During my recent trip to China, I was astonished. I was there to welcome 131 new CGAs to membership, our largest group of Chinese graduates ever. But it wasn’t merely the size of the group, impressive as it was. No, what was most remarkable was the level of excitement.
The enthusiasm of these new members was infectious and it more than bridged the language barrier. At the end of the ceremony I think I was asked to have my photo taken with every new CGA. One member had travelled more than 10 hours by train to attend what has clearly become a prestigious occasion, held in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People. I also had the privilege of presenting the Fellowship designation to Jian Gen Chen, the first Chinese CGA to receive the high honour.
How did we get here, to the point where 17 Chinese universities have partnered with CGA-Canada – that use the internationalized CGA syllabus or enable students to enroll in the CGA program? Call it vision, call it determination, any way you look at it, CGA-Canada’s efforts to position CGA as a highly respected, international designation have been a success.
Our goal going into China more than a decade ago was to help to train the trainers; to help to produce a new generation of accountants equipped to deal with a rapidly changing and increasingly interdependent world. And it is because we were both willing, and permitted, to share our significant expertise, businesses operating in China have had access to accountants trained to global standards. Naturally, helping to raise the quality of accounting in China has done much to expand our global recognition and focus.
At the grassroots level, CGAs in China recently formed a third chapter, in Guangzhou, four years after those established in Beijing and Shanghai. These chapters provide essential professional development and networking opportunities to an ever expanding membership. During my visit, I sensed that the leadership of these chapters is very strong and, more than anything, they want these local hubs to grow.
Will the global financial crisis spoil the Chinese appetite for a foreign designation? Or will getting a robust education, in English, from a familiar, and internationally admired, accounting leader continue to hold appeal? I would bet on the latter if the spirited welcome I received was any indication.
[ TOP ] |