We have some very exciting events around the corner.

The 48th Annual General Meeting of MAICSA on 10 May is a platform for you to exercise your right to vote for your representative to sit in the Council, among the eligible Fellow members of the Institute.

Select your representative wisely as these are Council members who will have to dedicate a lot of time to the Institute with total commitment. Being elected as a Council member is definitely not just about the position per se. In fact, it takes a lot of toil on your body and mind. A Council member must be physically fit, stay alert at all times and be aware of what is happening around and beyond him. There are many challenges and we need a dedicated team to overcome and move forward. We have to be bold to remain relevant and for the advancement of the profession of company secretaries. I have always championed the Chartered Secretary profession and the regulators now look highly upon us. We have to continue to set standards and be the trend-setters for this profession. Much has been achieved since the last AGM and we have a lot more to do. Certainly, we will take pride in our success, for every challenge overcome is a step forward.

July is also the time of the year for us to update ourselves. Come 7 and 8 July, the MAICSA Annual Conference is back with the theme “Corporate & Regulatory Updates 2008”. We are fortunate to have YABhg Tun Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah, Chairman of Bursa Malaysia Berhad to deliver the keynote address on “A Synergy of Ethical Values in the Corporate World”. What constitute corporate ethical values? How do we synergise these values for future advantage? These are but a couple of questions that come to mind when we look at the topic. With such an illustrious career which includes being the Ninth Chief Justice of Malaysia from 2000 to 2003, Tun is definitely an authority to speak on this topic. I am sure all of us will learn a lot from Tun.

I am pleased to inform members that 90 per cent of the role players have confirmed their participation at the Conference. Regulatory authorities such as Securities Commission (SC), Bursa Malaysia and Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM) have confirmed their speakers and panellists. SC will be providing their updates which include whistleblowing, enforcement and legal cases while Bursa’s updates will include related party transactions and industrial relations.

SSM will also be giving regulatory updates - for the past one year - delving into directors’ and officers’ duties and responsibilities, e-filing services and updates from their enforcement unit. The Corporate Law Reform Committee will provide their updates on the consultative documents (CDs) from CD 9 onwards.

Other updates include those from Inland Revenue Board and Malaysian Royal Customs Department, on the government’s new economic initiatives and doing business in Vietnam and India.

Members will be exposed to the various challenges and opportunities available in diversified roles as trademark agent, tax consultant and human capital consultant. Further, challenges arising from the revised Malaysian Code on Corporate Governance will be highlighted.

From the role players’ line up, I am confident that members will be getting value for their money at this Conference. Furthermore, it’s time for all of us to update ourselves with the corporate and regulatory changes that have happened in the past year.

Let me remind members that the imminent danger to our profession is our complacent attitude and staying in the comfort zone. We cannot afford to behave in such a manner if we want to remain relevant in this 21st century. We have to rise and be counted for as a key advisor to the board of directors.

Hence, I hope to see more members attending our Annual Conference this time. Please contact the Secretariat for further details and register early before 31 May to enjoy the early bird rate.

It is also high time for more Chartered Secretaries to sit on board as professional directors. The demand for such directors is increasing and we are not short of talents. Our rigorous training and the vast experience in the corporate world make us good candidates, particularly the Fellow members of the Institute. In a recent survey, board fees have been increased by over 30% in the last three years and it is still considered inadequate. Look around and you see many professionals on board but how many are Chartered Secretaries? It is about time for us to take our rightful seats.

Akbar Moidunny FCIS
President