The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka) recently paid tribute to two eminent Chartered Accountants, Mr. Anthony Nirmal Fernando and Mr. Someswaran Thirunavukarasu by inducting them to the CA Sri Lanka Hall of Fame for the year 2017 in recognition of their exemplary contribution towards the development of the accounting profession, the business world and the country.
Mr. Fernando is a highly respected accounting professional in the country who has played a significant role in developing the accounting profession while also giving leadership to top organisations in Sri Lanka. He is a fellow member of CA Sri Lanka and a former senior partner of KPMG Ford, Rhodes, Thornton & Co. He also served as a Board Member of KPMG’s Middle East & South Asia Business Unit and was also the Chairman of the Audit Steering Group.
Mr. Fernando was instrumental in managing the Audit practice of the firm for over a decade and was also responsible for leading the key client programme in Sri Lanka. Under his leadership KPMG was recognized as one of the “Most Respected Entity in Sri Lanka” by LMD for the first time in 2009. He received many accolades including being among the five Sri Lankans presented with the CMA award for excellence in Business Management by then Hon. Prime Minister in 2009.
A former council member of CA Sri Lanka, he has made vast contributions towards enhancing the professional standards and has also served across various committees of the institute, while also chairing several committees at the institute. Since retiring from KPMG Ford, Rhodes, Thornton & Co., Mr. Fernando has served on the Boards of Central Finance Company PLC and Watawala Plantations PLC.
Someswaran Thirunavukarasu is a renowned accounting professional, who has dedicated many years towards the development of the accounting profession, and the business world. A fellow member of CA Sri Lanka, Mr. Thirunavukarasu joined Hulugalla & Wickremanayake Chartered Accountants as an Audit clerk. He also worked with the late P.S, Duleep Kumar Tax Consultant as a member of the staff at Accounting Systems and Services Ltd, and rose to the position of Director at its group of companies.
After completing his Chartered Accountancy programme, Mr. Thirunavukarasu started his own practice as a Chartered Accountant in Sri Lanka and Maldives. He was a sought after speaker for foreign accounting seminars, and have delivered speeches at accounting, auditing and tax events in Maldives and Bangkok.
Mr. Thirunavukarasu gave leadership in establishing some leading associations in the country including the International Fiscal Association, the Economic Association of Sri Lanka, Market Research Society of Sri Lanka, Organization of Professional Associations of Sri Lanka (more commonly known as OPA), Institute of Certified Professional Managers (CPM), Institute of Certified Management Accountants (CMA) and SJMS Associates.
In 2004 he founded a Company by Guarantee known as CARM (Center for Advancement of Resource Mobilization) to initiate and enable a global framework that facilitates the creation of a society free from poverty and social injustice. He also serves on the Board of ECSAT (Equality based Community Service and Training) in Galle which looks after the needs of special & differently-abled kids in the area. Most recently he was appointed Chairman of Beyond Wealth (Pvt) Ltd, and was installed as the President of the Rotary Club of Colombo 2017/18.
Mr. Thirunavukarasu has served as the President of the Institute of Practicing Chartered Accountants, and the Benevolent Society of CA Sri Lanka. He was also the Vice President of the International Chamber of Commerce, and was also a Council Member of CA Sri Lanka and since 1982 he has served across many committees of the institute as a member.
After retiring from practice in 2007, Mr. Thirunavukarasu served as the Director of Commercial Credit, Serendib Land, Pan Asian Power and SMB Leasing. At present he continues to serve CleanCo Lanka, Renewgen Lanka and Serendib Land PLC as Director, where he serves on the Board. He is also a Director at Transparency International Sri Lanka.
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Mr. Anthony Nirmal Fernando and Mr. Someswaran Thirunavukarasu inducted to the CA Sri Lanka Hall of Fame in the presence of the institute’s President Mr. Lasantha Wickremasinghe, Vice President Mr. Jagath Perera, Past President and Chairman of the Hall of Fame Committee Mr. Mohan Abeynaike and CEO Mr. Aruna Alwis.
