icab study manual-tax-ii (application level) · in addition, javed has a long-standing interest in...

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Members’ Conference

on

‘Women in the Accountancy Profession in Bangladesh’

Cracking the glass ceiling: An exploration of gender equity in the

Chartered Accountancy Profession in Bangladesh

By

Javed Siddiqui, PhD

University of Manchester, UK

Published by

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh

Dhaka, March 08, 2014

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Contents

Page

Foreword 4

Acknowledgements

About the Author

5

6

Executive summary

7

1. Introduction

11

2. Research approach

14

3. Results and discussion

17

4. Findings and recommendations

30

References

36

Annexure

37

Profile of Session Chairman 42

Profile of Panel Speakers 44

List of Female Chartered Accountants 50

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Foreword

I am very pleased to share the research paper “Cracking the Glass Ceiling: an exploration of

gender equity in the Chartered Accountancy Profession in Bangladesh” authored by Dr.

Javed Siddiqui with the members of ICAB on International Women‟s Day. This is a very

timely research paper as participation of females in the profession is progressively on the rise.

The number of female students has steadily increased over past several decades and 70

females have qualified as CAs as of October 2013. However, with all the advances made by

ICAB in the past four decades since its inception to nurture female CA professionals, there is

still much room to create a more gender friendly environment in this profession.

I would like to reflect on the time when ICAB embarked on its journey in 1996 to create

gender-friendly environment by forming the “Committee for Professional Development for

Women (CPDW)‟ with CIDA funding for a project titled “Gender equality in CA

Profession.” The CPDW was formed under the leadership of Mr. A.N.A.H. Siddiqui, FCA,

Past President of ICAB. He was very instrumental in promoting awareness through various

campaigns at academic institutions and introduced English language course for female

students. At that time ICAB had only 4 female qualified members in its 638-member body.

For aperiod onward this number of qualified female professionals remained unchanged.

Though more females did not qualify for some time as many CA aspirants were struggling to

find a balance between work, study and family, I found their principals to be very concerned

and encouraging. In addition to the measures taken by CPDW over the next decade, Mr.

ABM Azizuddin, FCA, Past President of ICAB and a Partner at ACNABIN took initiative to

promote and encourage female dropout students to return to the profession andorganized a

forum titled “Career Opportunities for Female CA Students” at ACNABIN in 2008.

During my tenure as President of ICAB, I had looked into conducting a survey of female

chartered accountants and CA firms to better understand and address gender inequity in the

CA profession. Unfortunately due to time constraint, this initiative could not take off. I am

thankful to Dr. Siddiqui from the Manchester Business School, University of Manchester to

undertake this research project to shed light into issues faced by chartered accountants in

Bangladesh and their expectations from ICAB, profession and society especially from a

gender perspective. This has been conducted with a view to exploring opportunities to

encourage CAs especially women to pursue the chartered accountancy profession

successfully.

This study attempted to capture the issues and problems faced by female CAs directly from

their point of view, to enable ICAB and CA firms to take corrective measures and to create an

environment that would encourage entry of brilliant students, especially females, to

successfully pursue to become chartered accountants. Frank comments and views of the

members, from both genders, in this regard have been extremely valuable. I thank you for

taking the time to complete this questionnaire and look forward to working with your input. I

sincerely believe that ICAB and the CA Firms, Development Partners and, also the Ministry

of Commerce, Government of Bangladesh can use the study to take measures to reduce

gender gap in future.

March 08, 2014 Parveen Mahmud, FCA

Past President, ICAB

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the respondents of the questionnaire survey for giving so generously of

their time to assist with this project. I am grateful to Ms Parveen Mahmud, the first female

President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh, for her enthusiasm and

kind support towards this project. Without her active cooperation and efficient management,

it would have been nearly impossible to administer the questionnaire survey and gather the

data. The report has also benefitted immensely from her constructive comments and

suggestions.

Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to the ICAB for giving me the opportunity to

conduct this research project. Acknowledgements are also due to the Manchester Business

School, University of Manchester, for providing me with the financial support to be able to

present this research in Bangladesh.

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About the Author

Javed Siddiqui, PhD

Dr Javed Siddiqui joined Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, UK in

2008 as a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Financial Reporting. Prior to joining the MBS,

Javed was an Assistant Professor of Accounting at the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Javed earned his PhD degree in auditing and corporate governance from the Manchester

Business School. As a researcher, Javed is primarily interested in studying international

regulatory developments in the area of auditing, corporate governance, and corporate social

reporting, especially in the context of developing economies. In addition, Javed has a long-

standing interest in the development of auditing regulations in the UK and European Union.

Dr Javed Siddiqui is a recipient of two Commonwealth Scholarship Awards (in 2002 and in

2004). In 2001, Javed was awarded the Chancellor‟s Gold Medal by the University of Dhaka.

He is also the only recipient of the prestigious Kali Narayan Scholarship from the Faculty of

Business Studies, University of Dhaka. Javed‟s research has been funded by external bodies

such as the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland, the US state department, the

Commonwealth Commission, and the Danish Institute of Human Rights. His research has

been published in acclaimed international journals such as the Accounting, Auditing, and

Accountability Journal, the British Accounting Review, and the Journal of Business Ethics.

Javed can be reached via email: [email protected].

mailto:[email protected]

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Executive summary

The chartered accountancy profession in Bangladesh had to wait for 17 years before they had

their first female chartered accountant. However, since then, the Institute of Chartered

Accountants of Bangladesh (ICAB) has had its first female member in the council, and

eventually its first female President in 2011, who also was the first female member to be

included in the board of directors of the South Asian federation of accountants (SAFA). Also,

female membership in the chartered accountancy profession has increased significantly in

recent years, thanks to some initiatives undertaken by the ICAB. However, despite such

recent developments, female participation in the profession has remained significantly low,

and at present only 4.67 percent of the ICAB members are female. Prior research

investigating gender equity in public accountancy profession have identified personality traits

as career aspirations, leadership qualities, decisiveness, and ability to handle pressure as

possible factors explaining gender imbalance. However, most of prior research was

conducted in western societies, despite research evidence that such personality attributes vary

widely across cultures and regions. This provides the context for this study.

Research questions

For the purpose of this study, three research questions (RQ) have been investigated:

RQ 1: Does a significant gender gap exist in the chartered accountancy profession in

Bangladesh?

RQ 2: What factors explain the lower presence of females in the accountancy profession in

Bangladesh?

RQ 3: Have perceptions of female members regarding working conditions within the

profession changed over the years?

Research approach

For the purpose of this study, mixed methods approach is adopted, combining an analysis of

archival and survey data. Archival data regarding ICAB‟s membership pattern over a 42 year

period (1972-20) is analysed. In addition, an extensive review of prior literature is undertaken

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to form a better understanding regarding the state of female members in the profession. In

order to capture ICAB members‟ views regarding females in the profession, a questionnaire

containing issues that related to the various personality attributes and structural factors that

could potentially lead to a gender imbalance in the profession is designed.Following some

amendments resulting from a pilot study with a draft questionnaire, postal questionnaires

were sent in the middle of 2013, to a random sample of 108 members (42 female and 66

male) of the ICAB. After few rounds of follow-up reminders over phone and email, 58 usable

responses (71.11%) were received, comprising 26 from females and 38 from males. Tests for

non-response bias indicated that there are no significant differences in the profile of non-

respondents.

Principal findings

At present, women only account for 4.67 percent of the total number of chartered

accountants in Bangladesh, suggesting a significant gender disparity. However, in

recent years, the number of women joining the profession appears to have increased

significantly.

The survey results indicate that female chartered accountants perceive that gender

discrimination exists within the accountancy profession. However, further sensitivity

tests reveal that such perceptions appear to have significantly improved over time, as

comparatively newly qualified female accountants do not appear to have similar

views.

Female respondents also perceive that compared to them, their male counterparts are

being appreciated more in the workplace and receive significantly higher salaries.

Female chartered accountants have similar work hours, and possess significantly

higher career aspirations compared to male chartered accountants

Both male and female respondents displayed similar personality attributes such as

self-confidence, competitiveness, leadership abilities, desire for responsibility, ability

to handle pressure, and work-life balance.

Female respondents display significantly higher levels of commitment towards their

children and family compared to male respondents. However, most female

respondents also appear to hold the view that being more committed towards family

responsibility is not a major obstacle towards career progression.

Our results indicate no significant difference in responses of male and female

chartered accountants for factors such as the length of time taken to qualify as a

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chartered accountant, the cost involved, ICAB‟s examination system and the working

environment within an audit firm. However females found it significantly more

difficult to secure a placement in a chartered accountancy firm.

Female auditors found it significantly more difficult to secure access to client

personnel, and to communicate with the clients. Also, female auditors identified the

working environment in client‟s premises as a major impediment in successfully

conducting an audit.

Female members of the profession have identified problems in commuting to

workplace and client offices as a major struggle for them.

The sub-sample of female auditors with less than ten years of post-qualification

experience still perceive getting a placement in an audit firm to be a major obstacle

for a successful career progression. However, the gap between male and female

respondents‟ perception regarding obtaining a place in an audit firm appears to be

reducing, and is very close to being statistically insignificant

Recommendations

Based on the survey results, this report puts forward a number of suggestions that might be

useful in creating a more conducive environment for women in the profession:

ICAB should take catalytic role in awareness building and to make more disclosures

in its publications regarding gender, pay and equity in the profession.

Audit firms should be encouraged to provide a more conducive environment for

female students. This may include incorporating more women in senior management

level positions, allowing more flexible work hours, the provision for day care centres

etc. Also, a firm-wise distribution of male-female students and employees should be

disclosed.

From a policy level, the government can encourage more females in company

management positions (such as mandatory minimum female membership in the board

of directors and in other important committees such as the audit committee).

With the rising number of female members in the accountancy profession, ICAB

should encourage and ensure more female members in leadership roles and key

decision making positions, such as in the council, and in other important committees.

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ICAB should play a more proactive role in presenting chartered accountancy as a

more female friendly profession.

The institute can organise more events in different public and private universities to

attract more female students to the profession. Also, regional events can be organised

outside Dhaka to attract a wider female interest towards the profession.

ICAB should perhaps organise more seminars and workshops to promote awareness

and attitudinal change towards gender friendly perceptions s regarding women in the

profession and in the wider society.

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1. Introduction

Although Bangladesh became politically independent in 1971, the accountancy profession has a much longer

history. Bangladesh was a part of British-India and carries its colonial legacy. The Indian Companies Act of

1882, promulgated by the British rulers, required mandatory audit of financial statements of public limited

companies. However, at that time, auditors were not required to be professionally qualified. Rather, lawyers

were recruited as independent auditors (Saeed, 1991). The Companies Act of 1913 required accounts to be

audited by professionally qualified accountants. The government was empowered to grant auditors' certificates

andthe members of the English, Scottish and Irish Institutes of Chartered Accountants and the English Society

of Incorporated Accountants and Auditors were recognized as qualified auditors. Saeed (1991) reports that at

that time, there was no provision for training or examinations for the accountants. In 1918, the Government

Diploma in Accountancy was introduced in Bombay, and provisions for examinations and training were

introduced.In 1932, the Government framed rules under Section 144 of the Companies Act, 1913(referred to as

Auditors' Certificates Rules, 1932). The objectives of the rules, broadly, were to register apprenticeships, to

conduct examinations, and to control and regulate the profession of auditing. The accountancy profession was at

that time being supervised and controlled by the Ministry of Commerce of the Central Government. With a view

to helping the Government in discharging the necessary responsibilities in respect of the accountancy

profession, Indian Accountancy Board was established in 1932 (Saeeed, 1991).

