Malaysia

Ng Sing Yee of BDO Malaysia, who is the 9th Malaysian student to have won an international ICAEW prize, scored the highest average marks among non-graduate students and was awarded the Simon Morris Memorial Prize. The win highlights the incredible potential and talent of Malaysia students, as well as the world class levels of the Malaysian accountancy and education hub, which have provided the high standard of training required to excel globally.

The prize is given to a non-graduate candidate who has achieved the highest average marks across his/her Professional Stage papers. The examinations are part of the highly regarded ICAEW Chartered Accountant (ACA) qualification, which is held by over 138,000 professionals across more than 160 countries worldwide. Gaining the ACA means that a candidate has demonstrated the highest technical skills and ethical standards.

Speaking of her achievement, Sing Yee said: “I undertook the prestigious ACA because it is recognised globally. I didn’t expect to win a world prize but I’m very happy that my hard work has paid off. I would like to thank my family, my lecturers in Sunway-TES, and also ICAEW and BDO for their tremendous support and encouragement. I hope more young Malaysians, both graduate and non-graduate, will challenge themselves to excel in their chosen vocation.”

Sing Yee is the fourth student from BDO Malaysia to have been awarded a prize in the global examinations, one of them was a law graduate with the other two also from the non-graduate stream. BDO Malaysia has been actively recruiting top students and providing them with a comprehensive training and development structure, allowing them to reach their career goals ahead of their peers.

“This outstanding achievement of Sing Yee’s demonstrates the capabilities of non-graduate students who have decided to take an early start in their careers,” said Dato’ Gan Ah Tee, Managing Partner, BDO Malaysia. “We are extremely proud of her, and this augurs well with BDO’s continued professional development strategy to provide Malaysian students with the training and opportunities to become global professionals.”

He continues: “Grooming local talents like Sing Yee is essential not only to a leading professional services firm like BDO, but also to support our country’s effort to become a high income nation through the development of human capital. As the region continues its economic boom, we are in need of world class talents who can contribute to our country’s success.”

Echoing this, Mr. Johan Mahmood Merican, CEO of TalentCorp, said: “The achievements of Malaysians like Sing Yee and our other prize winners highlight the high calibre of training and job opportunities locally. It is a testament that our people need not go abroad in order to taste success at a global level.”

“TalentCorp is actively partnering with sectoral working groups including the accountancy sector to develop sector-wide strategies to ensure that Malaysians have excellent career opportunities locally, and this win highlights the high standards of our local accountancy firms,” he added.

The ACA has been available in Malaysia since 2004 and local students have won several awards and prizes in the international examinations.

Mark Billington FCA, Regional Director of ICAEW South East Asia, said: “Sing Yee’s excellent performance is exemplary and demonstrates the outstanding calibre of ACA candidates trained in Malaysia. Training for the ACA qualification is hard work but it is highly rewarding and provides students with great career prospects”.

Sing Yee took the examinations under the tutelage of Sunway-TES.

“As the only ICAEW Partner in Learning in Malaysia, Sunway-TES is very delighted with Sing Yee’s brilliant achievement,” said Mr Teo Ee Sing, Executive Director, Sunway College. “This outstanding award augurs well with our vision to be the premier professional accounting courses provider in the world.”