Accounting and auditing firm, Deloitte
Ghana has marked its 75 years of quality service with an anniversary dinner
which brought together clients, partners, alumni and regulators.
The
ceremony also for the first time brought together the Africa and West Africa
executives of Deloitte.
Speaking
at the ceremony, the Managing Partner of Deloitte Ghana, Daniel Kwadwo Owusu,
said 75 years in the life of any organisation was significant and worth
celebrating.
“Data and history suggests that a lot
of companies are not able to operate beyond five years so when an organisation
like ours has done 75 years, that deserves commendation.
“We
cannot downplay this achievement and we wanted to be able to tell our own story
in our own way,” he stated.
Highlighting
some achievements for the year, he noted that for the first time, two partners
from Deloitte Ghana received global recognition from the Deloitte global chief
executive officer.
He said for the first time, a partner
had also been appointed to serve on the global International Financial
Reporting Standards (IFRS) Advisory Council.
How the story began
The
Deloitte story began in 1947 by a Scottish by name James Donald Barnes. He
operated under the name of J. D. Barnes & Co. Chartered Accountants
Mr
Owusu described J.B Barnes as a Chartered Accountant with an incentive to build
something that would last.
“What
started as one person with an idea has grown to the firm it is today. This was
the start of a thriving firm that has grown to employ than 300 people,” he
stated.
He said the Ghana firm had been in
business for 75 years because of the trust gained from the public.
“We
will ,therefore, continue to make an impact that matters for another 75 years
to come,” he said.
Appreciation
Mr
Owusu said while the firm counts its successes and milestones, it acknowledges
it could not have done it without its clients, founders, alumni, partners and
staff.
“I stand on the shoulders of our
founding fathers who toiled for what we see today. I want us to recognise our
founding father who had the vision and started the story that is unfolding
before us today.
“We
wouldn’t have been here without our clients. They are the ones who have trusted
us throughout the years and brought us this far. We also thank all our partners
and staff for the hard work they have put in. But as we say in Deloitte, the
reward for hard work is more work so get ready,” he noted.
Gender balance
Mr Owusu also pointed out that gender
balance was very important to the firm, with 48 per cent of its staff being
females.
He
said the firm also had 30 per cent of its partners being females, with 50 per
cent of its leadership also females.
He
pointed out that the firm was also the first among the top four accounting
firms in the country to appoint a female partner in 1992.
Training young professionals
As
part of it contributions to the industry, he said the firm had trained a number
of young professionals in the country.
“We
have a school of accountancy where we train young professionals and we unleash
them. Some of the people we have trained are working for our competitors, some
are working for firms outside the country and some work with us,” he explained.
Awards
The
anniversary dinner was climaxed with awards to long serving staff of the
company who have worked for between 10 to 36 years.
Source:Graphic.com.gh