In 1947, the Indian sub-continent was freed from British rule, and two new nations, namely India and Pakistan,

emerged. Bangladesh (referred to as East Pakistan at that time) became one of the major provinces of Pakistan.

After independence, Pakistan adopted the Auditors' Certificates Rules 1932 with certain amendments in 1950,

and this guided the auditing profession. Under the Certificate Rules, only a person who passed the Registered

Accountants examinations and satisfied the practical training requirements as prescribed by the Ministry of

Commerce could use the designation 'Registered Accountant'. The Companies Act, 1913, as adopted by

Pakistan, allowed only a Registered Accountant to audit a public limited company. In 1961, the Government of

Pakistan passed the Chartered Accountants Ordinance (1961). Subsequently, The Institute of Chartered

Accountants of Pakistan was established on July 1, 1961. The Bengali (then East Pakistani) chartered

accountants were members of this institute. When Bangladesh became independent in 1971, it adopted the

Companies Act of 1913. As a result, it found itself with laws that required audit of public limited companies, but

no professional accountancy bodies (Parry and Khan, 1984). Subsequently, the Institute of Chartered

Accountants of Bangladesh (ICAB) was established through the Chartered Accountants Ordinance of 1973

(P.O. No 2 of 1973).

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At the time of its inception, the ICAB had 78 members (Uddin, 2006), all of whom were

male. The accountancy profession had to wait for 17 years more before they had their first

female chartered accountant, Ms SuraiyaZannath Khan, who qualified in 1989. In 2007, a

female member was voted into the council for the first time, and in 2011, 39 years since

inception, ICAB finally had its first female president. In recent years, the institute has

undertaken a number of initiatives to attract more females to the profession. Consequently,

there has been a significant increase in the number of female qualified accountants. However,

the current number of female members of the ICAB (70 female members, out of 1508

members, as on January 2014) still suggest the existence of a gender imbalance in the

profession. This provides the context for this study. For the purpose of this study, three

research issues are explored: does a gender inequity exist in the public accountancy

profession? What factors drive the poor proportion of women in the profession? And, has

female perception regarding the profession changed over the years?

Prior studies investigating gender inequity has often been informed by the person centred

theory. The theory assumes that there are significant differences in the personal attributes and

behavioural characteristicsof males as a group and females as a group, and this accounts for

their differential treatment. The basic premise of this theory is that women are not as

successful as men in the profession as they have relatively lower career aspirationscompared

with men, and demonstrate less leadership attributes such as self-confidence,

competitiveness, decisiveness, leadership abilities, desire for responsibility and ability to

handle the pressure well.However, prior research evidence in this area has been mixed.

Whiting and Wright (2002), exploring gender inequity in the accountancy profession in New

Zealand found males in the accountancy profession to be more self-confident, competitive,

decisive, and responsibility-seeking in comparison with females.The survey results also

indicated that male members of the profession had higher career aspirations. On the other

hand, Barker, Monks and Buckley (1999) report no differences in the career aspirations of

Irish male and female accountants. Notably, prior studies in this area were mostly conducted

in Western societies where males had been perceived as being dominant, confident, self-

reliant, aggressive and competitive, whereas females were viewed as being passive, quiet and

generally too emotional and dependent to cope with the stresses associated with demanding

managerial roles (Schwartz, 1989; Kirkham,1992). However, studies providing cultural

insights to working environments actually report a wide divergence across different societies

in terms of personality traits such as masculinity, individualism, uncertainty avoidance and

power distance (Hofstede, 1981). Especially, societies in the east, and more specifically, the

Indian subcontinent, are found to possess significantly lower masculinity, individualism and

pragmatism attributes. It is, therefore, gender inequity in the accountancy profession in such

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cultures may be driven by factors other than personal attributes, as it is found in western

societies. However, till date, very few researchers have explored the gender gap in the

accountancy profession in non-western societies. This research, therefore, explores this

research gap the existing accounting professionalization literature by investigating gender

equity in the context of Bangladesh.

In many ways, Bangladesh is a traditional society. The UNICEF factsheet depicts Bangladesh

as a patriarchal society that contains „pervasive gender discrimination, so girls and women

face many obstacles to their development. Girls are often considered to be financial burdens

on their family, and from the time of birth, they receive less investment in their health, care

and education‟ (UNICEF, 2013). Unsurprisingly, employment status in Bangladesh indicates

significant gender disparity. However, in recent years, there has been significant

improvement in the proportion of employed women. In 1993-94, employed male population

was 57.5 percent compared to 10.6 percent for female at the national level. The percentage of

employed male and female has increased to 68.3 percent and 22.9 percent in 2007 (GoB,

2011). It is also observed that the increasing rate in the percentage of employed population

has occurred with a higher rate for female than that of male. However, despite such recent

improvements, the figures still indicate significant gender disparity. Such gender inequity in

the national level is grossly attributed to socio-cultural factors, such as structural and social

institutions, lack of policy initiatives, and traditional mind-set towards the role of women in

the society (UnnayanOnneshan, 2011).

The auditing profession in Bangladesh is characterized by very low levels of audit fees

reflecting poor demand for audited financial statements (Karim and Moizer ,1996, Siddiqui,

Zaman and Khan, 2013), and the existence of a significant audit expectations gap (Siddiqui,

Nasreen and Chowdhury, 2009), suggestinggross misunderstanding regarding the role of

auditors. This is supported by Khan, Muttakin and Siddiqui (2013) who report that the

dominant family ownership structure in the corporate sector in Bangladesh has led to the

development of a corporate culture where the role of important corporate governance

mechanisms, such as external audit, is often misunderstood and undermined. Siddiqui

(2010) reports that despite having a very large population, the number of auditors in

Bangladesh is considerably low even compared to its neighbouring countries, India, Pakistan,

and Sri Lanka. However, in recent years, the ICAB has undertaken important stridesin

improvingaudit quality in Bangladesh. The ICAB it is alsoin its course to meet the

compliance requirements with theStatements of Membership Obligations (SMOs)set by the

International Federation of Accountants (Siddiqui, 2011).

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2. The research approach

For the purpose of this study, a mixed methods approach is adopted, combining an analysis of

archival and survey data. Archival data regarding ICAB‟s membership pattern over a 42 year

period (1972-20) is analysed. In addition, an extensive review of prior literature is performed

to understand the state of female members in the profession. In order to capture ICAB

members‟ views regarding females in the profession, a questionnaire containing issues that

relate to the various personality attributes and structural factors that may lead to a gender

imbalance in the profession is designed.

Following some amendments resulting from a pilot study with a draft questionnaire, postal

questionnaires were sent in the middle of 2013, to a random sample of 108members (42

female and 66 male)of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh (ICAB). After

few rounds of follow-up reminders over phone and email, 58 usable responses (71.11%) were

received, comprising 26 from females and 38 from males. A greater proportional response

(62%) was received from females than from males (58.5%) but this difference is non-

significant indicating no response bias. Tests for non-response bias indicated that there are no

significant differences in the profile of non-respondents.

The research questions

For the purpose of this study, three research questions are investigated. Despite the recent

efforts of the ICAB to encourage more women to join the accountancy profession in

Bangladesh, the number of female members does suggest an apparent in-equilibrium within

the profession. It is, therefore, possible that female members of the profession may perceive

themselves to be discriminated for their gender. Therefore, our first research question (RQ) is

as follows:

RQ 1: Does a significant gender gap exist in the chartered accountancy profession in

Bangladesh?

To address this research question, a detailed analysis of archival data relating to ICAB‟s

membership pattern over the 42 years of its existence is performed. A comprehensive

analysis of relevant ICAB publications and media reports in orderto identify the key

landmarks that shape the role of females in the profession is also conducted.To capture ICAB

members‟ perception regarding gender equity in the profession, three questions are included

questionnaire survey, each to be ranked by the respondents in a 5 point Likert scale-

Level of discrimination received in the respondent‟s career as an accountant

(respondents asked to rank themselves in terms of discriminations faced due to age,

gender, and religion)

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Whether the respondent perceived that his/her colleagues were appreciated more by

their clients due to the gender they belong to, and

Whether they respondent perceive that their male/female colleagues were actually

paid more due to their gender

As mentioned in the introduction section, this research is also interested in identifying the

factors that may potentially affect the degree of success achieved in the accountancy

profession. Therefore, the second research question is as follows:

RQ 2: What factors explain the lower presence of females in the accountancy profession in

Bangladesh?

Prior research suggests that in order to pursue a successful career in the accountancy

profession, individuals need to possess some personality attributes. In addition, some

structural factors (such as working hours, career aspirations, family responsibilities) may also

affect career progression within this profession. The explanatory factors we investigated are

qualifications, work experience, working hours per week, family responsibilities, personal

attributes, career aspirations and mobility, level of mentor support, and discrimination.To

address these issues, respondents were asked to rank themselves against the following

personal attributes:

Self confidence

Competitiveness

Decisiveness

Ability to handle pressure

Leadership abilities

Desire for responsibility

Work-life balance

Also, the questionnaire included the following questions relating to working hours and career

aspirations:

Number of hours worked

Career aspirations

It is acknowledged that in addition to personal attributes, the comparatively lesser presence of

women in the profession may also be dictated by demand and supply factors in the market.

To investigate the demand factors, respondents were also asked to rank the following factors

that prior studies and anecdotal evidence identified to be important potential obstacles to

succeed in the chartered accountancy profession in Bangladesh-

Finding place in an audit firm

The length of time it takes to qualify

The costs involved in supporting yourself during the article ship period

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ICAB‟s examination system

The working environment within your firm

Family obligations

Transportation(at present in Dhaka)

To identify the supply side factors, we asked for respondents‟ views on the following-

Communicating with clients

Securing access to client records

Securing access to client personnel

The working environment in client‟s office

In addition, respondents were also asked to provide their narrative comments as regards to

why some female students failed to complete the chartered accountancy programme.

In recent times, the ICAB has taken a number of initiatives to attract more female

participation in the profession. The initiatives are relatively recent are expected to have far

reaching impact on the profession that may not be measurable at this current point of time.

Nevertheless, our survey results could still provide some early evidence regarding the success

of these initiatives. Our third research question, therefore, is as follows:

RQ 3: Have perceptions of female members regarding pay, equity and working conditions

changed over the years?

To investigate this, the same questionnaire is used for a sub-sample of relatively newly

qualified female chartered accountants.

In addition to the above mentioned research themes, we asked for narrative comments from

our respondents regarding a host of other issues relating to female participation in the

chartered accountancy profession in Bangladesh. The complete questionnaire, as circulated to

the respondents, is presented in Annexure 1.

