Faculty of Economics and Business Universitas Gadjah Mada (FEB UGM) hosted the Aspiring Professional Accountants Festival (APAFest) 2025 opening ceremony. The event was organized by the Indonesian Accountants Association (IAI) in collaboration with FEB UGM on Saturday (25/4/2025) at the Sukadji Ranuwihardjo Auditorium, MM FEB UGM Campus, Yogyakarta, and online broadcasted live through the FEB UGM YouTube channel.
With the theme “Future-Ready Accountants: Navigating Global Challenges”, the President of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), Jean Bouquot, presented this activity. He shared insights on the future challenges and opportunities of the accounting profession with students from various universities in Indonesia.
The event also featured speakers from various professional and academic institutions. Some of them are Sophia Wattimena (Chairman of OJK Audit Board), Prof. Sidharta Utama (IFAC Board Member), Prof. Lindawati Gani (PAIB AG IFAC Member), and Prof. Syaiful Ali (Lecturer of FEB UGM).
Chairman of the APAFest 2025 Committee, Ahmad Zaki, Ph.D., said that the APAFest 2025 Kick-off consisted of two main sessions: Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and Webinar & Talk Show. The FGD session Navigating the Impact of Digital Ages for Accounting Education presented academics from various universities in Yogyakarta as a strategic forum to discuss the transformation of accounting education in the era of artificial intelligence.
This FGD discussed two main topics: how national and global accounting institutions adjust their competency frameworks to face technological integration, such as AI and digitalization. Then, it discussed how the accounting education and certification system should be redesigned to produce accountants with critical thinking skills, digital literacy, and high ethics.
Next, there was a webinar and talk show session attended by accounting students from various universities in Indonesia. The session highlighted global issues shaping the future of the accounting profession, starting from how artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and digitization are changing the role of accountants. In addition, the talk show discussed global trends and challenges related to evolving regulations on ESG reporting and international financial standards. Next, the skills that accountants need to master to be ready for the future, opportunities for Indonesian accountants on the global stage, IAI’s adaptation to ensure accountant competence at the worldwide level, and IFAC’s role in supporting the accounting profession.
“APAFest 2025 is a real proof of the commitment of IAI and FEB UGM in preparing future generations of accountants to face global challenges,” concluded Zaki.
Reportage: Kurnia Ekaptiningrum
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