The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) has named Datuk Zaiton Mohd Hassan as its new president.
She succeeds Melanie Proffitt from the UK.
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In this role, the Malaysian finance leader will oversee an organisation representing “more than 266,000 members and 546,000 future members across 179 countries” during the year of office, the statement said.
Her appointment comes as the accountancy profession adjusts to technological changes, with AI altering day-to-day operations and expanding the responsibilities of practitioners.
At the same time, an increasing institutional focus on sustainability and social value is shifting how performance and success are measured, the ACCA statement added.
Her presidency also coincides with ACCA’s scheduled rollout of a revised professional qualification in mid-2027.
Hassan first joined the ACCA Council in 2016, bringing a professional background in auditing, banking, and governance.
Her career includes previous work with PwC, as well as establishing and directing a national credit rating agency in Malaysia.
Before assuming the presidency, she served as vice-president and deputy president, liaising with ACCA members throughout the Asia-Pacific region and globally.
Alongside her governance work, Hassan is chief executive of the Malaysia Professional Accountancy Centre, a non-profit organisation that assists individuals from lower-income backgrounds in securing finance careers.
Hassan said: ‘It’s a tremendous honour to serve as president of ACCA, an organisation that has shaped my life and career.
“I came into this profession because it was open to anyone willing to work for it, whatever their background, and I’ve seen how it can lift people and whole communities. Opportunity is everything, and accountancy remains one of the most powerful routes to it.
“Our newly redesigned ACCA Qualification retains an open access route and will help to change the face of accountancy education worldwide, preparing the next generation for a profession where technology is taking on routine work and freeing accountants for work of far greater value.
“That value lies in the judgment, insight and ethics that only people can bring.”