Measurement of the variables

The cross sectional data is collected from responses to a mix of structured and unstructured

open-ended questions. The structured questions focus on measuring the specified explanatory

factors and dependent variables (such as personality attributes, structural factors etc).

Selection of the explanatory factors is in part determined by the ease ofmeasurement in a

survey instrument. To capture the significance of differences across genders, we use a t-test

of means assuming equality between two samples. In addition, as much of the data is

categorical or ordinal in nature, or non-normally distributed, non-parametric Mann-Whitney

U tests for median difference are employed in the analysis.Within the class of non-parametric

tests, Mann-Whitney test provides a powerful alternative for the t-test of mean differences.

The open-ended questions elicit many interesting comments on a range of factors, and a

number of these comments are quoted later in this report.

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3. Results and discussion

Female presence in the accountancy profession in Bangladesh

In order to explore gender equity in the accountancy profession in Bangladesh, two key

themes are used. First, institute‟s membership data during the period 1972-2014 is used to

identify the trend in female membership pattern. The chronological list of ICAB members (as

reported in the ICAB website) is analysed with a view to studying the gradual inclusion of

women in the profession. Figure 1 presents the pattern of membership according to the ICAB

membership number:

The figure indicates that within the first 400 members of the ICAB, there was not a single

woman chartered accountant. Actually, the membership number of the first female chartered

accountant, Ms SuraiyaZannathKhan (who was admitted as member in 1989), is 455,

suggesting that all the 454 chartered accountants who qualified before her were all males.

However, the figure also that although the institute had to wait for 17 years for its first female

member, the number of female membership has risen significantly over the last 25 years and

now stands at 70.

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Figure 2 presents ICAB’s membership data in a time series.

The figure indicates a significant development in terms of women membership over the last

11 years, from 11 in 2003 to 70 in the year 2014.

However, despite the recent increase in the number of female membership in the chartered

accountancy profession in Bangladesh, women still constitute a very small proportion of

ICAB‟s membership. Figures 3 and 4 present the proportion of female members in a

chronological order of qualification and in a time series respectively. The figures indicate

that although the female membership has witnessed a phenomenal development in recent

years (female membership was less than 1 percent in 2000), females still constitute a very

small proportion of ICAB‟s membership.

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Figure 5 presents the student admission ratio and membership admission ratio in ICAB over a

period 2002-2013.

The figure suggests a closing gap between female students admitted per year and female

members qualifying per year (both in terms of ratios between female and male).

Figure 6 perhaps presents the broader picture in context-

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The figure indicates that female members actually comprise of 4.67% of the total number of

ICAB members. However, in 2012, the national female to male ratio in Bangladesh is 1:1.04,

suggesting that the population is spread almost equally between the two genders (Source: The

World Fact Book, 2012).

Cracking the glass ceiling: Landmark achievements for women in the Bangladeshi

Chartered Accountancy profession

Despite their poor presence in the accountancy profession, female chartered accountants in

Bangladesh have demonstrated their competence by achieving a few significant landmarks

over the years.

1989 Landmark 1: First female member admitted to ICAB

1995 Landmark 2: First practicing certificate received by a female member

2007 Landmark 3: Lone female member elected to the ICAB council

2008 Landmark 4: First female office bearer as Vice President, ICAB.

2011 Landmark 5: ICAB gets its first female President

Landmark6: ICAB‟s female President sits in the South Asian Federation of

Accountants (SAFA) board as its first female member

2013 Landmark 7: Number of female ICAB membership reaches 50

Overall, the analysis suggests that women in the profession have made significant progress in

the chartered accountancy profession in Bangladesh, and have achieved a number of

remarkable landmarks to date. However, despite such progress, the proportion of female

members in the ICAB is considerably lower than the national male-female ratio, suggesting

that a significant a gender imbalance exists within the profession. To explore this issue

further, the following sections present the survey results of female perceptions regarding pay

and gender equity.

Exploring gender equity in the chartered accountancy profession in Bangladesh: survey

results

In the survey responses, one female respondent wrote-

‘I think gender discrimination is a curse. I think a chartered accountant should not

(be viewed as a) male or female. Rather, he/she should only be considered as a

chartered Accountant. We should have more opportunity for work in corporate

sectors. We should be paid equally. Job opportunity is also limited for us in corporate

sector.

Table 1 presents the survey responses relating to gender equity. The results indicate that

female accountants rank gender discrimination significantly highly compared to their male

counterparts. Also, females perceive that their male counterparts in the profession are

appreciated more in their workplace and receive significantly higher amounts of salary.

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Table 1: Perceptions relating to gender equity in the chartered accountancy profession

Male Female Sig (t-test) M-W

Does a gender inequity exist? 4.462 2.846 0.002*** 0.003

Are your colleagues appreciated more because

of their gender? 3.571 2.462 0.041** 0.024

Are your colleagues paid more because of

their gender? 4.286 2.692 0.003*** 0.007

***significant difference at1% level (p<0.01);** significant difference at 5% level (p<0.05);*significant

difference at 10% level (p<0.10);

The results are consistent with findings of other studies conducted in the western context. For

example, Whiting and Wright (2002) report that female chartered accountants in New

Zealand receive significantly less in terms of salaries compared to their male counterparts. In

Bangladesh‟s case, however, there is no published salary survey that could be used to verify

the survey results. Nevertheless, the survey results do indicate the existence of negative

perceptions regarding pay and gender equity in the accountancy profession in Bangladesh.

Explanatory factors

Table 2 presents survey responses relating to work experience, working hours, and career

aspirations.

Table 2: Work experience, working hours, and career aspiration scores

Male Female

Sig (t-

test)

Sig (M-W

test)

Average work experience (years) 9.510 4.960 0.070* 0.024

Average working hours per week 47.786 48.923 0.711 0.510

Career aspirations (likert scale score) 3.923 4.769 0.012** 0.003

*significant difference at 10% level (p<0.10); ** significant difference at 5% level (p<0.05)

Work experience

The female chartered accountants in our sample had significantly lower work experience

(4.96 years) compared to their male counterparts (9.51 years). This could potentially explain

the perceived discrimination relating to pay equity. However, the results could also be

influenced by the sample of male chartered accountants who participated in the survey. One

of the explanatory factors for significantly lower work experience gathered by female could

be the fact that the tendency of females wanting to join the profession is relatively recent-

hence, a significantly high number of female chartered accountants would be in early stages

of the careers, and have lesser work experience.

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Working hours

Thesurvey results indicate no significant difference in average weekly work hours for women

(48.9 hours) and men (47.8 hours). The results contrast survey results conducted in western

context, where male chartered accountants are found to work significantly more compared to

women, explaining the pay difference to some extent. If therespondents‟ perceptions relating

to pay inequality are deemed to becorrect, this would imply that women actually are paid

significantly less per hour compared to their male counterparts in Bangladesh (as they work

load per week is actually similar).

Career aspirations

Career aspirations are sometimes used as a potential explanation between the remuneration

gap between women and men. It is argued that higher career aspirations, coupled with longer

work hours, may lead to quicker career progression for some professional accountants and

hence create a salary in-equilibrium. Prior studies in this area have been inconclusive.

Whereas Whiting and Wright (2002) investigating gender inequality in the accountancy

profession in New Zealand reported lower career aspirations for female chartered

accountants, Baker and Monks (1998), in their study on Irish accountancy profession, did not

find any significant difference. In thissurvey, respondents were asked to ratetheir career

aspirations in a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being the highest). Theresults indicate that female

respondents actually held significantly higher career aspirations (average score 4.77)

compared to their male counterparts (average score 3.92).

Personality characteristics

To capture the impact of personal attributes on gender inequality, respondents were asked to

to rank the extent to which they possessed a specific attribute in a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being the

highest). Table 3 presents the results for personal attributes.

Table 3: Personal attributes

Male Female

Sig (t-

test)

Sig (M-W

test)

Self confidence 1.500 1.538 0.890 0.710

Decisiveness 1.714 2.462 0.059* 0.034

Desire for responsibility 1.643 1.385 0.537 0.930

Competitiveness 1.643 1.769 0.714 0.410

Work-life balance 2.071 2.385 0.504 0.739

Leadership abilities 1.643 1.615 0.926 0.626

Ability to handle pressure 1.643 1.538 0.767 0.891

*significant difference at 10% level (p<0.10)

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Surveyresults indicate no significant difference between male and female chartered

accountants for personal attributes such as self-confidence, desire for responsibility,

competitiveness, leadership traits, work-life balance and ability to handle pressure. However,

females were found to be significantly more decisive compared to their male counterparts.

Interestingly, male chartered accountants also did not perceive their female counterparts to

possess lesser leadership attributes. A number of male members of the profession were found

to be appreciative of the personal traits possessed by women chartered accountants. However,

male partners working in audit partners pointed out that although they found female auditors

to be equally competent compared to male auditors, they would be reluctant to send them for

audit work outside the capital due to security reasons.

The results contrast prior findings such as Whiting and Wright (2001), who report significant

differences in personality attributes between male and female in the profession. However, our

results are consistent with prior research that ranks the Bangladeshi society comparatively

lower in dimensions such as masculinity. Overall, this suggests that in contrast with the

western world, gender inequity in the accountancy profession in Bangladesh is not driven by

differences in personality traits between male and female respondents.

Family commitments

Prior studies state that demand of family and career progression competes for a professional

woman chartered accountant‟s time. Thesurvey results indicate that in comparison with male

chartered accountants, the female members of the profession were found to be significantly

more committed towards their family responsibilities. The findings are not surprising in a

traditional society such as Bangladesh. Also, the results are consistent with prior studies

conducted in western settings. However, in Bangladesh‟s case, one interesting factor to note

is that although female chartered accountants demonstrate significantly higher willingness in

taking care of their children, they also have significantly higher career aspirations. In other

words, unlike some other countries, female chartered accountants in Bangladesh were not

willing to trade off family responsibilities with career progression. Rather, they considered

both to be simultaneous, rather than mutually exclusive. As summarised by a female

respondent-

I definitely (would like to) mention that being a female I have some extra family

involvement such as taking care of children as well as responsibility towards

dependent family members. But performing the above responsibilities it is not

impossible to do well in one’s career. Moreover family members also give very

positive support to develop the career. Without their support perhaps it would be

difficult to do well in career

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Structural factors

Thisstudy also identified a number of structural factors that might have attributed to poor

presence of women in the profession. These are classifiedas supply side (profession-specific)

factors, demand side (client-specific) factors, and other factors.

Supply side factors

Respondents were asked to rank important obstacles in qualifying as chartered accountants in

a scale of 1 to 5. Table 4 presents the results.

