Winter School looks at changing course of governance professionals

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This year’s Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators in Zimbabwe Winter School is scheduled to be a hybrid event from 8 to 10 July at the Montclair Hotel in Juliasdale, with local and international speakers participating physically and virtually.

The theme of the workshop is “Innovate, Integrate, Motivate – the Chartered Governance Professionals Changing the Course”.

The keynote address is scheduled to be given by Manicaland Minister of State for Provincial Affairs Nokuthula Matsikenyeri.

In the light of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Winter School will include a talk by a specialist physician, public health expert, and immunologist Dr. Tinashe Gede on health and wellness and keeping up with Covid-19.

In addition to topics related to the theme and to governance, accounting, and reporting issues, participants will be updated on the new pathways the Institute is introducing to governance and accountancy qualifications after it has rebranded later in the year to become the Chartered Governance and Accountancy Institute in Zimbabwe.

The rebranding is in line with the rebranding of its international parent institute, which has changed its name from the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators to the Chartered Governance Institute.

The two pathways to Governance and Accountancy also follow the local institute’s joining the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) as an associate member.

The Institute’s students will all follow a common curriculum for what was known as the CIS qualification, which after the rebranding will be known as the Chartered Governance Professional qualification. However, they will choose either to specialise in governance or in accountancy, with their qualification certificate indicating their chosen specialisation.

The international speakers at the Winter School are 24governance chief executive Edo de Vette from the Netherlands, Head of the Accounting Department at the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom Prof. Venancio Tauringana, Pan African Federation of Accountants (PAFA) technical director Lebogang Senne from South Africa and IFAC senior technical manager Darlene Nzorubara from Burundi. The international speakers will address the Winter School virtually online.

Mr. De Vette will speak on the future of governance. Prof. Tauringana will talk about the essence of sustainability reporting supported by empirical evidence. Ms. Senne and Mr. Rodney Ndamba, CEO of the Institute of Sustainability Africa, will participate in a panel discussion on Integrated and Sustainability Reporting.

Ms. Nzorubara will be speaking on the requirements and expectations of IFAC Continuous Professional Development.

Other speakers include Beacon Incorporated managing director Tafadzwa Mukoyi, Ambassador Gertrude Takawira, ICSAZ technical and research manager Dr Nelson Maseko, group audit executive at Old Mutual (Zimbabwe) Dr Tagarira Mutenga, Mr Canaan Dube, senior partner at Dube, Manikai & Hwacha Legal Practitioners, Training and Advisory Services director Anesu Daka and Mr George Mahembe, who is finance director at the Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education.