOs) in Bangladesh. The objective was to unite stakeholders, address the challenges faced by PAOs, explore how the FRC can extend its support and create synergy to strengthen the profession.

Distinguished professionals from top financial institutions, members of local accountancy bodies and officials from The World Bank, ACCA and various organisations participated in the discussion, sharing their valuable insights.

The fact that the discussion continued for four hours speaks volumes!

Key topics included the state of governance in Bangladesh, challenges specific to the accountancy profession, the profession's role in addressing these challenges, the adoption of international standards, the role of the FRC, opportunities for collaboration and identifying the next steps forward.

In his concluding remarks, the Chief Guest, Mr Md Sajjad Hossain Bhuiyan, PhD, expressed his strong commitment to strengthening the role of the FRC in Bangladesh's financial sector, empowering PAOs to serve as centres of excellence.

Participants engaged in a thought-provoking discussion, highlighting the need for it to be a continuous process that requires further dialogue to develop an effective strategy.

ACCA would like to thank the World Bank team and all the respected participants for their engagement and valuable insights throughout the discussion.

Source: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/accabangladesh_if-you-could-fix-one-governance-challenge-activity-7327321095978602497-tP0r?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAChnQy0BIrCUOnjE9qouZw_et1J3y2H_Wcg