Table 4: Supply side factors affecting attainment of CA qualification

Male Female

Sig (t-

test)

Sig

(M-W

test)

Family obligations 2.429 2.538 0.840 0.801

Finding place in an audit firm 3.071 2.000 0.077* 0.024

ICAB’s examination system 2.857 2.615 0.650 0.549

The costs involved during the articleship period 2.429 2.769 0.572 0.670

The length of time it takes to qualify 2.357 2.769 0.521 0.432

The working environment within your firm 2.000 2.693 0.171 0.249

*significant difference at 10% level (p<0.10)

A number of factors that were commonly believed to be the main impediments were used as

themes. The results indicate no significant difference in responses of male and female

chartered accountants for factors such as family obligations, the length of time taken to

qualify as a chartered accountant, costs involved, ICAB‟s examination system and the

working environment within an audit firm. Notably, some of these factors were identified in

previous studies as potential reasons for the poor number of qualified accountants in

Bangladesh. Howeverour results indicate that females found it significantly more difficult to

secure a placement in a chartered accountancy firm.

Respondents were also asked to identify a place of work where theyperceived gender

discrimination to be the least. Most of the respondents were of the opinion that gender

discrimination was minimal in internationally linked audit firms and in multinational

companies.

Demand side factors

Respondents‟ views were sought regarding a number of structural factors that relate mostly to

the manner male and female auditors are able to interact with their clients. Specifically, the

respondents were asked to rank difficulties in communicating with clients, securing access to

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client records, securing access to client personnel, and the working environment in client‟s

premises. Table 5 presents the results for the demand-side factors.

Table 5: Demand side factors (Likert score)

Male Female

Sig (t-

test)

Sig (M-

W test)

Communicating with clients 4.154 3.286 0.020** 0.024

Securing access to client records 3.308 3.286 0.954 0.795

Securing access to client personnel 3.462 2.714 0.040** 0.043

The working environment in client’s office 3.538 2.714 0.079* 0.076

*significant difference at 10% level (p<0.10); ** significant difference at 5% level (p<0.05)

Significant differences were found between male and female respondents on most of the

demand side factors. Female auditors found it significantly more difficult to secure access to

client personnel, and to communicate with the clients. Also, female auditors identified the

working environment in client‟s premises as a major impediment in successfully conducting

an audit.

The results have important implications as far as audit quality is concerned. Audit is an

independent investigation of clients‟ records, and communication with clients is an integral

part of the audit process. If female auditors find it difficult to secure access to client

personnel, and to be able to communicate with the clients, it is likely to have a detrimental

effect on audit quality. Also, it is the client‟s responsibility to ensure a working environment

within which the female auditors feel comfortable.

Other factors

In addition to demand and supply side factors, respondents were also asked for their views on

wider societal problems that could act as possible impediments for achieving the chartered

accountancy qualification. Female respondents identified commuting across Dhaka city as a

major problem affecting their daily conduct as auditors. The open ended questionnaire also

contained a space for comments from the respondents. Further analysisthe male respondents‟

views relating to female chartered accountants revealed two recurring themes. Since such

male perceptions could not be supported by thesurvey results, theterm „myth‟ is used to

describe the following themes:

Myth 1: Females lacked determination, self-motivation, and self-dependence

A number of male respondents opined that female students could not sometimes qualify as

chartered accountants as they lacked determination, motivation, and self-dependence.

However, our survey results actually indicate no significant difference in personality

attributes between female and male members of the society, implying such notions are largely

unfounded.

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Myth 2: Females are burdened with family responsibilities

Another common perception amongst male respondents was that the female members of the

profession are burdened by family responsibilities and this affected their career progression.

Especially, many male respondents believed that females found it difficult to qualify after

they get married. Commenting on factors affecting female career progression, one male

respondent suggested-

‘Females should not enter into conjugal life at least before completion of articleship’

On the other hand, although most female respondents agreed that family responsibilities and

taking care of children would come first, they did not consider this as a major impediment

towards career progression. Rather, most female respondents were appreciative of the support

that they received from members of their families.

Response ranks

Personal attributes

All the respondents were asked to rank personal attributes possessed by them in a scale of 1

to 5. Based on their average rank for each attribute, table 6 presents a ranking of such traits:

Table 6: Personal attribute ranks

Male Female

Ability to handle pressure well 5 1

Competitiveness 2 5

Decisiveness 6 3

Desire for responsibility 4 4

Leadership abilities 3 7

Self confidence 1 2

Work-life balance 7 6

Results indicate that male accountants consider self-confidence to be their most important

trait, followed by competitiveness, leadership abilities, desire for responsibility, ability to

handle pressure, decisiveness, and work-life balance. Female respondents, on the other hand,

perceived ability to handle pressure as their most important attribute, followed by self-

confidence, decisiveness, desire for responsibility, competitiveness, work-life balance and

leadership abilities. However, in terms of actual scores measured in the 5 point likert scale,

significant difference was only found for the decisiveness trait, indicating that female

chartered accountants consider themselves to be more decisive compared to their male

counterparts.

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Obstacles for qualifying as a Chartered Accountant

Next, respondentswere asked to rank the most important obstacles for qualifying as a

chartered accountant in Bangladesh. Table 7 presents the results:

Table 7: Important perceived obstacles for qualifying as a Chartered Accountant

Male Female

Family obligations 4 2

Finding place in an audit firm 6 1

ICAB’s examination system 5 3

The costs involved in supporting yourself during the article

ship period 3 6

The length of time it takes to qualify 2 5

The working environment within your firm 1 4

Male respondents considered the working environment within the audit firms the most

important obstacle for qualifying as a chartered accountant. This wasfollowed by factors such

as length of time taken to qualify, costs involved in supporting self during the articles hip

period, family obligations, ICAB‟s examination system and finding a place in an audit firm.

Although finding a place in an audit firm was considered to be relatively easy for the male

respondents, female respondents actually considered this to be the most important factor.

Unlike male respondents, factors such as time taken to qualify as a chartered accountant and

costs involved during the process was found to be important. Also, although male

respondents identified the working environment within the audit firms as the most important

problem, female respondents did not consider this to be an important issue (rank 4).

Comments from a male respondent may offer some explanations for this:

„the working hours for them is generally lesser than the male staff, they do not go outside

of Dhaka or home town to serve clients, exam leave is easy to avail of for themselves and

their regular presence is less than the male staff for their monthly physical matters.

An audit partner also confirmed that they considered women‟s special needs while approving

a leave of absence. Overall, this suggests that audit firm partners actually ensure a more

conducive environment for their female employees. However, at the same time, female

respondents actually ranked finding a placement in an audit firm to be the most important

factor for them. This may suggest that although large audit firms are considerate towards

their women employees, smaller firms are still reluctant to accept women employees, mostly

due to security concerns for women.

Sensitivity tests: has female perception changed over the years?

In recent years, the ICAB has undertaken a number of steps to attract women to the

profession. Major initiatives include:

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ICAB initiative in 1996 to eliminate gender inequality in chartered accountancy

profession (the project was funded by the Canadian International Development

Agency (CIDA)). Major recommendations included the formulation of a “Gender

Fund”.

To uphold and implement this view the ICAB formed a “Committee for Professional

Development for Women (CPDW)”. Prime focus of this committee was to make

public awareness about the suitability of CA profession for women and to encourage

them to enter the profession. In this connection the ICAB held workshops, seminars,

computer trainings, motivational activities, etc. and printing and publication of

booklets and brochures. etc. and arranged visits to various educational institutions in

order to highlight the merits of the profession and the potential it promises for

women. The gender committee‟s achievements included

o the compulsory provision for increase in number of female article students

compulsorily from one to two under each principal.

o Imposition of 15% quota of scholarship of ICAB for female students.

In addition, the following recent initiatives have been undertaken by the ICAB to

ensure gender equity in the profession-

o A principal can take extra 5 female students outside the quota limit of 30. But

while filling the quota of original 30 there is no constraint on number of

female students.

o The Quality Assurance departmentwhether a firm has facilities conducive for

female students while visiting the firms for compliance/quality monitoring.

o In case of pregnancy, the students are allowed exemptions from attending

coaching classes

o Any complaints from female students regarding work environments are

addressed by ICAB with priority.

The initiatives are relatively recent, and are expected to have far reaching impact on the

profession. To test the potential impact of such initiatives, and also to test whether female

perceptions have changed over time, a sub-sample of female chartered accountants with less

than ten years of post-qualification experience is used. Table presents the sensitivity tests

relating to changes in female auditors‟ perceptions regarding the profession. The results

indicate the following-


experience does not seem to perceive that gender discrimination exists in the

profession. Although the mean score for this sample of female auditors (3.00) is lower

than the score for the male sample (4.10), the difference is not statistically significant

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(p value less than 10%) any more. This suggests that female auditor‟ perceptions

regarding gender discrimination may have significantly changed over the years.

Female auditors still exhibit similar personality attributes, and rank themselves

significantly higher for the decisiveness attribute

The career aspiration score for female respondents have remained significantly higher

compared to their male counterparts.





reducing, and is very close to being statistically insignificant (p value: 0.09, values

greater than 0.10 are considered to be statistically insignificant)

Securing access to client personnel and communication with the clients still appear to

be problematic for the female auditors. Also, perceptions regarding poor working

conditions in client office appear to have remained unchanged.

Like the full sample, the sub-sample of newly qualified female chartered accountants

also perceive that their male counterparts are appreciated more in their workplace, and

receive significantly higher amounts of salaries

Commuting to client premises has remained problematic

The subsample of newly qualified auditors demonstrate lower commitment toward

their families (including children)- this may not be surprising, given that most of these

respondents are young and presumably yet to be burdened with family

responsibilities.

4. Principal findings and recommendations

The primary objective of this research was to explore three research issues-

Does a significant gender gap exist in the chartered accountancy profession in

Bangladesh?

What factors explain the lower presence of females in the accountancy profession in

Bangladesh?

Have perceptions of female members regarding working conditions within the

profession changed over the years?

The principal findings are as follows are presented next.

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Principal findings

RQ 1: Gender equity

At present, women only account for 4.67 percent of the total number of chartered

accountants in Bangladesh, suggesting the existence of a gender gap. However, in

recent years, the number of women joining the profession appears to have increased

significantly.

The survey results indicate that female chartered accountants perceive that gender

discrimination exists within the accountancy profession. However, further sensitivity

tests reveal that such perceptions appear to have significantly improved over time, as

comparatively newly qualified female accountants do not appear to have similar

views.

Female respondents also perceive that compared to them, their male counterparts are

being appreciated more in the workplace and receive significantly higher salaries.

RQ 2:Explanatory factors

Female chartered accountants have similar work hours, and possess significantly

higher career aspirations compared to male chartered accountants

Both male and female respondents displayed similar personality attributes such as

self-confidence, competitiveness, leadership abilities, desire for responsibility, ability

to handle pressure, and work-life balance. Female respondents ranked themselves

significantly higher for the decisiveness attribute. Male respondents consider self-

confidence to be their most important trait, followed by competitiveness, leadership

abilities, desire for responsibility, ability to handle pressure, decisiveness, and work-

life balance. Female respondents, on the other hand, perceived ability to handle

pressure as their most important attribute, followed by self-confidence, decisiveness,

desire for responsibility, competitiveness, work-life balance and leadership abilities.

Female respondents display significantly higher levels of commitment towards their

children and family compared to male respondents. However, most female

respondents also appear to hold the view that being more committed towards family

responsibility is not a major obstacle towards career progression. Some male

respondents, however, appear to hold the view that female chartered accountants are

burdened more of their family responsibilities, and subsequently, are affected in terms

of their career progressions.

