ICAI Abu Dhabi Chapter celebrates 77th Chartered Accountants Day

The ICAI Abu Dhabi Chapter marked the 77th Chartered Accountants Day with a landmark celebration bringing together over 400 professionals, students, families, and distinguished guests at a glittering evening event themed “Celebrating the Past. Creating the Future.”

The programme featured keynote sessions, an excellence recognition ceremony, and a cultural entertainment performance, underscoring the chapter’s commitment to honouring its heritage while boldly shaping the profession’s future.

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The evening commenced with a warm welcome by the chapter’s general secretary Mohamed Shafeek, who invited members and guests to mark the occasion with a traditional cake-cutting ceremony — a symbol of the profession’s enduring spirit and community.

The chapter chairman Rohit Dayma then delivered an address that immediately set the event apart from a conventional CA Day function. Rather than a ceremonial welcome, the speech opened with a powerful reflection on what it means to be a Chartered Accountant in 2026, celebrating the profession’s remarkable journey while issuing an honest challenge to the room.

“AI will not replace the chartered accountant. AI will replace the chartered accountant who refuses to change,” said Dayma. He also acknowledged the chapter’s past chairpersons, the managing committee, volunteers, and the families of members for their invisible but indispensable contribution to the profession. His address closed with a call to action: to not merely celebrate what the profession has been — but to commit, collectively, to closing the gaps and building what it must become.

Central council member Dr Rohit Ruwatia delivered the first keynote, offering an authoritative and forward-looking perspective on the CA profession’s trajectory. He highlighted key strategic initiatives undertaken by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) to keep its members ahead of technological change, regulatory evolution, and global shifts in the financial landscape. His session reinforced a central theme of the evening: that the CA profession is not merely surviving disruption — it is uniquely positioned to lead through it.

One of the most anticipated moments of the evening was the address by CA Nandini Agrawal — the youngest Chartered Accountant in India, an All India Ranker, and a Guinness World Record holder. In a session that visibly moved the audience, she shared the story of her extraordinary journey with remarkable candour, warmth, and humility.

Her presence on stage carried a message that no speaker could have scripted: that the standards we set for the profession are not a ceiling, but a floor and that the next generation is already clearing them.