ACCA has announced the winner of its Public Sector Advocacy Awards in Asia. These awards recognise members who have acted as powerful advocates for ACCA and the accountancy profession, and made a real difference in their workplace and their communities, including working to nurture and encourage the next generation of talent.
Relinda Zhang, deputy general manager at Shouyi Healthcare Group, China, won the award for the Asia region. Relinda has spoken at many ACCA events, sharing her experiences of studying and encouraging others to follow the same path. She has also raised ACCA’s profile among China’s top universities and, with her help, ACCA has been able to explore cooperation opportunities in digital transformation with Tsinghua University and has collaborated with Renmin University of China to develop digital courses.
‘After studying ACCA’s financial digitisation courses, I was able to apply the theories to my practical work’
Relinda was already a qualified Chinese CPA when she read about ACCA’s training programme within China’s National Audit Office. ‘I was very eager to become an international talent, so both my husband and I decided to study for the ACCA qualification,’ she says.
Digital focus
Between 2008 and 2015 Relinda worked at Deloitte in Beijing, during which time she acted as a mentor to students and supported dozens of her colleagues as they gained their ACCA qualification. This work has continued in her role with Shouyi Healthcare Group (SHO), where she promotes the qualification and actively seeks to encourage the employment and training of ACCA professionals.
She has also been closely involved in the company’s digital transformation, and has shared her experiences and insight at more than 20 ACCA summits on the topic. Relinda was one of the first ACCA members in the world to study for the Certificate in Digital Innovation for Finance (CertDIF) and actively promotes the value of continuous learning.
‘I’ve been delighted to share my professional insights and experiences with members and future members’
‘I’ve been studying financial digitisation for around 15 years and in 2021, after studying ACCA’s courses, I was able to apply the theories to my practical work,’ says Relinda. ‘As a result, SHO developed Data Intelligent Brain, an integrated data platform combining business and finance, that has been recognised as a national-level project.’
This year’s winners
The overall winner of this year’s Public Sector Advocacy Awards is Caroline McNulty. Read her story and watch the video where she shares what the award means to her.
The other country winners for members in the public sector are:
- Nigeria: Haruna Yarima Abdullahi FCCA, Federal Capital Territory Internal Revenue Service
- UK: Winifred Sarbah FCCA, NHS, London
- Canada: Syed Imran Zia FCCA, Fraser Port Authority, Vancouver
- US: Cheryl Clarke FCCA, United Nations Resident Audit Office, Kuwait
‘I’ve been delighted to share my professional insights and experiences with members and future members,’ says Relinda. ‘I’m very proud to be an ACCA member, both for the recognition and acknowledgement of financial and accounting professionals that the qualification brings, and for the abundant information and resources that are available.’
Commitment and pride
Speaking about this year’s winners, Anthony Harbinson FCCA, one of the judges, chair of ACCA’s Global Forum for the Public Sector and a former ACCA president, says: ‘What is clear from our winners is that each of them is fiercely proud of their ACCA qualification and the opportunities that it has brought to them.
‘The range of advocacy work that our winners have exhibited, and their commitment to promoting ACCA around the globe, is inspiring and reflects the pride that they feel in their membership. But what is also striking is the personal fulfilment that they gain from their role as advocates. We hope that their experience will encourage others to follow in their path.’