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Surveyresults indicate no significant difference in responses of male and female

chartered accountants for factors such as the length of time taken to qualify as a

chartered accountant, the cost involved, ICAB‟s examination system and the working

environment within an audit firm. However females found it significantly more

difficult to secure a placement in a chartered accountancy firm.

Female auditors found it significantly more difficult to secure access to client

personnel, and to communicate with the clients. Also, female auditors identified the

working environment in client‟s premises as a major impediment in successfully

conducting an audit.

Male respondents considered the working environment within the audit firms the most

important obstacle for qualifying as a chartered accountant. This is followed by

factors such as length of time taken to qualify, costs involved in supporting self

during the articleship period, family obligations, ICAB‟s examination system and

finding a place in an audit firm. Although finding a place in an audit firm was

considered to be relatively easy for the male respondents, female respondents actually

considered this to be the most important factor. Unlike male respondents, factors such

as time taken to qualify as a chartered accountant and costs involved during the

process was found to be unimportant for female students. Also, although male

respondents identified the working environment within the audit firms as the most

important problem, female respondents did not consider this to be an important issue

(rank 4).

Overall, the results suggest that once provided a placement, audit firm partners in

Bangladesh actually ensure a more conducive environment for their female

employees. However, at the same time, female respondents actually ranked finding a

placement in an audit firm to be the most important factor for them. This may suggest

that although large audit firms are considerate towards their women employees,

smaller firms are still reluctant to accept women employees, mostly due to security

concerns for women.

Female members of the profession have identified problems in commuting to

workplace and client offices as a major problem for them.

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RQ 3: Has the situation improved over the years?


experience does not seem to perceive that gender discrimination exists in the

profession. Although the mean score for this sample of female auditors (3.00) is lower

than the score for the male sample (4.10), the difference is not statistically significant

(p value less than 10%) any more. This suggests that female auditor‟ perceptions

regarding gender discrimination may have significantly changed over the years.

Female auditors still exhibit similar personality attributes, and rank themselves

significantly higher for the decisiveness attribute

The career aspiration score for female respondents have remained significantly higher

compared to their male counterparts.





reducing, and is very close to being statistically insignificant (p value: 0.09, values

greater than 0.10 are considered to be statistically insignificant)

Securing access to client personnel and communication with the clients still appear to

be problematic for the female auditors. Also, perceptions regarding poor working

conditions in client office appear to have remained unchanged.

Like the full sample, the sub-sample of newly qualified female chartered accountants

also perceive that their male counterparts are appreciated more in their workplace, and

receive significantly higher amounts of salaries

Commuting to client premises has remained problematic

The subsample of newly qualified auditors demonstrate lower commitment toward

their families (including children) - this may not be surprising, given that most of

these respondents are young and presumably yet to be burdened with family

responsibilities.

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Recommendations:

Based on the survey results, this report puts forward a number of suggestions that might be

useful in creating a more conducive environment for women in the profession:

ICAB should take catalytic role in awareness building and to make more disclosures

in its publications regarding gender, pay and equity in the profession. More

specifically, the following disclosures could be used to allay concerns regarding

gender equity, pay, and working conditions within the profession-

o The number of female chartered accountants qualifying each year (and the

significant increase in such numbers in recent years)

o The number of female student intake each year (proportion of male-female

students each year)

o Number of female partners in audit firms

o Number of female members in key positions

o A comparison of average salary paid to male and female members of the

profession

Audit firms should be encouraged to provide a more conducive environment for

female students. This may include incorporating more women in senior management

level positions, allowing more flexible work hours, the provision for day care centres

etc. Also, a firm-wise distribution of male-female employees should be disclosed.

From a policy level, the government can encourage more females in company

management positions (such as mandatory minimum female membership in the board

of directors and in other important committees such as the audit committee). More

women in key management positions in client companies will contribute to better

understanding of the requirements of female auditors, eventually leading to a more

conducive environment for female auditors to work.

With the rising number of female members in the accountancy profession, ICAB

should encourage and ensure more female members in key decision making positions,

such as in the council, and in other important committees.

ICAB should play a more proactive role in presenting chartered accountancy as a

female friendly profession. This can be accomplished by encouraging more females in

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top management positions, and also by highlighting the achievements of its female

members, so that they can be regarded as role models for the new female students

willing to join the profession.

The institute can organise more events in different public and private universities to

attract more female students to the profession. Also, regional events can be organised

outside Dhaka to attract a wider female interest towards the profession.1

ICAB should perhaps organise more seminars and workshops to promote awareness

and attitudinal change towards gender friendly perceptions s regarding women in the

profession and in the wider society.

1This can be similar to the „women in accountancy‟ programme- an annual event organised by the Institute of

Chartered Accountants of England and Wales, to inspire the next generation of female chartered accountants.

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References

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Annexure

EXPLAINING GENDER INEQUITY IN THE BANGLADESHI

ACCOUNTANCY PROFESSION

Ms Parveen Mahmud FCA, Past President, ICAB- Y2011 is leading a research project that

will look into the difficulties faced by female chartered accountants in Bangladesh and their

expectations from ICAB, profession and the society. This is being conducted with a view to

exploring opportunities to encourage women to pursue the chartered accountancy profession

successfully. The research team will also include Dr Javed Siddiqui from the Manchester

Business School, University of Manchester, who is interested in investigating inequity in the

accountancy profession in Bangladesh. This study attempts to capture the views, issues and

problems faced by the women CA students directly from them, to be able to take corrective

measures and influence CA Firms and the ICAB to create an environment that would

encourage entry of female graduates to successfully pursue to be a chartered accountant. It

will also help the Research Project to study the role of women in the auditing profession and

to remove gender inequity in CA Profession. For the purpose of the research project, a

questionnaire survey is being used. In addition, a number of interviews will be conducted

with relevant respondents within the profession.

Your frank comments and views are extremely valuable. We thank you in advance for taking

the time to complete this questionnaire and look forward to working with your input. We

would like to emphasize that the survey information will only be used for research purposes

and strict anonymity will be maintained throughout the process- the identity of survey

respondents will not be disclosed under any circumstances.

Gender

Age (years, as in October, 2013)

Highest tertiary degree held

(Bachelors/Masters)

Status of ICAB qualification

(ACA/FCA)

Name of the firm where you

worked as an articled student

Is any member of your family

(father/mother/sister/brother/pater

nal and maternal uncles/aunts) a

member of the ICAB?

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Number of years employed in the

accountancy profession since being

qualified as a chartered accountant

Family responsibilities

Number of dependent children

Number of other dependent family members

Average work hours per week

Personal attributes (please rank yourself in the following criteria in a scale of 5,

1 being the highest and 5 being the lowest). Please tick.

Self confidence 1 2 3 4 5

Competitiveness 1 2 3 4 5

Decisiveness 1 2 3 4 5

Leadership abilities 1 2 3 4 5

Desire for responsibility 1 2 3 4 5

Ability to handle pressure well 1 2 3 4 5

Work-life balance 1 2 3 4 5

Level of mentor support received in

your career as an accountant

1 2 3 4 5

Level of discrimination received in your career as an accountant (1 being the

highest)

Discriminations based on religious belief 1 2 3 4 5

Discriminations based on gender 1 2 3 4 5

Discriminations based on age 1 2 3 4 5

Current Job status (1 most junior,

5 most senior)

1 2 3 4 5

Career aspirations (1 most junior, 5

most senior)

1 2 3 4 5

How difficult is it to find a

placement in an audit firm (1= very

difficult, 5=very easy)

1 2 3 4 5

While conducting audit, which factors do you find to be most difficult-

Communicating with clients 1 2 3 4 5

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Securing access to client records 1 2 3 4 5

Securing access to client personnel 1 2 3 4 5

The working environment in client’s office 1 2 3 4 5

In your opinion, which factors act as important obstacles in qualifying as a

chartered accountant (1=very important; 5=irrelevant)

Finding place in an audit firm 1 2 3 4 5

The length of time it takes to qualify 1 2 3 4 5

The costs involved in supporting yourself

during the article ship period

1 2 3 4 5

ICAB’s examination system 1 2 3 4 5

The working environment within your firm 1 2 3 4 5

Family obligations 1 2 3 4 5

Transportation 1 2 3 4 5

Any other factors (please insert) 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5

Where do you currently work

(please tick)

In an internationally linked audit

firm

In a local audit firm (number of

partners >5)


partners <5)

In the corporate sector

Where do you think gender equity

is ensured more? (please tick)

In an internationally linked audit

firm


partners >5)


partners <5)

In a multinational company

In a large local company

As a female/male, do you think your male/female colleagues -

Are respected more by the audit team

because of their gender (1=very highly, 5=

not highly at all)

1 2 3 4 5

Are appreciated more/less by the clients?

(based on gender, 1= highly appreciated)

1 2 3 4 5

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Are paid more? 1 2 3 4 5

As a female/male, do you prefer working with

a male/female senior? (1= highly preferable,

3=no preference, 5= not preferable)

1 2 3 4 5

Do you think taking care of your

children affect your career

aspirations? (1=strongly agree)

1 2 3 4 5

Do you think taking care of other

members of your family (for

example, aging parents, younger

brothers and sisters) affect your

career aspirations? (1=strongly

agree)

1 2 3 4 5

Do you, in the context of Bangladesh, think that family connections are

important in- (1=very important)

Getting a placement in an audit firm 1 2 3 4 5

Qualifying as a chartered accountant 1 2 3 4 5

Getting a job after qualification 1 2 3 4 5

Getting promoted within the audit firm 1 2 3 4 5

Getting promoted within the corporate sector 1 2 3 4 5

Which factors are important in obtaining a placement in an audit firm (1=very

important)

Past education 1 2 3 4 5

Informal connections with a partner (for

example, family connections)

1 2 3 4 5

Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5

Family background 1 2 3 4 5

In your opinion, which factors are important for a successful career as a

chartered accountant-(1-very important)

Having a good academic degree 1 2 3 4 5

Qualifying from a large audit firm 1 2 3 4 5

Professional skills and competence 1 2 3 4 5

Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5

Family background 1 2 3 4 5

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What are the potential problems for females to take up Chartered Accountancy

as a career? (1=very important)

Lack of appropriate working facilities within

the firm

1 2 3 4 5

Poor working conditions within client

premises

1 2 3 4 5

Commuting to client office 1 2 3 4 5

Family obligations 1 2 3 4 5

Long hours of work 1 2 3 4 5

Colleagues are disrespectful towards them 1 2 3 4 5

Clients are disrespectful towards them 1 2 3 4 5

Lack of professional skills 1 2 3 4 5

Additional questions

1. Would you turn down more demanding (but highly paid) jobs due to your family

commitments?

2. Do you think gender discrimination can be positive? In other words, do you think

being a male/female has helped you make more progress in your career?

3. Does your organisational culture help your career progression as a male/female?

4. When you conducted an audit, do you think you were undermined by your

male/female clients? Do all male/female clients treat you similarly?

5. If you are a member of a well-connected family, does it make it easier to succeed as

a chartered accountant?

