ISLAMABAD: Ayla Majid has made history this week by becoming the first South Asian and Muslim to be elected president of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), marking a significant milestone for Pakistan on the global stage.
Ayla, the founder and CEO of Planetive Middle East and Planetive Pakistan, brings over two decades of expertise in energy, transaction advisory, mergers and acquisitions, investments, and corporate governance. As the newly-elected president, she will lead ACCA’s global community of over 252,500 members and 526,000 future members across 180 countries during her year-long term.
In a post shared on LinkedIn, ACCA congratulated Ayla, saying: “Warm congratulations to Ayla Majid from Pakistan, elected as ACCA’s new president, who will lead our 252,500 members and 526,000 future members for the next year.” The ACCA Pakistan team also extended their congratulations to newly-elected Deputy President Melanie Proffitt from the UK and Vice President Datuk Zaiton Mohd Hassan from Malaysia.
This historic achievement makes Ayla the first-ever president of ACCA from Pakistan, and she will use her platform to highlight the evolving role of accountants, particularly as the organization celebrates its 120th anniversary.
In her statement following her appointment, Ayla expressed her gratitude to ACCA members for their trust, saying, “The themes I wish to highlight in the months to come can be summarised under the broad heading: ‘A new future for accountancy with a strategic lens and a stakeholder approach.’”
Ayla holds an MBA from the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) and a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of London. The ACCA has expressed excitement about her plans for her tenure as president and looks forward to the impact she will have on the profession globally.