Written by Kaka Singh, Chairman and Senior Partner of Chio Lim Stone Forest, President of ACCA Singapore

The ACCA and ICPAS Joint Examination System (JES) have been operating successfully since 1983, and thousands of joint-scheme students have qualified as professional accountants. It offers an excellent combination of relevant and practical accounting and finance training, helping to fill the acute shortage of qualified accountants in Singapore and throughout the region.

In this column I want to address what happens after our students obtain the qualification. After passing the JES, some of our Singapore students join both professional bodies, while some join only one. I’d like to recommend that they become members of both bodies – one from the global brand and one from the Singapore brand.

As a FCCA, let me share my views on why I think being an ACCA member is valuable. Getting the ACCA Qualification evokes many fond memories. One was that it provided a way forward to a better life in many ways, in the business world and in your career.

In addition ACCA, with its world-class standards brings you the independence of mind, the ability to make a good choice and, hopefully, the knowledge that the membership fee is well worth the financial outlay.

Many parents, who did not have the chance to study for the ACCA Qualification themselves, have supported their children to do so. And ACCA alumni, through retaining the ACCA membership, have enabled many after them to benefit from the opportunity offered to them by ACCA. Let more dreams come true. Honour your faith in ACCA. We support our schools, our employers, our siblings, our team at the Youth Olympic Games, retain our citizenship when living overseas, not because we get some financial benefit but because as members of these we look good when they do well. It is a legacy we should be proud to uphold- and this is the legacy we should be honoured to pass on to others who will come after us as ACCA students.

Look back and reflect on those years of your life- dedication, sacrifice, commitment, self-discipline and devotion that ACCA put you through. These are qualities held for life. Become a member of ACCA then retain it for life. Holding an internationally recognized professional qualification will do wonders for your confidence.

‘Because member are our brand, we put a very high value on member engagement,’ says ACCA chief executive Helen Brand, ‘and the loyalty and involvement of our members is vital to the ACCA’s success.’ This is not insignificant.

‘Our opinions and expertise are listened to by profession, and are highly sought after by business, governments, professional bodies, and entities such as the United Nations and the World Bank,’ she explains.

So my parting words to you this month are to stay engaged, even after gaining the ACCA qualification. Our membership allows you to be affiliated with a premium brand.

This article was published in ACCA magazine in October 2010.