The 19th CAPA Conference, held from 27-29 October 2015 in Seoul, Korea, was a huge success. The Conference, proudly hosted by the Korean Institute of Certified Public Accountants (KICPA), attracted more than 1,300 attendees from 26 jurisdictions across the Asia and Pacific region. This is the second time KICPA hosted a CAPA Conference – the first time was in 1989, just over one and a half decade ago.

With the theme ‘Asian Accountants – Leading the way, inspiring the future’, the Conference provided an opportunity to reflect on the opportunities and threats facing the profession in an ever-changing macroeconomic landscape, especially focusing on the role of professional accountants in the region can play to safeguard the public interest and how they can prepare for the future. Over 60 speakers and session chairs were involved across a range of informational and stimulating plenary and concurrent sessions.

The Conference attracted strong support from the Korean government, including the Chairmen of the National Policy Committee, the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts, and the Financial Services Commission, as well as the Governor of the Financial Supervisory Service, whom each presented brief congratulatory messages. The Prime Minister of Korea delivered a message via video to congratulate the host and demonstrate his support for the Conference.

The first plenary session, which explored the future of the profession, signified a unique moment in the Asian accounting scene as it brought together the Presidents of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), CAPA and the Chinese, Japanese and Korean Institutes of Certified Public Accountants for the first time.

CAPA members and Conference delegates bonded over the gala dinner event themed ‘A night to Inspire’, featuring fine food and great atmosphere. Delegates were entertained by inspiring performances including an ensemble of vibraphones playing elegant jazzy tunes, Korean traditional drum and musical instruments playing an energetic beat, and inspirational Korean poem recited by the President of KICPA, and to close off was a sensational song and dance performance by Sistar, a Korean girl group representing the modern era of K-pop.

The Conference closed with a statement summarising some key messages from the Conference and urged professional accountants to step up to the challenges and embrace the changes to build a solid accounting infrastructure that is necessary and vital for sustainable and continued economic development in the Asia-Pacific region. The Conference also called for continued efforts to address the issue of lack of qualified accountants in the region. Click here for a copy of the Statement. More coverage of the Conference is available in the CAPA 2015 Annual Report.