KPMG in Bahrain Is a Platinum Sponsor of BCICAI’s Flagship Conference

Audit, Tax and Advisory firm – KPMG in Bahrain – recently sponsored and participated in the 13th Bahrain Chapter of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (BCICAI) international conference held under the theme “Pathways to Progress”.

Jamal Fakhro, Managing Partner, KPMG in Bahrain, graced the opening ceremony by lighting the lamp. Jamal mentioned in his welcome speech that “It is fantastic to see the network regain so much energy and I’m truly excited to be able to meet with all your members and participants at the 13th Annual Conference. This year’s theme is quite apt given that most businesses and business leaders are indeed having to take a step back to re-think, re-strategize, and re-design their organizations and processes to be able to succeed and thrive in a new era of personal, professional, economic and social growth. Leaders within finance and accounting can lead the direction towards recovery within the economy and the marketplace, and it is great to see the BCICAI in the forefront of this change. This year we also celebrate 50 years of Independence in Bahrain, and the journey has truly been one based on mutual trust and respect across the different stakeholders including the BCICAI and the Indian community who have contributed significantly towards the growth and development of Bahrain.”

The conference was headlined the by a host of international keynote speakers and dignitaries including - Dr. Amar Patnaik – Member of Parliament, India; Ashish Vidyarthi – Bollywood actor and National Award winner; P R Ramesh – Former Chairman of Deloitte India; Jatin Dalal – CFO of Wipro Ltd., India; Saleh Hussain – Banker and a Corporate Governance expert; Kartik Radia – Managing Partner of Mazars India; and Sivakumar Palaniappan – Mindset Master and a Motivational speaker.

The event included a technical workshop on Cyber Security hosted by the KPMG team led by Hossain Alshedoki, Associate Director, Cyber Security, KPMG in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia highlighting the key threats and trends in Cyber Security. The session featured a live demonstration providing the audience with a chance to visualize a cyber-attack in a corporate environment and showcased the operational technology environment by identifying all possible attack vectors and explaining how the data would be impacted and exploited. The visual example presented how uncertainty and unpredictability are driving the demand for Cyber security in the market, highlighting the cybersecurity global and local regulations from 6 lenses. 

After almost two years into the Covid-19 crisis, business leaders are concerned about economic recovery and doing business in the new reality. There has been a fundamental shift in the way in which we live, work, communicate and engage. In the new reality, some activities will return to the pre Covid-19 norm, while others may evolve towards a new norm or just be discontinued entirely. The two-days conference covered many aspects of the post-pandemic era, helping the delegates explore ways to sustain, succeed, evolve, and thrive in a new era of personal, professional, economic, and social growth.

The event was held at the Crowne Plaza hotel on 3-4 December 2021 under the patronage of Industry, Commerce and Tourism Minister H.E. Zayed Bin Rashid Al Zayani.