The Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) UGM student has once again brought national honor to the university. Hans Mangatur Pakpahan, a student in the undergraduate accounting study program, class of 2021, won the first runner-up position in the National Aspiring Professional Accountant (APA) Award 2024 competition organized by the Indonesian Institute of Accountants (IAI) at the Indonesia Stock Exchange in Jakarta on 18 November 2024.
The National APA Award 2024 attracted 68 participants from all over Indonesia, representing 34 regional offices of the IAI. After a rigorous selection process, Hans and three other top participants made it to the final round.
Hans’ journey to victory was a hard one. The competition began with a preliminary stage where contestants had to submit several required documents. Some contestants were asked to write an article on the use of technology for young accountants, summarise their achievements and leadership experiences as students, create an introductory video on the relevance of accountants today, summarise an article in English, and design a promotional poster for chartered accountants. Participants had to present their achievements and summaries in the semi-final and final rounds.
For the competition, Hans presented the implementation of cloud accounting as a technological adaptation solution for accounting students. This idea was developed after a week of in-depth research and provided a strategic framework to educate and raise awareness of sustainability in business decision-making. Hans emphasized the importance of collaboration between different parties, such as universities, IAI, and cloud service providers.
“During the presentation, the judges agreed that the cloud accounting approach should first target students of accounting theory and practice. Furthermore, it is not easy to implement this technology, so collaboration between various parties is essential,” he said on Friday (22 September 2024).
Hans’ achievement was not only the result of his hard work and efforts but also due to the full support of FEB UGM, including the mentoring support of his advisors, Choirunnisa Arifa, S.E., M.Sc., Ph.D., Ak., CA., and Rijadh Djatu Winardi, S.E., M.Sc., Ph.D., CFE. “The final tips from my professors were constructive as I answered the judges’ critical questions,” Hans added.
Reportage: Orie Priscylla Mapeda Lumalan
Editor: Kurnia Ekaptiningrum
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