Chennai: The Southern India Regional Council (SIRC) of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) will host its 57th Regional Conference, titled “AAKKAM - Onwards & Upwards”, on August 22-23 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium here, bringing together over 3,500 delegates, including Chartered Accountants, policymakers, global accounting leaders and industry experts.

The conference will be inaugurated by Tamil Nadu Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises T M Anbarasan, with IFAC Deputy President Taryn Rulton as the special guest. ICAI President CA Charanjot Singh Nanda will deliver the keynote address, while Vice President CA Prasanna Kumar D will also address the gathering.

Tamil Nadu IT and Digital Services Minister Dr Palanivel Thiagarajan will deliver a special address on “Globalization, Free Trade and Tariffs - Past, Present & Future.”

The two-day event will feature 14 technical sessions on subjects such as ESG, Climate Finance and Carbon Markets, Income Tax Bill 2025, GST @ 8, Cyber Security, Forensic Audit, Digital Transformation, and professional liabilities under PMLA. Panel discussions on the Indian Big 4 and digital disruption in finance will include CFOs, ICAI past presidents, and industry leaders from firms like Zoho, CPCL and CIBIL.

Cultural segments, wellness sessions, and performances by Lakshman Shruthi Orchestra and Super Singer fame Priyanka will also be part of the event.

Organised under CA Revathi Raghunathan, the second person from Tamil Nadu to chair SIRC since 1952, the conference returns to Chennai after 17 years and offers 12 CPE hours to participants.