6. Any other comments

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Session Chairman

Ms. Parveen Mahmud FCA

Managing Director,

Grameen Telecom Trust House No.7, Road No. 117, Gulshan-2, Dhaka-1212

(R)+880-2-8824144, (M) 01711 548793

(E) [email protected]

Ms. Parveen Mahmud FCA, is the Founding Managing Director, Grameen Telecom Trust,

which facilitates Social Business to overcome social issues and poverty. She is a chartered

accountant and a fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh

(ICAB). In her varied professional career Ms. Mahmud worked substantial time with national

and international development agencies and was practicing chartered accountant.

Ms. Mahmud started her career with BRAC, and was the financial controller of Actionaid

Bangladesh. She was the Deputy Managing Director of Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation

(PKSF), an apex funding institution for microfinance activities for poverty alleviation. She

was partner, ACNABIN, Chartered Accountants.

ICAB members has elected Ms Mahmud was the first women council member with highest

votes in 2007- 2009 council. She served ICAB as the First female office bearer as Vice

President for 2008. And again, she was elected member in the council 2010-2012. She is the

first woman President of the ICAB for the year 2011. She is also, the first female Board

member in the South Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA), apex accounting professional

body of the SAARC.

Ms Mahmud, took initiative, to introduce Best Presented Financial Reporting Award for

NGO-MFIs in 2005, honouring the International Year of Microcredit. She was the convenor,

sub- committee to develop selection criteria and methodology. Later, SAFA adopted ICAB

criteria and introduced Financial Reporting Award for NGO-MFI in 2006. During her tenure

as president, ICAB, she initiated the NGO-MFI management training modules, which are

now being implemented by ICAB in partnership with PKSF and Microcredit Regulatory

Authority (MRA) and, NGO & NGO MFI auditing guidelines for finalization by the

Technical & Research Committee, ICAB.. She served ICAB as Chairman, Committee for

Gender Development (2007-2008) and introduced three special scholarships for female

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students with assistance from South East Bank Ltd (SEBL) and National Credit and

Commerce Bank Ltd (NCCBL). She was Chairman, Information & Technology (2009-

2010).Under her leadership SMS notification services, computerization of examination and

students registration systems were introduced and restructured ICAB website.

Ms Mahmud serves in prestigious boards working for socio-economic development. She is in

the board of Grameenphone Ltd, Grameen Telecom, Grameen Danone Foods Ltd., Linde

Bangladesh Ltd. She serves in various Boards working for social causes. She is also the

founding board member of ActionAid Bangladesh (AAB), MIDAS, Manusher Jonnyo

Foundation (MJF), Underprivileged Children Education Program (UCEP), Bangladesh, and

in the BRAC International. Ms Mahmud is General Body member, The Institute of

Microfinance. She is serving as Chair, audit committee, Linde Bangladesh Ltd., and also in

the audit committees of AAB, UCEP- Bangladesh, BRAC and BRAC International.

Ms Mahmud was the Chairperson of Acid Survivors Foundation. She was the technical

committee member while setting up Microcredit Regulatory Authority (MRA) and member

of the National Advisory Panel for SME Development of Bangladesh , founding board

member of SME Foundation and was Convenor, SME Women‟s Forum. She was awarded

Begum Rokeya Shining Personality Award 2006 for women‟s empowerment by the

Narikantha Foundation, Bangladesh.

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Panel Speakers

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Panel Speaker

Suraiya Zannath FCA

Sr. Financial Management Specialist

South Asia Region, The World bank

E 32 Agargaon, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka-1207

Tel: 88-02-8159001 (4312) Fax: 88-02-8159029-30

Email: [email protected]

Suraiya Zannath is a distinguished women personality of Bangladesh. She hails from Chittagong

being the daughter of renowned advocate and social worker Late Badiul Alam of Chittagong.

Suraiya completed her schooling with Dr Khastagir with distinction. Thereafter, she joined

Chittagong Commerce College and stood 20th

in combined merit list in Higher Secondary School

Certificate Exams held in 1980. She did her Bachelor from Chittagong Commerce College.

After graduation, she joined SF Ahmed and & Co, a leading accounting firm in Bangladesh with

the objective of pursuing a career as a Chartered Accountant and completed it with the unique

distinction of being the first woman to qualify from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of

Bangladesh.

Before joining the World Bank, she initially worked in BRAC as financial analyst‟ and thereafter

as Head of Finance in Save the Children USA. As the Senior Financial Management Specialist

looking after the South Asia Region, she oversees World Bank supported operations primarily in

Bangladesh and other countries in South Asia, focusing on financial management &

accountability, governance and parliamentary oversight issues.

She has been working on donors‟ harmonization agenda to avoid piecemeal efforts and

fragmented approach to development assistance in Bangladesh. She was instrumental for bringing

five donors (DFID, EC, CIDA, Dutch and DANIDA) under a joint agreement for supporting the

Government Bangladesh‟s largest technical assistance on “Strengthening Public Expenditure

Management Program”. Under the program, she has been working with the Parliament to

strengthen the legislative oversight functions in Bangladesh. Her regional responsibility entails a

great deal of travel in and outside the South Asia Region and participation in various international

forums, which helped transferring global knowledge and experience into Bangladesh country

program as well as seven countries in South Asia Region.

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Her work on private sector corporate governance includes strengthening accounting and auditing

standards and practice. She assisted the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh and

Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Bangladesh through innovative twining

arrangements with the internationally reputed bodies.

She has presented a number of key note papers covering:

(i) Gender budgeting on seminar conducted by Democracy Watch, Bangladesh ; (ii)

“Promoting Public Private Partnership for improved public sector auditing” on a

high profile workshop conducted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of

Bangladesh and (iii)

“Enhancing public confidence on financial reporting” in a conference organized by the South

Asia Federation of Accountants in Nepal.

She is also actively involved in various community and social development activities such as

setting up a charitable dispensary, establishing Khan Foundation and JB Trust. She is also

sponsor director of Sajna and Summer palace hotel and restaurant. Various print and electronic

media featured her experience on a wide range of development issues quite prominently. Her

areas of interest include governance and oversight, institutional capacity development and

development issues

Her contribution on a number of fields has been recognized by various organizations.

Listed in “Who‟s who” amongst female personalities in Bangladesh

Awarded the prestigious Gold Medal” by the President of Bangladesh in recognition of being

the first female CA and laying down the foundation for more Bangladeshi women to acquire

professional degree.

Narikantho Foundation award “Shining Women” in the field of Public Finance and

Management

Award by a Chartered Accountant firm for promoting female professional education and

reducing gender disparity

Dr Khastagir High School in Chittagong recently felicitated her as one of the leading students

of the school along with other leading female luminaries of Bangladesh.

Suraiya is married and mother of two sons. Her husband Mr. Masud Khan, Finance Director of a

leading multinational Company (Lafarge Surma Cement) is also a leading Chartered Accountant

as well as a Cost and Management Accountant.

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Panel Speaker

Akhtar Sanjida Kasem FCA, FCMA

Partner,

A Qasem & Co,

Chartered Accountants ,

Gulshan Pink City (6th

floor), Plot # 15, Road No. 103

Gulshan-2, Dhaka-1212

Sanjida possessed a brilliant academic career, having stood First in Commerce Group in the

S.S.C Examinations in 1983, and Second in the Commerce Group in H.S.C Examinations in

the Dhaka Board in 1985. She qualified both CMA and CA final examinations in 1991 at the

age of 23, thereby becoming the youngest professional accountant in the country at that time,

and the first Bangladeshi woman to hold qualifications in both CMA and CA. She is also an

Associate Member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), USA.

After qualifying, she served in Coopers & Lybrand, Singapore, one of the then Big 6

accounting firms in the world. Sanjida has been practicing as a Partner of A. Qasem & Co.

(AQC), Chartered Accountants, since June, 1995. Founded in 1953, AQC is the one of the

oldest and largest professional accounting firms in the country.

Sanjida served on various Committees of the ICAB, including the Board of Studies, Articled

Students Committee, Technical and Research Committee and CPDW. She was the Vice

President of ICMAB in 2007. She has presented technical papers in seminars and workshops

in Bangladesh and abroad.

She was honoured by the Daily Prothom Alo as one of six Successful Professional Women

on International Women‟s Day in 2006. She is the Author of "An Executive's Handbook of

Etiquette and Manners", the first book of its kind published in Bangladesh, and her articles

and features have been published in national dailies and magazines, e.g The Daily Star, Kaler

Kantha, Jai Jai Din, Lifestyle etc. She is a Guest Speaker on Manners and Etiquette at Police

Staff College, Bangladesh.

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Panel Speaker

Shama Rukh Alam, FCA

Group Finance Director,

Duncan Brothers (Bangladesh) Ltd

Camelia House, 22 Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue, Dhaka-1000,

(O) +880-2-8619336-8, (R) +880-2-8823559,


Mobile: 880-01713-084-494

Shama Rukh Alam is a Chartered Accountant and a Member of the Institute of Chartered

Accountants of Ontario as well as a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of

Bangladesh. She did her graduation with Honours in Statistics from the University of Dhaka

in 1973 and her Masters in Applied Mathematics from McGill University, Montreal, Canada.

Later she articled with Arthur Andersen and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1982 in

Quebec.

She has over 35 years of professional experience in Accounting, Finance and Management.

In her early professional life she worked in CN Real Estate, Trizec Corporation, Bank of

Montreal and was the Finance Director of Toronto Terminal Three Airport along with duty

free shopping center, Swiss Hotel and a parking facility. She accompanied her husband back

to Bangladesh in 1994.

In Bangladesh, she worked in a pharmaceutical company, now Avantis and a foreign

investment bank before moving to British American Tobacco in a senior management

position. She is currently working with Duncan Brothers Bangladesh as the Group Finance

Director of 12 of its associated companies. Duncan group is the biggest producer of tea in

Bangladesh. She is in the Board of Directors of five of its Bangladesh Companies involved

in warehousing, mineral water bottling and sale, C&F agency as well as in the Board of

United Leasing Company and Eastland Camellia Limited.

She serves in the Board of ALO, a voluntary organisation working to promotec awareness

against drug abuse and is the current treasurer of Rotary Club of Dhaka Mahanagar. She is

also in SAFA and International Affairs Committee and the Continuing Professional

Development Committee of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh.

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Panel Speaker

Ratna Dutta. FCA . Phd (Fellow) Proprietor

Dutta & Co.,

Chartered Accountants,

1701, Sk. Mujib Road, Agrabad, Chittagong,

(M) 01813 236761, (E) [email protected]

PHD(Fellow) from Finance, Honor‟s and Masters from Accounting (First Class) from

Chittagong University, Qualified as Chartered Accountants in 2006 and got Fellowship in

2011, while record of the working in the profession, served in different Foreign and Local

organization as head of accounts and finance department and entered in practice in the year

2010, now also associates with consultancy on call on different finance related issues of

different corporate groups in Bangladesh, visited different countries including India,

Thailand, China, Singapore and more..


