CIMA Business Leaders Summit 2014 – Sustain Ability: Imagine. Implement

‘Ability’ in today’s context is a concept where leaders look at shaping mindsets, business models and industries, fit for purpose in volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous market environments.

Aptly themed ‘Sustain Ability: Imagine. Implement.’ The Business Leaders Summit 2014, an annual flagship event hosted by Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) took place at the Cinnamon Grand Colombo on 27th and 28th May, and was attended by a diverse mix of over 500 business leaders and professionals from a range of industries

The summit set the stage to deliver an intensive immersion of new topics relevant in a Sri Lankan context, where a host of new ideas and confidence to innovate led the way to a just and sustainable future. Internationally renowned eminent business leaders and best minds at the leading-edge of industry came together to share their knowledge for a stimulating and thoughtprovoking conference.

Addressing the gathering on ‘sustaining national competitiveness’, Keynote speaker - Qazi Azmat Isa, CEO of Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund, said that businesses must promote values that are grounded for the welfare of those at the ‘bottom of the pyramid’. Bradley Emerson, Regional Director for Middle East, South Asia and North Africa (MESANA) delivered the pitch report, focusing on defining and shaping the unique roles and competencies of businesses and individuals to create real, long lasting change.

Amongst the speakers featured, Aubyn Hill, CEO of Corporate strategies Ltd., from West Indies enlightened the gathering on ‘transforming individual ability to team capability’ and the true art of converting team energy to organizational synergies. Pasha Mahmood, Associate Professor of Department of Strategy & Policy, NUS Business School, explored and analyzed a plethora of winning strategies for emerging markets.

Naz Khan, CFO of Engro Corporation, one of Pakistan’s largest conglomerates with businesses ranging from fertilizers to power generation, shared the story of her organization which stood tall when it endured the trials of time – ones that tested the very foundation of the business but left behind a sustainable legacy through brilliant execution. Naz also introduced to the audience the word; ‘engrobility’ and its meaning – the very essence of what Engro Corp does: the ability to face the future with confidence and tenacity.

To deepen the understanding of leader- ship and value, Former Managing Director of Samsung (Singapore) Joowook Chun, shared valuable insights on Samsung’s best practices, critical success factors and management style that are backed by an innovative culture that is prescribed by Samsung to excel in tomorrow’s business world. Shedding light on the theme ‘rising asia’, Microsoft Corporation Singapore, Regional Director for Legal and Corporate Affairs in Southeast Asia, Dr. Astrid S. Tuminez, elucidated the phenomenal growth and competitiveness of the region in the past three decades, while educating the audience on the importance of reframing human capital for sustained competitiveness. She made a special note about empowering women to build stronger economies and achieve sustainability.

Concluding the Business Leaders Summit 2014, Chief Guest of the event, CEO of CIMA, Charles Tilley addressed the elite gathering of professionals mentioning the challenges and threats of today’s everchanging business landscape and ways to overcome such barriers with a strong impact.

‘An organization’s ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive advantage.’ – Jack Welch