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Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh (ICAB)

List of Female Chartered Accountants

Sl

No

Enroll

No

Name of the Female

Member Name of the Principal Name of the Firm Present Status

1 582 Ms. Suraiya Zannath Khan

FCA Mr. Syed Fazle Ali FCA S F Ahmed & Co.

Sr. Financial Management

Specialist,

The World Bank,

E-32 Agargaon, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka-1207,

[email protected]

2 632 Ms. Parveen Mamhmud

FCA Mr. Syed Fazle Ali FCA S F Ahmed & Co.

Managing Director,

Grameen Telecom Trust House No.7, Road No. 117

Gulshan-2, Dhaka-1212 (R)+880-2-8824144

(M) 01711 548793


3 643 Ms. Akhtar Sanjida Kasem

FCA

Mr. Akhtar Sohel Kasem

FCA A Qasem & Co.

Partner,

A Qasem & Co,

Chartered Accountants ,

Gulshan Pink City (6th floor), Plot # 15, Road No. 103, Gulshan-2,

Dhaka-1212

4 649 Ms. Yesmin Sabder Ali FCA

Mr. Mainuddin Ahmed FCA

S F Ahmed & Co.

Finance Director,

Agrabad Hotels Limited,

Agrabad Com. Area, Chittagong,

(O)+880-31-713311-8, (R) +880-31-616332

5 724 Ms. Shama Rukh Alam FCA

Not Applicable Not Applicable

Group Finance Director,

Duncan Brothers (Bangladesh)

Ltd, Camelia House, 22 Kazi Nazrul

Islam Avenue, Dhaka-1000,

(O) +880-2-8619336-8, (R) +880-2-8823559,


6 726 Ms. Susan Rahman ACA Not Applicable Not Applicable

136, Merton High Street, London,

SW19 1BA, UK, (Ph) +020-8543-

4421, (F) +020-8544-0245,

(E)[email protected]

7 736 Ms. Seema Halim Siddiqui ACA

Not Applicable Not Applicable

C/o. Malek Siddiqui Wali,

Chartered Accountants, 9-G, Motijheel Com.Area,

Dhaka-1000,

(O) +880-2-9560919, (F)+880-2-7175704,


8 753 Ms. Jeenat Jahan Dipty FCA

Mr. Nanda Gopal Chakraborty FCA

N Chakrabory & Co

Partner,

MABS & J Partners.,


21 Purana Paltan Line (4th floor), Dhaka-1000,

(O) +880-2-8355469, 8355471,

(M) 01940 366212, (F)+880-2-9332936,

(E) [email protected],

[email protected] , (W) www.smcabd.com

9 772 Ms. Shahnaz Kashem ACA Mr. Sheikh A Hafiz FCA Rahman Rahman Huq

CFO,

Hald-Nor Credit Union,

1397 Mayors Manor, Oakville, Ontario L6M 3A6, Canada,

(R) +905-469-6519,


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Sl

No

Enroll

No

Name of the Female


10 813 Ms. Syeda Assma Kakoli

FCA

Mr. M Mosleh Uddin

FCA Rahman Rahman Huq

Finance Management Director,

Save the Children,

House # CWN (A) 35, Road # 43,

Gulshan-2, Dhaka-1212,

(O) +880-2-9861690, (M) 01755 532480,

(F)+880-2-9886372, (E)[email protected], (W) www.savethechildren.org

11 821 Ms. Leena Razzaque FCA Mr. Badrul Ahsan FCA Ahsan Kamal Sadeq & Co

Partner,

AMAL & LEENA,

Chartered Accountants Mir Mahbub Mansion (3rd floor),

304 Sk. Mujib Road, Mistri Para,

Chittagong, (O) +880-31-724182,

(M) 01715 034024, 01711 424075,


12 857 Ms. Nusrat Jahan FCA Mr. M Obaidur Rahman

FCA M M Rahman & Co

Head of Finance

UNDP

Bangladesh Country Office, IDB Bhaban (12th floor), E/8-A Beguam

Rokeya Sharani, Sher-e-Bangla

Nagar, Dhaka-1207, (O) +880-2-8118600-6

Ext. 2511-203,

(M) 01713 035709, (E) [email protected],

[email protected]

13 866 Ms. Farzana Hamid ACA Not Applicable Not Applicable

187 Ashburton Avenue, Essex, 1G3

9EN, UK (E)

[email protected]

14 891 Ms. Parul Das FCA Mr. Sheikh A Hafiz FCA Rahman Rahman Huq

Head of Finance

The City Bank Ltd.

136 Gulshan Avenue, Gulshan- 2,

Dhaka-1212,

(O) +880-2-8813 483, 8814375 Ext. 1132,

(M)01714-097769


15 927 Ms. Zenaida Sethna ACA Not Applicable Not Applicable

Audit Manager

OCTOKHAN, Chartered

Accountants, House No.105 (Level-4), Northern Road, Baridhara,

DOHS, Dhaka-1212, (O)+880-2-

9892160, (R)+880-2-8821472, (F)+880-2-9860908

16 979 Ms. Nasrin Akter FCA Mr. Mohd. Rashidul Ahsan

FCA Ahsan Rashid & Co.

Manager (Accounts & Finance),

Square Cephalosporins Ltd.,

Square Centre, 48 Mohakhali

Com.Area, Dhaka-1212,

(O) +880-2-8833047-56, (P) +880-2-8251690,

(F) +880-2-8828768,


17 980 Ms. Jhuma Laila ACA Mr.Md.Shahidullah

Patwary FCA M S Patwary & Co

National Consultant

FMRP, C-4, Room No. 221, CGA

Building, Segunbagicha, Dhaka-

1000, (O) +880-2-9357497,

(R) +880-2-7160339,


of 56

Sl

No

Enroll

No

Name of the Female


18 985 Ms. Nayma Mehrin FCA Mr. M A Halim Gaznavi FCA

Aziz Halim Khair Choudhury

Partner

Aziz Halim Khair Choudhury,


„Baitul Mesbah”, Building No. 2 (3rd &

4th floor) , House No. 79, Road No. 12/A,

Dhanmondi, Dhaka-1209,

(O) +880-2-9137092,

9145017 9672553,

(M) 01613 031010, 01843 444419, (F) +880-2-9137097,

(E) [email protected],

[email protected]

19 992 Ms. Ratna Dutta FCA Mr. Anil Baran Das FCA A B Das & Co

Proprietor, Dutta & Co.,


1701, Sk. Mujib Road, Agrabad,

Chittagong, (M) 01813 236761,


20 1015 Ms. Kishower Amin FCA Mr. Md. Ruhul Amin FCA Ruhul Amin & Co.

Consultant –Sr. Audit &

Accounting Specialist- PEDP-3,

Asian Development Bank,

Plot - E-31, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka-1207,

(O)+880-2-8156000 to 6016,

(M) 01191 042266, (F) +880-2-8156018/6019 ,


21 1031 Ms. Nazmun Nahar FCA Mrs. Akhtar Sanjida

Kasem FCA A Qasem & Co.

General Manager, Financial

Compliance, Insurance & Process

Improvement

Finance Division

Robi Axiata Ltd.

53 Gulshan South Avenue, Gulshan-

1, Dhaka-1212, (O) +880-2-9887146-52, (F) +880-2-9885463,


22 1032 Ms. Fouzia Haque FCA Mr. Md. Amjad Hussain FCA

Howladar Yunus & Co

Partner , Zaman Hoque & Co.,

Chartered Accountants, 78 Kakrail (Gr. floor), Dhaka-1000,

(O) +880-2-8316657,

(R) +880-2-9128237, (M) 01819 496565,


23 1063 Ms. Maria Howlader FCA Mr. Shahid Uddin Ahmed FCA

Ahmed Shahid & Co.

Partner, A Qasem & Co.

Chartered Accountants, Pink City

(Level 7), Suites-01-03, Plot # 15,

Road # 103, Block-CEN (C), Gulshan Avenue, Dhaka-1212,

(O) +880-2-8881824-6,

(F) +880-2-8881822, (E) [email protected]

24 1073 Ms. Afrin Akhter ACA Mr. ABM Luthful Anwar

FCA

Toha Anwar Rouf &

Co.

Partner, A Qasem & Co.

Chartered Accountants, Gulshan Pink City (Level-7),

Plot # 15, Road # 103, Block-

CEN(C), Gulshan Avenue, Dhaka-1212,

(O)+880-2-8881824-6,

(F)+880-2-8881822, (E) [email protected]

25 1084 Ms. Suraiya Zerin ACA Mr. Sheikh A Hafiz FCA Rahman Rahman Huq

Head of Finance & Company

Secretary,

BRAC EPL,

Stock Brokerage Ltd.,

WW Tower (8th floor),

68 Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000, (O) +880-2-9514721-30,

(M) 01715 259675,






of 56

Sl

No

Enroll

No

Name of the Female


26 1098 Ms. Farjana Akter Sadi

ACA Mr. M A Baree FCA

Hoda Vasi Chowdhury

& Co.

Assistant Vice President,

Southeast Bank Ltd,

Merchant Banking Wing, Eunoos

Center (Level - 2), 52-53 Dilkusha

Com,Area , Dhaka-1000, (O)+880-2-9571115, 9555466,

(M) 01713 441067,

(F)+880-2-7174274, [email protected]

27 1105 Ms. Farzana Ahmed ACA Not Applicable Not Applicable House No. 14, Road No. 11, Dhanmondi R/A, Dhaka

28 1136 Ms. Zakia Rashid

Chowdhury ACA Not Applicable Not Applicable

15 Weld Place, New Southgate, London N 11 1QZ, UK,

(Ph) +44-208 3613 823

29 1150 Ms. Rokeya Khatun ACA Mr. Netai Chand Talukder FCA

A Matin & Co.

General Manager (A & F),

Building Material Division (BMD),

Anwar Group of Industries,

Baitul Hossain Building (14th floor),

27 Dilkusha C/A, Dhaka-1000, (M) 01914 876942,


30 1152 Ms Zareen Hosein ACA Not Applicable Not Applicable

Partner, Snehasish Mahmud &

Co. Chartered Accountants,

House No # 10 (3rd Floor), Road No # 9, Block J Baridhara, Dhaka

(M) 01730 022131,


31 1155 Ms Rasanna Rahman ACA Not Applicable Not Applicable

77, Valley Field Road, London

SW16 2HX, UK, (E) [email protected]

32 1160 Ms Khadija Yeasmin ACA Mr. Netai Chand Talukder

FCA A Matin & Co.

Flat # B4, 131/1, Jahanara Garden,

Green Road, Dhaka-1205,

(M) 01713 453596 (E) [email protected]

33 1188 Ms Khairul Mobasserin

ACA Mr. Iftekhar Hossain FCA ACNABIN

Manager, Shah Cement Industries Ltd., 13 Dilkusha Com.Area (6th floor), Dhaka-1000,

(O) +880-2-9554025, 9550324,


34 1206 Ms Rojina Akhter ACA Mr. Syed Fazle Ali FCA S F Ahmed & Co.

CFO & Company Secretary,

Golden Harvest Group,

Santa Tower (Level 5, # 501& 502), 186 Gulshan–Tejgaon Link Road,

Dhaka,

(M) 01730 739296, [email protected]

35 1232 Ms Farzana Firoz ACA Mr. Adeeb Hossain Khan FCA

Rahman Rahman Huq

Manager- Financial Compliance

Finance Department,

Save the Children,

House # CWN (A) 35, Road # 43,

Gulshan 2, Dhaka, (M) 01755574264


36 1235 Ms. Nimat Ahmed ACA Not Applicable Not Applicable

5 Temple Close, Luton, LU2 7XZ, U.K.

(R) 0044 1582 613746,


37 1254 Ms. Priyanka Saha ACA Mr. Ashit Baran Saha FCA A B Saha & Co.

Manager, Group Finance, Standard

Chartered Bank, Singapore,

Marina Bay Financial Centre Tower

-1, Level-24, 8 Marina Boulevard,

Singapore 018981, (Ph) +65 90229043,


mailto:farjana@

of 56

Sl

No

Enroll

No

Name of the Female


38 1267 Ms. Sharmina Tasneem

ACA Mr. Manzoor Alam FCA

Hoda Vasi Chowdhury

& Co.

Manager-Finance & Accounts,

Energypac Power Genration Ltd.,

79 Shahid Tajuddin Ahmed Sharani

Tejgaon Ind.Area, Dhaka-1208,

(M) 01911 253831, 01749 276393, (E) [email protected]

39 1277 Ms. Ainur Nahar ACA Mr. Kazi Aminul Huque


DGM & Head of Internal Audit,

STS Group,

143 Gulshan 1, Dhaka, (M) 01713 276148, 01715 555558,


40 1306 Ms. Yesmin Hosna ACA Mr. Md. Nurul Haque FCA Nurul Faruk Hasan &

Co.

DD-LPD, The Institute of

Chartered Accountants of

Bangladesh (ICAB), CA Bhaban 100Kazi Nazrul Islam

Avenue, Kawran Bazar, Dhaka,


41 1322 Ms. Salmaa Khan Mou

ACA

Mr. Md. Moniruzzaman

FCA ACNABIN

10/5 Tolarbag, (1st floor, Left side),

Mirpur-1, Dhaka-1216

42 1336 Ms. Mashruna A.

Chowdhury ACA Mr. Mujibul Huque FCA M Huque & Co.

Flat 3/F, Diganta-3, 3 Avoy Das Lane, Tikatuli, Dhaka-1203,

(M) 01926 255137,


43 1341 Ms. Oishee Labina Hussain ACA

Mr. M Farhad Hussain FCA

Hussain Farhad & Co.

Manager, Hussain Farhad & Co,

Chartered Accountants, House No. 15, Road No. 12, Block-F, Niketon,

Gulshan-1, Dhaka-1212,

(O)+880-2-8836015-7, (M) 01713-001022,

(F)+880-2-8836074

44 1349 Ms. Farhana Mahejabin

ACA

Mr. ANM Altaf Hussain

Siddiqui FCA Rahman Rahman Huq

Assistant Vice President (Finance

& Accounts),

Prime Finance & Investment Ltd.,

63 Dilkusha Com.Area,Dhaka-1000, (M) 01912 098360, 01755 543382,


45 1356 Ms. Joly Rozario ACA Mr. Md. Moahedul Mowla Chowdhury FCA

Mowla Mohammad & Co.

Senior Executive, Transcom

Beverage Ltd.,

Plot # 31, Road # 53, Gulshan 2,

Dhaka-1212, (O)+880-2-8834586, 9862220,

(M) 01716 497313,

(F) +880-2-8834584, (E) [email protected] ,

[email protected]

46 1378 Ms. Adneen Mourin

Hussain ACA Mr. Sheikh A Hafiz FCA Rahman Rahman Huq

Assistant Manager , Audit &

Advisory Services,

Rahman Rahman Huq,

Chartered Accountants, 9 Mohakhali C/A (11th floor), Dhaka-1212, (M) 01727 033814, (E) [email protected]

47 1381 Ms. Ayesha Rahman ACA Mr. ABM Azizuddin FCA ACNABIN

307/5, Pirerbagh, Road # 01, Jhilpar,

Mirpur, Dhaka-1216,


48 1384 Ms. Nadia Zaman ACA Mr. M Moslehuddin FCA Rahman Rahman Huq

Assistant Manager, Finance,

Wartsila Bangladesh Ltd.,

SMC Tower (3rd floor), 33 Kemal

Ataturk Avenue, Banani,

Dhaka-1213, (O)+880-2-8836977 Ext. 127,

(M) 01755 594411,

(F) +880-2-8836978, (E) [email protected]

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Name of the Female


49 1397 Ms. Esha Nabila Hussain

ACA

Mr. M Farhad Hussain

FCA Hussain Farhad & Co.

Manager, Hussain Farhad & Co.,

Chartered Accountants, House No. 15, Road No. 12, Block-

F, Niketon, Gulshan-1, Dhaka-1212,

(O) 01911 353600, (M) 01756 710954,

(F) +880-2-8836074,


50 1407 Ms. Tania Rahman ACA Not Applicable Not Applicable

64 st. Davids Square London, E14

3WB, UK (E) [email protected]

51 1413 Ms. Shayema Akter ACA Mr. Syed Fazle Ali FCA S F Ahmed & Co.

Director ,

S F Ahmed & Co.,

Chartered Accountants, House # 25, Road # 13A, Block-D, Banani, Dhaka-1213,

(M) 01713 078593,


52 1424 Ms. Aisha Siddiqua ACA Mr. Harun ur Rashid FCA Zoha Zamah Kabir Rashid & Co.

18/26/6, Suklal Das Lane, Sutrapur,

Dhaka-1100,

(M) 01913 624647

53 1445 Ms. Feroza Azim ACA Mr. M M Abdur Rouf FCA Toha Anwar Rouf &

Co.

Deputy Manager, Runner Group, 138/A, Tejgaon I/A, Dhaka-1208, (M) 01814 660025,


54 1448 Ms. Salma Begum ACA Mr. Akhtar Sohel Kasem

FCA A Qasem & Co.

Manager, A Qasem & Co., Chartered Accountants , Gulshan

Pink City, Suites # 01-03, Level-7,

Plot # 15, Road # 103, Block-CEN (C), Gulshan Avenue, Dhaka-1212,


55 1452 Ms. Asma Akhter ACA Mr. M A Baree FCA Hoda Vasi Chowdhury & Co.

Executive Officer, The City Bank

Ltd., 1 Darus Salam Road , Mirpur-

1, Dhaka,

(M) 01199-081000 (E) [email protected]

56 1459 Ms. Evana Hoque ACA Mr. AS Manjurul Hoque

FCA Zaman Hoque & Co.

Manager (Audit & Consultancy),

Zaman Hoque & Co.,

Chartered Accountants, 78 Kakrail, Dhaka-1000,


57 1484 Ms. Anika Sultana ACA Mr. Adeeb Hossain Khan


House # 23, Road # 6/A, Sector # 5, Uttara, Dhaka-1230 ,


58 1487 Ms. Hasina Deen Rizvi ACA

Mr. HM Abul Kalam Azad FCA

AK Azad & Co.

Head of Accounts, NEC

Corporation, Dhaka Branch, Doreen Tower (6th

floor), Gulshan North Avenue ,

Gulshan-2, Dhaka-1212, (M) 01713-363457,


59 1490 Ms. Farhana Islam ACA Mr. ABM Azizuddin FCA ACNABIN

Assistant Manager (A&F), MBM

Group, Mirpur-13, Dhaka-1216,


60 1494 Ms. Romana Ahmed ACA Mr. Md. Mostafizur Rahman FCA

Rahman Mostafa Alam & Co.

Senior Officer, One Bank Ltd., 2/F, HRC Bhaban, 46 Kawran Bazar

C/A, Dhaka-1215,


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Name of the Female


61 1502 Ms. Tahmina Akter ACA Mr. Quamrul Ahsan

Chowdhury FCA

Quamrul Ahsan

Chowdhury & Co.

In Charge (Accounts),

Abul Khair Steel Melting Ltd., Abul Khair Group, BP Road, Pahartoli, Chittagong,

(M) 01619-952633

62 1507 Ms. Nasreen Ahmad ACA Mr. Mr. M Moslehuddin


House # 13, Lane # 4, Road # 2,

Block-K, Halishahor Hhousing

Estate, Chittagong, (M) 01199-243306,


63 1514 Ms. Naznin Sultana ACA Mr. M. Mosleh Uddin


Senior Manager – Finance

Community Development Centre

(CODEC)

Plot # 2, , Road # 2 Haji Jafor Ali

Road Lakevalley R/A, Foy‟s Lake Khulshi, Chittagong

(O) +880-31-2566746, 2566747


64 1540 Ms. Farjana Yeasmin ACA Mr. A N Altaf Hussain

Siddiqui FCA Rahman Rahman Huq

Senior Executive Officer,

Prime Bank Ltd, Financial

Administrator (FAD) Adamjee Court Bhaban (9th floor)

119-120 motijheel Com.Area,

(M) 01816825564, (E) [email protected]

65 1554 Ms. Rubiya Akter ACA Mr. Kamran Idris Choudhury FCA

A Qasem & Co.

Manager,

Mostafa Group of Industries,

Mostafa Centre 1102/A, Agrabad C/A, Chittagong,

(O) +880-3-2530001-10

( E) [email protected]

66 1556 Ms. Sabiha Yeasmin ACA Mr. Adeeb Hossain Khan


Assistant Manager Internal Audit,

Unilever Bangladesh Ltd, ZN

Tower, Plot # 2, Road # 8, Gulshan 1, Dhaka, (M) 01670 039180

67 1563 Ms. Tamara Hussain ACA Mr. Adeeb Hossain Khan


Chief Acountant,

Foster Wheeler ( Thailand) Ltd,

House # 94, Road # 5, Gulshan 2,

Dhaka 1212, (M) 01727 330373,


68 1573 Ms. Moon Rani Das ACA

Mr. M M Abdur Rouf FCA

Toha Anwar Rouf &

Co,

Deputy Manager

United Insurance Company Limited,

Camellia House, 22 Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue, Dhaka

69 1574 Ms. Sadia Ahmed ACA Mr. Sheikh A. Hafiz FCA

Rahman Rahman Huq

Assistant Manager

Rahman Rahman Huq,

Chartered Accountants

9 Mohakhali Com. Area (11th & 12th Floors), Dhaka 1212

70 1585 Ms. Ireen Khan Tamanna

ACA

Mr. Sheikh A. Hafiz FCA

&

Mr. ANAH Siddqui FCA

Rahman Rahman Huq

Chief Accountant

Foster Wheeler (Thailand) Limited,

Bangladesh Branch,

4/C, Flints Bailly Heights,

House # 5/A, Road # 94, Gulshan-2,

Dhaka-1212

71 1597 Ms. Kazi Munmun Ahmed

ACA

Mr. Sheikh A. Hafiz FCA

& Mr. Ali Ashfaq FCA

Rahman Rahman Huq

Assistant Manager

Rahman Rahman Huq,

Chartered Accountants

9 Mohakhali C/A, Dhaka-1212

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